PEBBLE BEACH — PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp missed his first Super Bowl in 23 years on Sunday, settling for watching it on television rather than in person—a perk that went with the job as a top NFL executive for 22 years.
Instead, he spent the day in Scottsdale, Ariz., at the WM Phoenix Open. And not just anywhere at the tournament, but in the giant makeshift arena encircling the par-3 16th hole. Yep, he was in there with all the crazies, though not exactly rubbing elbows with the power drinkers and costume-clad crowds. Rolapp was lounging in one of the plush folding chairs next to the tee box, seats that went for an estimated $10,000 a pop. (The tour had four of them reserved.)
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But, hey, good on him for taking in all the chaos, along with some golf.
Rolapp revealed his whereabouts on Wednesday at a CBS Sports welcome reception at Pebble Beach Golf Links, where the tour’s first signature event of the year, the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, begins today.
“I watched my first Super Bowl Sunday in 23 years not being in the Super Bowl,” he told a small gathering of tournament guests. “I spent all day Sunday on the 16th hole at WM Open and loved every minute of it. I am loving my new life here in the golf world.”
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Rolapp is attending his first AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am since being named the tour’s first CEO last June, but it is not his first time visiting the Monterey Peninsula, having been in the area in the late 1990s.
As the NFL’s chief media and business officer, Rolapp negotiated television deals for the league, so for some time he has known quite well Jim Nantz, lead NFL play-by-play announcer and golf host for CBS Sports. It turns out that the two men met long before their professional paths crossed in football.
After Rolapp wrapped up his brief remarks, he invited Nantz up to the stage. Nantz, who has a home at Pebble Beach, immediately asked Rolapp to share their first encounter.
“We didn’t work this out in advance. Would you tell them how we met?”
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“I thought you might bring this up,” Rolapp said. “Early ’90s, I’m in college waiting tables in the summer at the Bethesda Marriott in Maryland.”
“Marriott Suites,” Nantz interjected.
“And it was JW Steakhouse is what it was,” Rolapp continued. “And a young dashing sports broadcaster, [Nantz] is there to cover the Kemper Open and sits down, and I wait on him. And I say to Nantz, ‘It’s nice to meet you. I’m in college. I think maybe one day I might be in the sports business.’ He said, ‘I hope so.’ And he could not have been more gracious with his time. I was nobody, he was somebody, and that’s my introduction to Jim Nantz. So I’ve known Jim Nantz longer than anybody else [here].”
After a moment, Nantz had to ask him, “So how was the tip?”
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After a notable pause, Rolapp replied, “Nobody’s perfect.”
Later, Nantz managed to get in the last laugh. “Brian, I want to wish you all the best,” he said. “I’m excited about … you’re a visionary, and what you’re going to bring as we evolve into the next best and greatest iteration ever of the PGA Tour, I’m very excited for you. And if you take Venmo. …”
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