1 day ago
Brian Rolapp has got a lot of things right since being named the PGA Tour's CEO back in 2025.
Rolapp recently outlined the sweeping changes that will be made to the PGA Tour from the start of the 2028 season onwards.
While LIV Golf has received huge amounts of criticism since its inception, it has been good for one thing.
LIV entering the professional golf scene forced the PGA Tour into making some big changes.
Then Brian Rolapp was appointed as the CEO in 2025 and he has taken things to a whole new level entirely.
#rolapp #things #since #changes
Rolapp recently outlined the sweeping changes that will be made to the PGA Tour from the start of the 2028 season onwards.
While LIV Golf has received huge amounts of criticism since its inception, it has been good for one thing.
LIV entering the professional golf scene forced the PGA Tour into making some big changes.
Then Brian Rolapp was appointed as the CEO in 2025 and he has taken things to a whole new level entirely.
#rolapp #things #since #changes
3 days ago
Were it not for Brian Rolapp's disinclination to even mention LIV Golf, you'd be forgiven for thinking the PGA Tour's CEO had spent the past week trolling his opposite number with a carpet bombing campaign of upbeat commercial announcements.
On Monday, the Tour said that Sompo, an insurance company, will sponsor an event next season and an elite Championship Series tournament starting in 2028. On Tuesday, it was confirmed that Travelers will level up to the same tier. Wednesday brought news that Sentry will underwrite another of the silk-stocking stops. On Thursday, the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard was added to the public list of tournaments comprising the Tour's premier schedule. (Friday was seemingly a day of rest for sales and marketing folks at the GloHo.) Each announced tournament has a $20 million purse, though total fees incurred by sponsors run closer to $30 million.
By comparison, LIV Golf's CEO, Scott O'Neil was silent since he had no good news to share and presumably little enthusiasm for addressing damaging speculation swirling around his business. One claim — amplified by his own players — is that the team finale scheduled for August 27 to 30 in Michigan will be canceled. Then came a cautionary rumor that it might happen after all, despite no build-out having commenced at the venue. A report followed that LIV is on the cusp of signing investors to keep it afloat into 2027, an infusion pegged at $250-$300 million, or about a quarter of what the Saudis have been torching annually for the past few years. Lastly, there was renewed anticipation of a bankruptcy filing as a step toward realigning the league's financial obligations.
No wonder the PGA Tour was so eager to position itself as surging in the right direction just as its antagonist is battling the narrative that it's in a death spiral. Whether both circuits remain on their respective trajectories is another matter.
Rolapp clearly has traction with sponsors to finance the Championship Series of a restructured PGA Tour, though it's possible some incumbents were offered a friends-and-family discount rather than asked for the full $30 million.
#past #tournament #though #brian
On Monday, the Tour said that Sompo, an insurance company, will sponsor an event next season and an elite Championship Series tournament starting in 2028. On Tuesday, it was confirmed that Travelers will level up to the same tier. Wednesday brought news that Sentry will underwrite another of the silk-stocking stops. On Thursday, the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard was added to the public list of tournaments comprising the Tour's premier schedule. (Friday was seemingly a day of rest for sales and marketing folks at the GloHo.) Each announced tournament has a $20 million purse, though total fees incurred by sponsors run closer to $30 million.
By comparison, LIV Golf's CEO, Scott O'Neil was silent since he had no good news to share and presumably little enthusiasm for addressing damaging speculation swirling around his business. One claim — amplified by his own players — is that the team finale scheduled for August 27 to 30 in Michigan will be canceled. Then came a cautionary rumor that it might happen after all, despite no build-out having commenced at the venue. A report followed that LIV is on the cusp of signing investors to keep it afloat into 2027, an infusion pegged at $250-$300 million, or about a quarter of what the Saudis have been torching annually for the past few years. Lastly, there was renewed anticipation of a bankruptcy filing as a step toward realigning the league's financial obligations.
No wonder the PGA Tour was so eager to position itself as surging in the right direction just as its antagonist is battling the narrative that it's in a death spiral. Whether both circuits remain on their respective trajectories is another matter.
Rolapp clearly has traction with sponsors to finance the Championship Series of a restructured PGA Tour, though it's possible some incumbents were offered a friends-and-family discount rather than asked for the full $30 million.
#past #tournament #though #brian
7 days ago
The PGA Tour has begun revealing which tournaments will become Championship Series events in 2028 when a new two-track model is implemented.
First up for the PGA Tour's top-tier Championship Series is the Travelers Championship, which has been played annually at TPC River Highlands just outside Hartford, Connecticut, each June, typically the week after the U.S. Open. Since 2023, the Travelers has been one of eight $20 million signature events on the PGA Tour. The announcement was made on Monday.
In 2028, the PGA Tour Championship Series will comprise roughly 15 regular-season events, in addition to the four major championships, Players Championship, and playoff events. Purses for the PGA Tour-operated events (the non-majors) will be at least $20 million, with some tournaments like the Players and a revamped Tour Championship offering even more prize money. The second-tier Challenger Series will comprise at least 20 events, each offering much lower purses of at least $4 million. Both series will run from approximately February to August, and will include annual promotion and relegation between the circuits.
