A “clear favorite” has emerged to take the PGA Tour’s newly formed title of CEO.
NFL chief media officer Brian Rolapp is reportedly the leading candidate to take the role according to a report by Sports Business Journal, citing as many as five sources across the golf and NFL worlds. An announcement “could be coming in the weeks following the U.S. Open,” the report suggests.
Last month, SBJ reported that Rolapp was being eyed by the PGA Tour, and the NFL exec has been connected to the opening since 2024.
Since 2017, Rolapp has served as the NFL’s top media executive, ushering the league through negotiations for its current media rights deals worth $111 billion over 11 years. The executive is deeply entrenched in the media business and would bring valuable relationships with him to the PGA Tour should a deal be finalized.
The role of PGA Tour CEO will primarily be tasked with overseeing the Tour’s new for-profit arm, PGA Tour Enterprises. The CEO role will be separate from that of commissioner, which will still be chaired by Jay Monahan.
Rolapp’s likely exit from the NFL will leave an interesting void to fill for the league. Just a few years from now, the NFL is expected to exercise an opt-out in its current television agreements. New media negotiations for the league are closer than they seem, and it looks like NFL commissioner Roger Goodell will need to find a new right-hand man to lead those talks.
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.