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USA Today
5 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Peter Malnati gave an epic speech to PGA Tour membership. He walks us through his message
DETROIT – Being a player director on the PGA Tour Policy Board has become hard work. On Wednesday, Zach Johnson, who served on the Tour board from 2009-11, applauded the six players who are currently serving during arguably the most turbulent time in the Tour's history. 'When I served on the board, I had to deal with drug testing – should we or should we not? – and FedEx Cup point realignment. That was the heaviest thing I had to deal with and there never was more than three meetings a year,' Johnson said. 'Since COVID, that hasn't been the case.' Peter Malnati, a 38-year-old two-time winner whose two-year board tenure ends later this year, knew what he was getting himself into but ran for the role anyway. He likely would lead the statistical category Strokes Gained: Positive Thinking if Strokes Gained creator Mark Broadie could devise a way to rank it. Adam Schenk may have summed up Malnati's optimistic outlook best: 'He's so nice and he actually means it.' (In this writer's opinion, he's golf's Ted Lasso.) Malnati's speech was a highlight of player meeting On Tuesday, during the Tour's mandatory player meeting, he gave 'an impassioned speech' – that's how fellow pro Mark Hubbard described it – to those players in the 156-man field at the Rocket Classic. [Not all 156 attended. Some were excused because they already had attended a similar meeting the week before at the Travelers Championship or because the meeting time conflicted with a sponsor commitment or other excused absences.] 'Peter talks from his heart,' said fellow Tour policy board member Camilo Villegas. 'He's had a chance to sit on the board and understand why the decisions that have been made in the last few years have been the right decisions at the moment they were made and how the goal posts keep getting moved in an evolving business and constantly analyzing what's for the best because it's a fast-moving and evolving business.' 'I'm pretty honored that anyone referred to it as an impassioned speech, but it was something that I feel really strongly about,' Malnati said in a voice message to Golfweek. Malnati went on to recount the message he delivered to players on Tuesday, during which he admitted he may have signed off on losing his job someday with the Tour implementing a new policy reducing the number of players who retain fully-exempt status from 125 to 100 beginning this year. [Malnati, who entered the week at No. 194 in the FedEx Cup is exempt for next season as the winner of the 2024 Valspar Championship.] What you're about to read is shades of Jim Colbert, a mid-tier Tour member who would go on to win eight Tour titles, who once famously said at a Tour players meeting in 1983, 'It's real simple, boys. Just play better.' When players make arguments that don't directly benefit their own cause, the professional golf ecosystem should listen its hardest … because they're rare. Malnati does that with these remarks. 'I just wanted to say to the membership that I ran for a seat on the board because I cared – really, really, strongly about not losing opportunities and not seeing the Tour get smaller and in my time on the board, both of those things have happened. And because I was on the inside and I saw the thought process, I supported them – doesn't mean they're easy for me. It doesn't mean they don't hurt because they do," Malnati began. 'I feel like the Tour at its core was built around the idea of maximizing playing opportunities and may the best man win. So it hurts to see the best option be to reduce playing opportunities and to see the Tour shrink." Malnati said shrinking Tour makes sense, even if it hurts Malnati continued to share with the membership that there's tangible evidence of late that validates the thought process. [Over the last six months, the Tour has closed nearly $1 billion in new or renewed contracts. Additionally, CBS reported a 13 percent year-over-year ratings increase and a 19 percent year-over-year increase at signature events. Many other metrics are ticking in the right direction, such as its digital platforms.] 