PGA TOUR CEO Brian Rolapp: ‘Substantial progress' made toward new competitive model, but work remains

DUBLIN, Ohio – The PGA TOUR and the Future Competition Committee continue to work toward implementing a new competitive model, eyeing significant change for the 2028 season.

TOUR CEO Brian Rolapp met with a small group of reporters on Wednesday at Muirfield Village Golf Club to discuss the organization’s progress. While many of the details are still to be decided, Rolapp said the Committee has made “substantial progress” and believes they are on pace to deliver the change he preached when he took the job last fall.

“I feel good where we are, but I also had expectations that it wasn't going to be easy,” Rolapp said. “Any good process – in the sort of experience of my old job, any substantial change we've made always came with a lot of work and a lot of tension to the process. If you don't have a good process and there's not tension, it means you're not asking the right questions. I think we've reached that, which I think is a very good thing, but I feel good about what we are.”

Rolapp praised the players and the committee for dedicating themselves to the process. There have been 14 full committee meetings to date, all of which have featured the player’s representatives. Additionally, there have been six player meetings and three PAC meetings to go over the specifics of the committee's work.

What will the new competitive model look like? Rolapp reiterated the expectation of a two-track system. Track 1 will feature the top of the sport, with the best players competing together more often. Track 2 will serve as an integral competitive part of the system, providing consequential playing opportunities as a direct pathway to Track 1. The number of players moving between tracks and the frequency with which it occurs are still being worked through, but Rolapp said it will be “substantial enough to matter.”

The foundation of the entire system will be built on meritocracy. With the right model in place, every event will have consequence. Track 2 events will be heightened by the ability for players to work their way into Track 1, and it won’t be easy to stay on Track 1 once there, forcing players to play exceptionally well to remain.

“I think we have lost a lot of that with the smaller fields, no-cut events. The competitive meritocracy that makes this sport great and unique – we’ve gotten away from, and we’re getting back to (it),” Rolapp said.

Rolapp stressed that the model remains a work in progress and that the coming weeks are critical for the organization’s push for change. The next board meeting is scheduled for June 22, Monday of the Travelers Championship. Rolapp will address the media later that week to provide further updates.

Among the topics up for discussion in the interim will be a new-look postseason. In March at THE PLAYERS Championship, Rolapp said multiple formats were under consideration, including match play. Rolapp didn’t reveal specific proposals being discussed but said most of the ideas are coming from the players.

“I've been a big believer that you can come up with any format you want, (but) if it doesn't feel authentic to the players, like it's real, authentic competition, it's not going to feel authentic to anybody,” Rolapp said.

Once the new competitive model falls into place, a host of other doors will open. Rolapp expects negotiations for a new media deal to heat up shortly. The TOUR’s current media deals expire in 2030, and the TOUR will be proactive in securing the next deal. The implementation of the new model will also enable the organization to further utilize the $1.5 billion investment from the Strategic Sports Group. How will it be used?

“Everyone asks that question. It's burning a hole in my pocket,” Rolapp said, laughing. “I’ve got lots of ideas, but I think what you'll see is when we get the competitive model right, there will be a lot of uses for that capital.”

Rolapp also addressed the TOUR’s relationship with the DP World Tour. The organizations currently share a Strategic Alliance. Rolapp said the two sides are actively looking to continue to “renew and improve” the agreement.

For now, the work continues. The TOUR closed $1.2 billion in contractual revenue across 36 partners in 2025 and has secured $347 million in new deals across 13 partners in 2026. The next Committee meeting is June 9.

“We're building something that's bigger than any individual player,” Rolapp said. “We're building a competitive system in a sport that outlives me, outlives anybody.”