Hopes of peace on the links in the near future and greater alignment between the world’s golf tours appear unlikely based on the focus of newly-installed PGA Tour chief executive Brian Rolapp.
In a wide ranging press conference preceding The Players Championship, the former NFL executive delivered a mission statement that was lofty in aspiration but somewhat short on specifics as to how the grand goals will be delivered.
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But almost three years after a framework agreement between the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and LIV Golf backers was announced, that prospect appears distant based on Rolapp’s comments in Florida on Wednesday.
There has been movement in terms of exemptions, invitations and world rankings points but Rolapp made clear in an address in Ponte Vedra that his priorities will predominantly be insular, with a caveat about an “international component”.
“I think I’ve been clear about this. My brief is to make the PGA Tour better,” he said.
“I’m open to whatever makes the PGA Tour better. That is my brief. Better for fans. Better for our members. That’s what I’m focused on and that’s where I put all my efforts.”
So America first it is, with Rolapp saying he had given no consideration whatsoever to allowing exemptions or invitations into The Players Championships for some LIV golfers.
Brooks Koepka will play at TPC Sawgrass after taking advantage of a Returning Members Program that was offered to others including Australia’s 2022 champion Cameron Smith.
SHOULD THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP BECOME A MAJOR?
Former PGA Tour winner and Golf Channel host Brandle Chamblee is among those who believe the Players Championship should be considered a major, which would extend what is a compressed schedule at the highest level.
“When you look at the Players Championship—with all due respect to the other four major championships—it is the best field in golf,” Chamblee said during the WM Phoenix Open.
“It is the deepest field in golf. And by virtue of the fact that in its 50-year history, only one player has successfully defended it, I would argue that it is the hardest major championship to win. All the others have had far more successful defences.”
Koepka was reluctant to weigh in when asked this week and Rolapp believes that is a matter for others to decide, though if there are restrictions on entrants from other tours, it would clearly raise debate.
“We take a lot of pride in the Players and with all the major talk, some may say even too much pride,” Rolapp said.
“Ultimately, that is not for us to decide. But what is clear is that fans, players and partners consider this to be one of the best tournaments in the world, and we are honoured to showcase it this week.”
BROAD GOALS BUT WHERE IS THE DETAIL?
There are changes afoot on the PGA Tour under Rolapp, who declared his philosophy for running the tour was to think like those tuning it at home from the couch or watching from the fairways. Namely, the customer comes first.
“The sports business is not that hard. Just think like a fan and nine and a half times out of ten, that’s probably the right answer,” he said.
He believes fans want to see the best compete against each other more often and is planning to double the number of “signature” events like this week’s at TPC Sawgrass from eight to 16 tournaments.
The season length would be 21 to 26 events, which includes the majors, and begin with a bang on the west coast of the United States, with the Pebble Beach Pro-Am in which Min Woo Lee recently finished runner-up considered a likely opener.
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The primary events would feature 120 player fields, each with a weekend cut, and the more concentrated calendar would ideally run from January through to the end of September.
There would be upper-tier options for the tour’s leading golfers and lower levels for middling performers, along with a promotion and relegation system, though no specifics were detailed.
As is the case with broad brush announcements from new appointees, critics swiftly identified loopholes wide enough for even a high handicapper to thump a drive through, though Rolapp made clear more detail will be divulged in coming months.
While Rolapp cited the Premier League model in his chat, the PGA Tour currently has a form of promotion and relegation based on the FedEx ranking standings and also the leading performers on the secondary Korn Ferry Tour.
“Ultimately, scarcity is not about the number of events we have, but rather scarcity is about making every event we have matter,” he said.
“For our members, the message is simple. Play well, and you earn the opportunity to compete in our biggest events and for more money.”
But Eamon Lynch from GolfWeek pondered where the additional A$28 million and pocket change per signature tournament come from to double the number of these elite events?
A total of 16 signature events would be worth a total pool in the region of A$450m.
What high end media markets has the new chief identified that the PGA Tour was not already courting? And how does he ensure stars who also play in Europe compete more?
On its website, the PGA Tour notes it competes in only four of the ten largest markets and Rolapp would like to reach new fans in New York (which effectively hosted the Ryder Cup last September), Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia and San Francisco.
Rolapp wants to enhance the worth of the PGA Tour for its investors, though that is a mission goal shared by the bosses of all international and domestic sports, and to also boost the off-season.
That could see match play events introduced, but Jordan Spieth said they are challenging events to arrange.
And while the focus is on the PGA Tour, Rolapp allowed that “we do want to do more internationally” and that parts of the schedule would have an “international component” to it.
“We will continue to move with urgency, but we are more focused on getting this right,” Rolapp said.
“We are proud of our history and just as focused on building the strongest possible future for our game and the fans.”
A MIXED REACTION
In December Tiger Woods welcomed the prospect for change under Rolapp and the Future Competitions Committee that features players and other influential voices in sport and is tasked with optimising the tour’s potential.
“We’re trying to figure out what is the best schedule possible so we can create the best fields and have the most viewership and also the most fan involvement,” Woods said.
“(It is) looking at different timetables of when we start and finish, different tentpoles throughout the year and what that might look like.”
Rory McIlroy said that he had received a call from Rolapp on Monday detailing what he would say in his announcement.
“It’s all pretty positive,” he said.
“I think he’s got into this job and realised how difficult it is to turn this big ship around, and there is a lot of cooks in the kitchen and a lot of opinions. He is obviously kind of getting that.
“But I think what he said today was obviously a really good direction of where the tour should be going, I think.”
But Hall of Fame golfer Curtis Strange told GolfWeek he believed the players had too much input and was not convinced by what has been outlined to date by the new tour boss.
“Golf is a different animal than football. It’s not a six-month audience,” he said.
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