'Seeing the success in renewing full-field title sponsorships for long-term deals in the 9-plus-million-dollar per range that's impressive – that's really impressive. It speaks to the fact that these full-field events feel that they're getting good value. And you know it's marked and measurable to see that their fields are stronger than they were when the invitational events that had 120-player fields and then obviously the first year of signature events, they still played at their regular field sizes. That was crushing the full field events and sponsors were really concerned and now to see the momentum where sponsors are back supporting the full-field events at really nice purse levels – that's a huge win for the entire membership.' Malnati wanted them to hear that directly from him and also address the elephant in the room, what he termed 'the thing that we all hate the most, which is the smaller fields and the signature events and the upcoming reduction of fully-exempt cards from 125 to 100 for next season. 'That is simply a re-prioritizing of PGA Tour members that takes guys who go out and play a season on the Korn Ferry Tour and finish in the top 20 and says to them you deserve starts in all the full-field events and I think that's absolutely true now. Is it a great accomplishment to finish in the top 125 on the PGA Tour? It is, it's really good. Is it an even greater accomplishment to finish in the top 100? Yes, I've achieved that twice in my 10 seasons on Tour. I shared that with the membership yet I still think this was the right thing to do because the point of everything we're doing is to identify players who can become superstars and drive the brand forward and so we've got to give those guys that graduate from the Korn Ferry Tour a fair shot to play and so I think going from 125 cards to 100 and then putting the guys that finish 101 to 125 in the next-best conditional category after the Korn Ferry Tour graduates was absolutely the right thing to do even though in a way I was cutting my own head off.' New PGA Tour system to closer mimic Formula 1 How many players would support a decision that might be 'cutting their own head off?' Malnati realizes that barely any players outside the top 100 on Tour generate standalone attention. Sure, there are exceptions like Joel Dahmen (and Tiger Woods wouldn't be Tiger Woods without fields of 156 to beat up on). But fewer players in the arena make it easier for the Tour to market players, easier for fans to know more contenders on a leaderboard, and it's more assuring to sponsors that top-tier players contend or win in their tournaments. Look no further than F1, which is its most popular now, with just 20 drivers who all drive in every race. Same with NASCAR. Athletes in team sports are expected to play in every one of their teams' games. 'Then lastly shared the fact that the system while it creates a very narrow funnel, I said the whole point of what we're doing – the Tour doesn't want to use this language quite this bluntly – we're identifying the top players and get them competing against each other more regularly,' Malnati said. 'So, yes, the signature event model caters to top players, it does, but the thing that I want everyone in that room and everyone on Tour and every fan and every partner to realize is that even though smaller fields are inherently a little bit less competitive because there's fewer guys, the system (we're implementing) right now there's no rules that rule out anyone. J.J. Spaun was not exempt into a single signature event at the start of this year … and he's currently ranked eighth in the world. He played his way there. Maverick McNealy played his way into the top 10 in the world – I think he's 14 right now but he was top 10 in the world. Ben Griffin and Andrew Novak, in terms of everything they're able to accomplish now on Tour, they have played their way into that group of top players. They're going to qualify for the BMW Championship this year, be fully exempt for signature events next year and they've played their way into it. 'This system is aspirational,' Malnati continued. 'The funnel is small, but the opportunity is there and it's still objective. It's still golf. If you shoot low enough scores, you will be there, so, I closed by saying my challenge to Brian Rolapp is to continue to grow the opportunity on the PGA Tour. I want to see him grow it for top players, I want to see him grow it for every single member and my challenge to all the members in the room was to go be as competitive as you can be and believe. But the guys who shoot the best scores are our top players and the more that we do that, the more that we go out and put on a show and strive to become top players, the better our product is, the more fans are going to engage with it and the more opportunity will be for everyone. So that was my spiel …. I'm glad someone thought to call it impassioned. I felt very passionate about it. I still feel very passionate about it but it's definitely been hard.'
