The CEO of the PGA Tour, Brian Rolapp, addressed the playing membership at the Travelers Championship this week, a meeting attended by the circuit’s No. 1 player Scottie Scheffler

Scottie Scheffler had his say on the incoming PGA Tour CEO(Image: Getty Images)

Scottie Scheffler met with the PGA Tour’s new CEO, Brian Rolapp, ahead of this week’s Travelers Championship, but the world No. 1 was forced to make an early exit.

Fresh off last week’s U.S. Open, Scheffler is back in action to defend his Travelers title at TPC River Highlands. The week is a big one for the PGA Tour, as the sport’s leading circuit announced the appointment of Rolapp in the build-up on Tuesday.

Rolapp will work alongside commissioner Jay Monahan, who will then depart from his role following the end of his contract at the end of 2026. The new man in charge has already met with players to lay out his vision.

And while Scheffler was left impressed, he was forced to make a back door exit after the meeting ran over. “I had to leave the meeting a couple of minutes early,” the three-time major champion said in his pre-tournament press conference.

“It went a little longer than I thought it would, and I had to sneak out at the last second. So I didn’t even get a chance to meet him, let alone talk to anybody else about a new commissioner or anything like that.”

Despite his early exit, Scheffler had high praise for the new man at the top.

“I think it’s exciting to have some new leadership. I think Brian will bring some good energy,” Scheffler commented. “Literally, the first time I heard him speak was yesterday, so I really don’t know much about him. I liked what I heard yesterday.

Brian Rolapp will take charge of the PGA Tour(Image: Tracy Wilcox/PGA TOUR)

“I think our board and Jay and everybody put a lot of research into finding his successor, and to be able to get somebody from the NFL, especially somebody high up at the NFL, I think is pretty cool. The NFL is obviously a very successful organization.

“He’s got a lot of experience and some new thought processes he can bring to the Tour, and I think it’s exciting… I liked what I got to hear yesterday, so I would assume that’s pretty much the opinion of most people in the room.

“There definitely wasn’t anybody grumbling or shouting or anything like that, so it seemed like all good news.”

Scheffler has been the dominant force on the PGA Tour in recent years, and despite a slow start by his high standards to the year, he has three wins to his name in 2025, including at the PGA Championship next month.

He will again fancy his chances this week, around a scoreable course he has won on before.

Despite the usual low scoring on Travelers week, Scheffler believes courses on the PGA Tour are getting tougher for a reason he fails to understand.

“I think that’s really difficult,” Scheffler said when asked if the current record of nine birdies in a row at a PGA Tour event can be beaten. “The courses out here, they’re only trying to make them more difficult for whatever reason.”