‘Both sides feel like they have the upper hand’: Golf Insider reacts to newly appointed CEO of the PGAT amid LIV merger

Brian Rolapp's appointment as PGA Tour CEO will have ripple effects across the entire sport, namely with the negotiations between the Tour and PIF over LIV Golf. Rolapp is going to succeed Jay Monahan as commissioner as well in 2026.

So by this time next year, Rolapp will be firmly leading the merger talks if they're still going on. Golf insider Rex Hoggard speculated on what this might mean, and he doesn't envision that Rolapp can quite fix things immediately.

Hoggard said on the SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio:

"Based on what we saw earlier this year with the multiple trips to the White House and the President got involved, both sides feel like they have the upper hand. I know that can't be true. Two things cannot be true on this front. Someone's going to have to look themselves in the mirror and realize that we need to give a little bit. No one's blinking right now, for the good of the game, can both sides come up with a way to blink a little bit?"

He further said he can't envision Rolapp, or anyone else in the golf world, coming up with a solution if LIV Golf wants to continue having 15 events during the summer while the PGA Tour is in full swing.

"If both sides are willing to sit down and come up with some sort of variation... and you use our product and you can use our players, and we can all make it work together, then that works. But outside of that, it just seems untractable right now."

Ultimately, Rolapp has to be able to compromise, and he has to convince the LIV side to as well.

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Jay Monahan praises incoming CEO of PGA Tour

The PGA Tour is in new hands now. Brian Rolapp has taken over as CEO after 22 years with the NFL. By 2026, commissioner Jay Monahan will have handed off his role to Rolapp, giving him full control of the Tour.

Jay Monahan likes Brian Rolapp's appointment (Image via Imagn)

That, in Monahan's eyes, is a good thing. He said in a statement, according to the Tour website:

“A year ago, I informed our Boards that upon completing a decade as Commissioner, I would step down from my role at the end of 2026. Since then, we’ve worked together to identify a leader who can build on our momentum and develop a process that ensures a smooth transition. We’ve found exactly the right leader in Brian Rolapp, and I’m excited to support him as he transitions from the NFL into his new role leading the PGA Tour.”

Rolapp's expertise with the television side of the NFL is something the Tour sought as it attempts to turn the tide on the losing ratings battle it has been enduring for a few years.

Edited by Tushar Bahl