Newsweek
7 days ago
- Sport
- Newsweek
Rickie Fowler Picks Sides on Less PGA Tour Cards at Rocket Classic
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Many things have happened this season, but some topics never leave the table. Such is the case with the planned cuts to PGA Tour membership and fields for next season. The issue is now official, but it continues to generate both opposing and supportive opinions. Fan favorite Rickie Fowler is among the latter. During his press conference prior to the Rocket Classic, Fowler gave his opinion on this very sensitive topic: "I feel like there needs to be less events, less cards, the Tour gets elevated, the product is a little bit more -- there's more continuity from what you would say a top event to a lower level or an opposite field event," he said. Rickie Fowler of the United States walks from the third tee during the second round of the Travelers Championship 2025 at TPC River Highlands on June 20, 2025 in Cromwell, Connecticut. Rickie Fowler of the United States walks from the third tee during the second round of the Travelers Championship 2025 at TPC River Highlands on June 20, 2025 in Cromwell, 6-time PGA Tour winner also spoke his mind about what the circuit schedule should look like: "I don't think the PGA Tour should necessarily have secondary or opposite field events. I think the PGA Tour product is the PGA Tour product," he stated. "So there's a lot you could go into, but to me a PGA Tour event should be a PGA Tour event and it shouldn't be necessarily, well, this one's elevated or this is an opposite field." According to Fowler, the only events that should have a higher status are those that have historically held it. "The majors and THE PLAYERS are the core events or the big events that are on the schedule, and golf fans to non-golf fans, those are the ones that they know about, they know what those are," he said. INTERVIEW: Rickie Fowler is back in Detroit for another year at the Rocket Classic. @RickieFowler talked with us about his 2023 win, spending time with young fans, and life as a father on the PGA Tour. — Brad Galli (@BradGalli) June 25, 2025 Last November, the PGA Tour Policy Board approved a series of changes to the tour's rules that will reduce both the membership and event fields. These changes will begin with the 2026 season: Only 100 players will be keeping their tour cards with fully exempt status at year's end (125 until 2024). Tour cards available for Korn Ferry Tour graduates will go down from 30 to 20. Field sizes for many events will be reduced. Some cases, like the flagship event Players Championship, will go down to 120 players. Reduction in spots available in Tour fields through Monday qualifying. As explained at the time, these measures aim to create a more competitive and entertaining product with a better pace of play. More Golf: Keegan Bradley Shows Poetic Flair Days after Travelers Win
Newsweek
18-06-2025
- Business
- Newsweek
Tiger Woods Breaks Silence on New PGA Tour CEO
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Golf's world legend, Tiger Woods, has not only been the face of the sport but over time has also taken over critical decision-making roles when it comes to the PGA Tour. As a player director on the PGA Tour Policy Board, the 15-time major winner has taken on a more active governance role in recent years, joining fellow board members Adam Scott, Patrick Cantlay, Webb Simpson, and others. Though he has been MIA from professional golf, he has never let his presence go unseen, and something similar happened as the PGA Tour announced its new boss. Tiger Woods sends clear message to new PGA Tour CEO On Tuesday morning, Woods made a rare non-playing appearance at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut, for the official announcement of Brian Rolapp as the PGA Tour's new Chief Executive Officer. While Woods wasn't there to tee it up at the Travelers Championship, his presence alongside Tour leadership sent a clear message - this hire has his full backing. Tiger Woods Breaks Silence on New PGA Tour CEO. (Image Collage | Getty Images) Tiger Woods Breaks Silence on New PGA Tour CEO. (Image Collage | Getty Images) Getty Images Rolapp, a Harvard Business School graduate, spent 22 years at the NFL, most recently as Chief Media and Business Officer, where he helped negotiate over $110 billion in media rights deals and launched digital platforms like NFL+. Now, he steps into golf's top executive role at a time when the Tour is navigating fractured relations with LIV Golf and a shifting commercial landscape. "I'm honored to join the PGA TOUR at such a pivotal time," Rolapp said during the pre-tournament press conference. "The PGA TOUR represents the highest level of competition, integrity, and global opportunity in the game of golf, and I believe deeply in the TOUR's mission and its potential to grow even stronger." Woods echoed that