ATLANTA – New PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp can smell a LIV question a mile away.
During his press conference on Wednesday ahead of the Tour Championship, he called out a reporter who was attempting to bait him.
Reporter: Do you accept the premise that what golf fans want primarily is the best players in the world playing together more often?
“Yeah, I think, yeah, golf fans want to see the best competition possible in the sport that they love in a competitive model that makes sense,” Rolapp answered.
Reporter: I think it’s been surveyed already they want to see the best players together on a more regular basis. Should that not be a priority for you?
“Are you asking a LIV question?” Rolapp replied.
Reporter: Essentially, yes.
“Well, ask a LIV question,” he said.
Reporter: I asked.
“Look, I think I’m going to focus on what I can control. I would offer to you that the best collection of golfers in the world are on the PGA Tour. I think there’s a bunch of metrics that demonstrate that, from rankings to viewership to whatever you want to pick. I’m going to lean into that and strengthen that,” Rolapp said. “I will also say that to the extent we can do anything that’s going to further strengthen the PGA Tour, we’ll do that, and I’m interested in exploring whatever strengthens the PGA Tour.”
And so ended that testy exchange.
New PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp said he hasn’t spoken to PIF
Earlier in the proceedings, Rolapp, who is just 18 days into the job since joining the Tour from the NFL, where he worked for 22 years, confirmed he hasn’t spoken to anyone from the Public Investment Fund.
“I think my primary focus is going to be on strengthening the Tour, and blank sheet of paper means blank sheet of paper. Whatever does that, I’ll pursue aggressively. That’s how I view it.”
He also wouldn’t take the bait for a Tour-LIV related question that wondered if he would be inclined to create a Ryder Cup-style match pitting the Tour against LIV.
“Listen, I don’t want to answer hypotheticals. What I will say is what I said before. I’m interested in any idea that strengthens the PGA Tour,” he said. “So any idea that comes, that fits within our competitive model and our objectives for the benefit of our players and our fans, I’m interested in it.”
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