"Right now we have 47 events at the PGA Tour—we'll have 47 events going forward," PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp said when he unveiled the plans for the new scheduling model in June. "That current model serves roughly 230 players. We'll serve that amount of players, the same. We are just organized now in a more simple understanding competitively so our fans can understand it, our partners know what they're getting as far as value. So we think we've just organized the same tour into a much more interesting and competitive system."
The second confirmed Championship Series event will be sponsored by Sompo, a ***** anese insurance and financial services firm, the PGA Tour announced on Tuesday. The event's market has yet to be determined, though. In 2027, Sompo will back a full-field (non-signature) PGA Tour event at Silverado Resort's North Course in Napa, California, July 29 to Aug. 1—effectively replacing the Rocket Classic in Detroit, which is leaving the PGA Tour schedule after this season. In 2028, the Sompo event will relocate to a new market as part of the transition to the Championship Series.
#championship #sompo
First up for the PGA Tour's top-tier Championship Series is the Travelers Championship, which has been played annually at TPC River Highlands just outside Hartford, Connecticut, each June, typically the week after the U.S. Open. Since 2023, the Travelers has been one of eight $20 million signature events on the PGA Tour. The announcement was made on Monday.
In 2028, the PGA Tour Championship Series will comprise roughly 15 regular-season events, in addition to the four major championships, Players Championship, and playoff events. Purses for the PGA Tour-operated events (the non-majors) will be at least $20 million, with some tournaments like the Players and a revamped Tour Championship offering even more prize money. The second-tier Challenger Series will comprise at least 20 events, each offering much lower purses of at least $4 million. Both series will run from approximately February to August, and will include annual promotion and relegation between the circuits.
"Right now we have 47 events at the PGA Tour—we'll have 47 events going forward," PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp said when he unveiled the plans for the new scheduling model in June. "That current model serves roughly 230 players. We'll serve that amount of players, the same. We are just organized now in a more simple understanding competitively so our fans can understand it, our partners know what they're getting as far as value. So we think we've just organized the same tour into a much more interesting and competitive system."
The second confirmed Championship Series event will be sponsored by Sompo, a ***** anese insurance and financial services firm, the PGA Tour announced on Tuesday. The event's market has yet to be determined, though. In 2027, Sompo will back a full-field (non-signature) PGA Tour event at Silverado Resort's North Course in Napa, California, July 29 to Aug. 1—effectively replacing the Rocket Classic in Detroit, which is leaving the PGA Tour schedule after this season. In 2028, the Sompo event will relocate to a new market as part of the transition to the Championship Series.
#championship #sompo
1 month ago
The PGA Tour has revealed its planned changes to its competitive model, schedule and playoffs, changes that will be more substantial than any in the Tour's half-century-long history.
Most notably, the Tour will now have two different competitive tracks for players, the Championship and Challenger series. The Tour's season will also end in a new playoff format, distinctive from the current Tour Championship. These changes will begin with the 2028 season.
"At its core, this work was driven by a simple objective: To build the best version of the PGA Tour, something that could endure and outlive us all," PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp said in announcing the new framework. "So where did we land? One tour, two compelling series of events, played at the most worthy courses for the highest stakes, culminating in a true postseason that crowns the best golfer in the world."
The new format was developed by the tour's Future Competition Committee, a nine-member organization chaired by Tiger Woods that includes five players — Patrick Cantlay, Maverick McNealy, Keith Mitchell, Adam Scott, Camilo Villegas and Woods, as well as executives Joe Gorder, John Henry and Theo Epstein. The Future Competition Committee, formed in August 2025, sought to improve the consistency and quality of fields across the regular season, create a clear system for promotion/relegation, and develop a more competitive experience, with meritocracy as a central goal.
The new format will include two different series of events, running concurrently. The PGA Tour Championship will feature the tour's best players, competing in 23 to 24 events, with 36-hole cuts and purses of $20 million per event. Each Championship series event will include roughly 120 players, although players will not be required to play a specific number of events.
Most notably, the Tour will now have two different competitive tracks for players, the Championship and Challenger series. The Tour's season will also end in a new playoff format, distinctive from the current Tour Championship. These changes will begin with the 2028 season.
"At its core, this work was driven by a simple objective: To build the best version of the PGA Tour, something that could endure and outlive us all," PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp said in announcing the new framework. "So where did we land? One tour, two compelling series of events, played at the most worthy courses for the highest stakes, culminating in a true postseason that crowns the best golfer in the world."
The new format was developed by the tour's Future Competition Committee, a nine-member organization chaired by Tiger Woods that includes five players — Patrick Cantlay, Maverick McNealy, Keith Mitchell, Adam Scott, Camilo Villegas and Woods, as well as executives Joe Gorder, John Henry and Theo Epstein. The Future Competition Committee, formed in August 2025, sought to improve the consistency and quality of fields across the regular season, create a clear system for promotion/relegation, and develop a more competitive experience, with meritocracy as a central goal.