optimism in a post on X later that morning: "Congrats to Brian on becoming CEO of the PGA TOUR. I'm excited about where the TOUR is headed. And a big thank you to Jay for everything he's done for our game and for the players and fans." Congrats to Brian on becoming CEO of the PGA TOUR. I'm excited about where the TOUR is headed. And a big thank you to Jay for everything he's done for our game and for the players and fans. — Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods) June 17, 2025 Rolapp's appointment follows a unanimous vote by the CEO Search Committee, which included Woods, Scott, Arthur M. Blank, Joe Gorder, and Sam Kennedy. He will serve as CEO of both PGA TOUR, Inc. and PGA TOUR Enterprises, reporting to both Boards of Directors, while Jay Monahan remains Commissioner through 2026 to ensure a smooth transition. Monahan himself called Rolapp "the perfect choice for the next chapter of the PGA TOUR," adding, "His arrival strengthens our leadership team and reflects our shared commitment to the TOUR's continued evolution." Rolapp, for his part, acknowledged Woods' influence during the process, calling his involvement "significant" and praising his dedication to the next generation of players. With the Big Cat's endorsement and Rolapp's business strategies for the PGA Tour is clearly betting on a new era. More Golf: Paige Spiranac's 'Niche' Gets Nod of Approval from Annika Sorenstam
USA Today
18-06-2025
- Business
- USA Today
With PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan stepping down, what is his legacy?
With PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan stepping down, what is his legacy? Hiring of Brian Rolapp, the NFL's Chief Media and Business Officer, announced on June 17 Show Caption Hide Caption New PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp talks LIV Golf Brian Rolapp discussed LIV Golf is his opening press conference PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan will step down at the end of 2026. Former NFL executive Brian Rolapp has been named the PGA Tour's new CEO, starting June 17. Monahan will transition his responsibilities to Rolapp and remain on the PGA Tour Policy Board. PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan will leave his position by the end of 2026 with the hiring of former NFL executive Brian Rolapp in a new position as the Tour's chief executive officer on June 17. Monahan, who became the Tour's fourth commissioner in 2017, will "transition his day-to-day responsibilities" to Rolapp, according to a PGA Tour news release, and will concentrate on his role as a member of the PGA Tour Policy Board and on the board of PGA Tour Enterprises, the for-profit arm of the Tour. Monahan said he informed the Policy Board last year that he would step down as commissioner after he completed 10 years on the job. Who is Brian Rolapp? 5 things to know about the PGA Tour's new CEO '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,' Monahan said in a statement. '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.' Brian Rolapp: 'Excited about future of golf' Rolapp, 53, was the unanimous choice by a search committee that included Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur M. Blank, Tiger Woods, Adam Scott and Monahan. He said in a news conference at the TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Conn., on June 17, the site of this week's Travelers, that he plans on having conversations with as many players as he can. "I'm excited to grow the PGA Tour ... I'm excited about the future of golf," he said. "I'm going to talk with as many [players] as I can in a short amount of time ... I'm going to hear what they have to say." The PGA Tour management team will report to Rolapp upon his start date, and he will report to both boards of directors. "I've had the privilege of working at the NFL for 20 years, which I've loved," Rolapp said. "This opportunity stood out. It stood out because I think the game of golf is a global game. It is a game that has a tremendous amount of growth. I think the level of competition and tradition is unparalleled in a lot of ways." Jay Monahan guided Tour through COVID, LIV Golf breakaway Monahan first came to the Tour in 2008 as the executive director of The Players Championship. He was promoted to Tour's senior vice president for business development in 2010, to executive vice president and chief marketing officer in 2013, and then to deputy commissioner in 2015. Three years after he was in office, sports in America came to a standstill with the COVID-19 pandemic in March of 2020. The Players Championship was canceled after only one round but Monahan and his management team formulated a plan to return. The PGA Tour was the first major sport to resume competition in June 2020. Two years later, Monahan was faced with another crisis, the creation of LIV Golf and the defection of some of the Tour's biggest stars