There are weeks in the professional golf schedule that seem ordained to be wielded as cudgels by some ward eager to hammer a narrow point. For example, why can’t every broadcast be as seamless as the Masters? Or why not have more firm and fast tournament venues, like at the Open? And how come every event can’t engage fans like the WM Phoenix Open? (Depending upon the volume of beer cans tossed on the 16th hole, this can become a plea on how to end the epidemic of vulgarity spoiling the sport.)
Despite most major tours having shuttered for the season, these early days of December promise to be a fertile period for finger-wagging thanks to Rory McIlroy going down under to play the Australian Open.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementCue the eggheads bemoaning how seldom we see the world’s best golfers face a sublime strategic test like Royal Melbourne. Hear globalists and parochialists alike grumble about how storied national opens have been diminished in an era of exhibition golf that’s long on cash but short on historical value. There will be gripes about indolent Yanks spending months on the couch watching football while evangelists like McIlroy spread the gospel in foreign lands, with counter-sniping about hefty appearance fees and the need for a meaningful off-season for players and fans. Not to mention folks insisting on the futility of any sport daring to draw breath while the NFL sucks up all the oxygen, with rebuttals that ours is a global game that can be elevated elsewhere even if the U.S. market is distracted.
There’s merit to each argument, but they’re all hostage to the prevailing business priorities of tours, tournaments and players. And since the PGA Tour’s shifting commercial goals are about to reshape the landscape, it will be interesting to see which of those narrow arguments is satisfactorily addressed.
Fans keen to see more great venues on the schedule will likely remain in their customary state of disappointment. Sure, players express a desire to compete at more interesting courses, and tournaments held on celebrated designs usually deliver stronger leaderboards and better viewing, but there are only so many Royal Melbournes, and fewer still that can present a sufficient challenge, accommodate the necessary infrastructure, and have memberships willing to sacrifice their club. That battle will be fought incrementally for years to come.
The other aforementioned issues — the bush-leaguing of national opens, the playing schedules of top stars, and the growth opportunities ex-U.S. — are intertwined, and heavily influenced not just by the ambitions of Brian Rolapp, the PGA Tour’s CEO, but by how much ambition his private equity partners are willing to underwrite.
FARMINGDALE, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 25: PGA TOUR CEO Brian Rolapp looks on prior to the Ryder Cup 2025 at Black Course at Bethpage State Park Golf Course on September 25, 2025 in Farmingdale, New York. (Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images)Two bodies whose concerns extend beyond the wallets of John Henry, Steve Cohen and Arthur Blank have already signaled what they believe matters. A few months ago, Augusta National and the R&A announced that berths in the Masters and the Open will be awarded to the winners of six national opens, those of Australia, Scotland, South Africa, Spain, Japan and Hong Kong. If Rolapp wants to test the potential for growth with a curated schedule of overseas events in concert with the DP World Tour, the foundation has been laid, and it won’t adversely impact the core FedEx Cup season.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Future Competition Committee that Rolapp empaneled will eventually forward its recommendations for change to the Tour’s Player Advisory Council, which theoretically represents the broader membership. In reality, the PAC has often been browbeaten into an ineffective rubber-stamp authority. If those proposals call for a significant contraction in the tournament schedule, as anticipated, PAC members will face enormous pressure — from executives and investors demanding efficiency on one side, and on the other from rank-and-file guys whose ability to earn a living will be jeopardized.
The outcome of that inevitable scuffle has implications for both player scheduling and international opportunities.
Since the Tour has no stomach for forcing its talent to be contracted, a reduced workload during the domestic season opens up the possibility of top stars being more amenable to competing overseas later in the year. Presumably. The two top-ranked golfers in the world are both working this week — Scottie Scheffler, for only the second time since the FedEx Cup ended on August 24, and McIlroy, for the sixth time. Only one of them seems to need persuading to lace up his spikes in the fourth quarter. Rolapp recently restated his belief in the importance of the “middle class” players who comprise the bulk of his membership, so he’s cognizant of the need to provide them playing opportunities. The question is how many, and where. Some of those opportunities may involve having to fly farther afield on occasion.
FRENCH LICK, INDIANA - OCTOBER 12: PGA TOUR Chief Executive Officer Brian Rolapp speaks during the TOUR Bound ceremony after the final round of the Korn Ferry Tour Championship presented by United Leasing & Finance 2025 at French Lick Golf Resort on October 12, 2025 in French Lick, Indiana. (Photo by Mike Mulholland/Getty Images)Not for the first time, the debate about optimal PGA Tour scheduling is myopically focused on another league — the NFL — with an assumption that tournaments are of questionable value if they can’t draw U.S. television viewership numbers comparable to the regular season. That ignores two things: a core golf fan base that needs to be sustained with at least a partial menu, and the fact that only the American market is distracted by football or the loyalty issues of Lane Kiffin.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementA delicate balance needs to be struck between current priorities and longer-term opportunities that boost the overall health of the sport. Which is why the decision shouldn’t fall to finance bros or football fanatics inclined to declare five months of the calendar off limits.
Rolapp’s last job involved catering to NFL fans. He shouldn’t make the mistake of thinking his current job asks the same.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Brian Rolapp’s NFL job prioritized fans. His PGA Tour gig shouldn't
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