The new format will include two different series of events, running concurrently. The PGA Tour Championship will feature the tour's best players, competing in 23 to 24 events, with 36-hole cuts and purses of $20 million per event. Each Championship series event will include roughly 120 players, although players will not be required to play a specific number of events.
1 month ago
CROMWELL, Conn. — Maverick McNealy has been busy with Zoom calls as much as working on his golf game since PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp introduced the Future Competition Committee in August.
McNealy, a player director on the Tour's board and member of the FCC, spoke about the plan that was approved on Monday during the Tour's board meeting.
"We really went through a pretty formulaic process to figure it all out. It started with all the key parties, the media partners, sponsors, fans, and obviously the players, and really figured out what everyone wanted to see if they had a blank sheet of paper and could draw up the perfect PGA Tour," McNealy said. "I'm really confident that the proposal that was just voted on yesterday addressed most, if not all, of that. There's nothing perfect, and as Brian says, the first five-year business plan that he writes, if it's exactly the same in five years, it'll be the first. But I think we're at a really good starting point, but still a lot of details to be worked out the next six months, and I'll be wearing out those Webex calls, but we're almost there."
Asked by Golfweek to name what was most critical to the players, McNealy said, "The players are most passionate about maintaining the integrity and the history of our PGA Tour competition. We have the best competition in the golf ecosystem and I think that's one of the reasons you saw our tour succeed over the last couple of years when a certain tour might not have. We dug our heels in pretty hard on anything that was going to disrupt that. What you're going to see is a lot cleaner schedule and slightly more competitive version of the PGA Tour that we already love."
Also of critical importance to players was maintaining their freedom to play the tournaments of their choice.
McNealy, a player director on the Tour's board and member of the FCC, spoke about the plan that was approved on Monday during the Tour's board meeting.
"We really went through a pretty formulaic process to figure it all out. It started with all the key parties, the media partners, sponsors, fans, and obviously the players, and really figured out what everyone wanted to see if they had a blank sheet of paper and could draw up the perfect PGA Tour," McNealy said. "I'm really confident that the proposal that was just voted on yesterday addressed most, if not all, of that. There's nothing perfect, and as Brian says, the first five-year business plan that he writes, if it's exactly the same in five years, it'll be the first. But I think we're at a really good starting point, but still a lot of details to be worked out the next six months, and I'll be wearing out those Webex calls, but we're almost there."
Asked by Golfweek to name what was most critical to the players, McNealy said, "The players are most passionate about maintaining the integrity and the history of our PGA Tour competition. We have the best competition in the golf ecosystem and I think that's one of the reasons you saw our tour succeed over the last couple of years when a certain tour might not have. We dug our heels in pretty hard on anything that was going to disrupt that. What you're going to see is a lot cleaner schedule and slightly more competitive version of the PGA Tour that we already love."
Also of critical importance to players was maintaining their freedom to play the tournaments of their choice.
1 month ago
The two PGA Tour boards (Policy and Enterprises) approved recommendations from its Future Competition Committee that established a revamped, two-tier tournament system—with promotion and relegation of players—that begins in 2028. The boards also approved PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp as the tour's next commissioner, replacing Jay Monahan, effective Jan. 1.
The new schedule includes the PGA Tour Championship Series for the top players in the sport and will consist of 23-24 events, while the PGA Tour Challenger Series will serve as a feeder tour with immediate promotion after two Challenger Series wins in a single season.
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The new schedule includes the PGA Tour Championship Series for the top players in the sport and will consist of 23-24 events, while the PGA Tour Challenger Series will serve as a feeder tour with immediate promotion after two Challenger Series wins in a single season.
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1 month ago
CROMWELL, Conn. – Match play is coming to the PGA Tour Playoffs.
The PGA Tour’s board of directors approved a series of sweeping changes on Monday that will go into effect for the 2028 season, including another facelift to its playoffs. For the first time, match play will be used to settle the winner of the Tour Championship beginning in 2028.
That topic seemed dead in the water just last year when the Tour removed starting strokes but opted to stop short of a more radical move on the grounds that it didn’t make sense to play stroke play throughout the entire FedEx Cup season and then shift to match play for the finale.
MORE: PGA Tour’s bold overhaul live updates: 2 tracks, fewer cards, radical finale shift
But when Tour CEO Brian Rolapp came on board a year ago, he said he wanted to start with a blank sheet and make the playoff system easier to understand and more compelling.
The PGA Tour’s board of directors approved a series of sweeping changes on Monday that will go into effect for the 2028 season, including another facelift to its playoffs. For the first time, match play will be used to settle the winner of the Tour Championship beginning in 2028.
That topic seemed dead in the water just last year when the Tour removed starting strokes but opted to stop short of a more radical move on the grounds that it didn’t make sense to play stroke play throughout the entire FedEx Cup season and then shift to match play for the finale.
MORE: PGA Tour’s bold overhaul live updates: 2 tracks, fewer cards, radical finale shift
But when Tour CEO Brian Rolapp came on board a year ago, he said he wanted to start with a blank sheet and make the playoff system easier to understand and more compelling.