at the time. Monahan immediately suspended every player who became a member of LIV Golf, and those players remain under suspension. In June of 2023, Monahan stepped away from his duties for an undisclosed "medical situation," as the Tour described it, but returned later that summer. Since then he has created the lucrative PGA Tour "Signature Event" series, with higher purses, FedEx Cup Fall, a series of event events designed for players who did not make the FedEx Cup playoffs to regain their playing status and formed an alliance with the Strategic Sports Group, a collection of pro team sports owners who will invest up to $3 million in PGA Tour Enterprises. What does Brian Rolapp's hiring mean for the Tour vs. LIV battle? There was no indication whether Rolapp's hiring would be a prelude to fast-tracking a merger or other alliance with the LIV Golf Tour, which formed in 2022 in competition with the PGA Tour and lured stars such as Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Jon Rahm and Cameron Smith. Monahan and Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund Governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan, who has bankrolled LIV Golf, announced a framework agreement on June 6, 2023. Still, little progress has been made toward an actual resolution to the split in professional golf. Monahan has had three meetings with President Donald Trump, who said during his campaign last year that he could help broker a deal between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf. Rolapp said during his news conference that he is coming in "with a pretty clean sheet of paper," about the Tour vs. LIV issue. "I also come in knowing that there's a lot to learn," he said. "Everything that works in the football world may not work in the golf world. When it comes to that situation particularly, I think the fans have been pretty clear. They want to see the best golfers compete against each other. I agree with that. I think that's a complex situation that's probably something I should learn more about before I speak." Who is Brian Rolapp? Rolapp, a native of Maryland who worked a part-time job at the Congressional Country Club in high school, is a graduate of Brigham Young University and Harvard Business School. He joined the NFL in 2003 and became the COO of NFL Media and later CEO of NFL Network. He forged partnerships with brands such as Apple, X, Nike and Fanatics. He was named to the Sports Business Journal's Forty Under 40 Hall of Fame. As the NFL's Chief Media and Business Officer, Rolapp oversaw the league's commercial businesses, including broadcast and digital rights, NFL Network, NFL Films, sponsorships, consumer products and the league's private investment entity, 32 Equity. He and his wife Cindy have four children.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
$40 Million Golfer Calls Out the PGA Tour With Brutal Message
Following the PGA Tour Policy Board's ratification of exclusivity-driven reforms, cutting full-time membership from 125 to 100 and shrinking Signature Event fields, Lucas Glover bluntly slams the current structure. Glover, the 2009 U.S. Open champion and career earner of more than $40 million, didn't hold back on Thursday at the Truist Championship when he called the PGA Tour's Signature Events 'too exclusive'. Advertisement "I've been on record as saying I was not a fan of these when they hatched the idea of them. I didn't like them then and I've been in most of them since they started and I still don't like them." Grover told the Golf Channel. Lucas Glover reacts after putting on the sixth green during the second round of the Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club.© Michael Madrid-Imagn Images "I've been on the record as saying I don't like cutting 200 cards and I still don't. I think it's getting too exclusive, and we're not giving enough opportunity. I've been pretty outspoken about that. I think the majority would agree with that. Unfortunately, it doesn't sound like the majority matters, so it is what it is at this point and we're just dealing with it." He added. "The PGA Tour established Signature Events in response to LIV Golf poaching many of its top stars. LIV prides itself on playing 54 holes with 48-to-54-man fields. Those tournaments have $20 million purses and are played across the world." Jack Milko wrote on March 9. Advertisement His outspokenness contrasts with many peers who have remained publicly neutral, signaling growing unease among veteran competitors. With eight Signature Events offering $20 million purses and 700 FedEx Cup points to winners, the Tour has created a two-tier system that rewards top earners while limiting access for others. Glover's critique echoes earlier warnings that the model could fracture locker-room unity and deepen the gulf between elite stars and rank-and-file professionals. Related: PGA Tour Makes Concerning Announcement This Week
