GOLF.AI • Nov 25, 2025

The PGA Tour's NFL Playbook

Brian Rolapp, the new CEO of PGA Tour Enterprises, is leveraging his deep experience with the NFL to lead a fundamental overhaul of professional golf. His vision is to transform the Tour from what he calls "a series of events that happened to be on television" into a cohesive, can't-miss competitive model that can rival sports juggernauts.

Rolapp is applying lessons learned directly from the NFL, built on three core principles: parity, simplicity, and scarcity. He candidly admits the challenge, stating, "Competing with football in this country for media dollars and attention is a really hard thing to do." His strategy hinges on what he sees as golf's greatest underutilized strength. "What worked in the NFL... is how you make the tightest competition possible so on any given Sunday you don't know who's going to win. Golf has that," he explained.

Signaling a major shift from the Tour's historically insular approach, Rolapp is inviting media partners to contribute ideas with a "Blank sheet of paper. What would you do?" philosophy. The objective is to create a simpler, more understandable product with fewer, more meaningful events, enhancing the value and scarcity of each tournament.

This strategic overhaul is not a distant dream but an imminent reality. Rolapp has put a timeline on the review, stating, "I think we'll know in a handful of months where we come out." His leadership and vision represent the single most significant off-course story in golf, set to define the fan experience for the next decade.