‘Frustrated’ PGA Tour stars meet with new CEO – and LIV Golf deal is high on the agenda
Last updated:
The man in charge of the PGA Tour has had a busy start to life in his new role. And it’s not just the press that want answers, it’s the players too…
Brian Rolapp is wasting no time in getting to grips with what’s ahead of him as the PGA Tour’s new CEO.
The 53-year-old, who had previously spent more than two decades in various leadership roles at the NFL, was announced as Jay Monahan’s eventual replacement last week.
When he met golf’s press ahead of the Travelers Championship he was immediately asked about the ongoing framework agreement with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which finances LIV Golf.
“That’s a complex situation that’s probably something I should learn more about before I speak,” he replied.
Fast forward seven days and, in a Town Hall meeting with several PGA Tour players at the Rocket Classic, Rolapp faced similar questions.
According to Golfweek‘s Adam Schupak, who spoke to several players in attendance at the Detroit Golf Club summit, the PGA Tour and PIF remain in a stalemate with no light at the end of the tunnel.
This is because the PGA Tour, the report says, refuses to budge on PIF chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan’s insistence that LIV Golf’s team element is part of any deal.
“I don’t think it’s any breaking news that the talks have gone silent,” Matt Kuchar told Schupak. “They said we’re still open to negotiations.”
Kuchar, it seems, is quite happy to just wait it out.
“There’s some things I understand the sensitivity of,” he added. “I don’t want to know some of the decisions we make politically for the US.
“I get the feeling that both sides still want to do something but I also think we’re at a stalemate.”
Beau Hossler, meanwhile, is not a fan of being left in the dark.
While Hossler gave the PGA Tour leadership team credit for the role in the negotiations so far, he would like to be more involved because he continued to be asked about the deal with the PIF.
A player in attendance paraphrased Hossler when talking to Schupak.
“I tell them I don’t know anything more than you,” Hossler is reported to have said. “That’s frustrating for me as a member of the PGA Tour. I feel like I should know.”
You can read Schupak’s full report on Golfweek.
-
The ongoing framework agreement with LIV Golf is one of the biggest tasks facing new PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp.
-
