Brian Rolapp uses Rory McIlroy controversy as an example in response to potential Tiger Woods concerns

The future of the PGA Tour seems to be in good hands with Brian Rolapp at the helm.

The PGA Tour is thriving right now, with Rory McIlroy emerging as the successor to Tiger Woods, who is set to become eligible for the senior circuit at the end of December.

Rolapp took over as the Tour’s new CEO earlier this year, and he’s clearly not frightened to ruffle some feathers.

Rolapp is planning a shorter 20-event PGA Tour season, with the goal of making the product even more appealing for new fans.

“It would be a thrill to see Tiger come out and play the Champions Tour, and I’m convinced he will play several. Depends how many. I’m going to gradually get older and older here, and I may not be at the very top of my game when he comes out, but he always moves the needle. He’s a very exciting personality to watch, and it would be fantastic for Tiger and for our tour to be competing out there, and I think all the players would welcome him.”

Bernhard Langer

“I’ve said, please come play. And I think it can only be beneficial to him. He will get himself in golf shape. You can ride a cart without any shame and if there was one guy that should be able to drive a cart, it’s him… and he can get his a** back in shape.”

Ernie Els

“I think it would be super for the [PGA Tour Champions] if Tiger is able to play. Great for sponsors, tv, etc. And we will all begin our rounds looking for his name on the board. Where is he? Do we have a chance? Hopefully we do, but maybe not.”

Colin Montgomerie

It is already clear to see that Rolapp is not afraid of making some big changes.

However, there are concerns that Woods competing on the PGA Tour Champions in 2026 could detract from certain regular Tour events which are being held on the same week.

With that in mind, it was interesting to hear Rolapp’s take on the situation.

Brian Rolapp uses Rory McIlroy as an example in response to Tiger Woods concerns

Back in August, Rory McIlroy caused controversy by skipping the FedEx St. Jude Championship – the first playoff event of the PGA Tour post-season.

And now Rolapp has used that incident as an example regarding why the PGA Tour should not fear Woods moving on to the senior circuit.

The PGA Tour CEO was speaking about the future of the Tour during a CNBC CEO Council Forum.

It was put to Rolapp that former PGA Tour player Billy Andrade suggested that the Tour might struggle to attract viewers to regular events if Tiger Woods is playing on the PGA Tour Champions the same week.

“I’m not worried about that,“ Rolapp insisted.

“I don’t know what Tiger’s plans are. But again, I go back to the premise, right? Everyone has this premise that a tournament only matters if one or two players are in it. There’s no data that supports that.

“I’ll give you an example. We had a playoff event in Memphis and Rory McIlroy decided to skip it, which, by the way, is his right. I don’t blame him for doing it.

“We have a competitive model where he didn’t have to play in that tournament, just like in my old job, the Kansas City Chiefs would sit Patrick Mahomes week 18, because they had the bye locked up in the first round. They shouldn’t play him.

“And so, you know, Rory smartly didn’t play in the tournament and rested up for the next one and did well.

Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images for The Match
“But that tournament ended in Justin Rose and J.J. Spaun in a playoff playoff round and Justin ended up winning. I think we did towards the end of that telecast close to five or six million viewers.

“The six million people who were watching that playoff weren’t saying, ‘Gosh, this sport event stinks because one player isn’t in it’.

“It would have been better. It would have been better if he was in it, there’s no question. But it was an amazing event.

“And so, again, any sport worth its salt that says, ‘this competition only works if there’s a couple people in it’, is not a sport.

“I don’t think that’s what the PGA Tour is. I think it’s it’s a compelling athletic contest with the deepest reservoir of professional golfers on the planet.“

The PGA Tour is evolving and Brian Rolapp is leading the charge

Rolapp recently responded when asked whether he sees a 20-event PGA Tour schedule lying ahead in the future.

“Yeah, I could see that,“ Rolapp stated.

“I think, you know, I think there’s a lot of common themes. One thing we did in this committee, which is important, is we launched it with more questions than answers. And we did that on purpose because we want it to be informed by data research and our partners.

“So we concluded a series of meetings where all of our media partners came in and we just said, blank sheet of paper. What would you do? How would you make this great to increase fan engagement?

“We brought media partners, who we don’t have deals with, who are also in the sports landscape, who said, ‘Hey, this would make the sport more interesting’. We brought in sponsors, ‘Hey, how do you make this more effective for you to activate around’?

“We surveyed fans about, ‘What do you want to see’? And that’s all being input into the discussion and how you actually make the sport better.

“So, yeah, you could see us making events bigger.“

Rolapp has some big decisions to make moving forward, and the call he makes regarding a potential new schedule could well make or break his PGA Tour tenure.

However, the biggest obstacle faced by Rolapp is the possibility of a future without Tiger Woods.

That said, it’s very clear that the PGA Tour CEO isn’t overly worried about what could happen to viewership figures if the 15-time major champion plays regularly on the PGA Tour Champions.