Greetings!
I was all prepared today to get steep on Scottie Scheffler’s press conference from Tuesday afternoon, but Brian Rolapp delivered a banger on Wednesday that we need to immediately dive into.
Name drops today: Peter Kostis, Bob Mac, Brian Rolapp (x23)
Today’s newsletter is sponsored by Ship Sticks.
Two things that delight me.
Brian Rolapp’s presser (which we’ll get to below).
Shipping my golf clubs with Ship Sticks.
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Maybe even to some of those iconic golf courses in premium U.S. cities that Rolapp so often referenced today.
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OK, now onto the news.
As a reminder, this week’s content is partially behind the paywall (though thankfully not behind the moat). You can read it all — as well as the rest of our major championship coverage — by becoming a Normal Club member right here.
1. We’ll get to the tentpole points — which felt like they were peeled right off of a golf twitter thread! — here in a minute, but let me start with something Peter Kostis said.
Wait, Peter Kostis?!
Yes, Peter Kostis.
I understand his sentiment here, but I want to note two things. The first is that there’s a difference between being a business person who was already inside of golf (Jay) and being a business person who was not already inside of golf (Rolapp, Seth Waugh).
The latter is preferable when overhaul is needed because the latter doesn’t care about historical norms and isn’t tethered to the past the way that the former is.
The second note is related: “Golf people” often care about ridiculous things that have nothing to do with what fans want. “Golf people” often look out for their own — why do you think we play ball in hand every other week?! — and don’t say things like this.
The sports business is not that hard; just think like a fan, and nine and a half times out of ten, that's probably the right answer.
Brian Rolapp
If “golf people” were allowed to run the show — i.e. the players and their cohorts — I’m not sure any of us would like the results very much (and we may end up with 800cc driver heads). That’s the benefit of someone from way outside the golf ecosystem coming in to right the ship.
2. When he was talking, it did feel a bit like Rolapp had just gone back and listened to all the (many) podcasts, newsletters, tweets and various other communications about the Tour’s issues that those of us who participate in golf twitter have produced. Then he just … picked off the best and most reasonable parts. And now he’s going to implement them? All of this feels a bit too good to be true, which means it probably is and this tweet from Gabby was a good reminder of that.
3. I think my favorite quote from Rolapp was his opener.
It was a throwaway but I also think it said a lot.
We take a lot of pride in the Players. And with all the major talk, some may say even too much pride.
Brian Rolapp
It was self-deprecating without being self-defeating. It was amusing without being silly. It was being in on the joke without being the butt of it. It was someone reading the room and the situation with a ton of self-awareness.
And it launched 50 minutes of handling every single question with expertise, thoughtfulness and more transparency than anyone thought he would. A masterclass.
And the thing that struck me most when he got done was how … easy it seemed for him. The camera lingered as he walked off the stage, and he looked just as fresh as when he started. Like he could have done it all over again.
When Jay did these pressers, he always looked like he needed a week-long vacation after they were over. Rolapp just seems built for this spot more than Jay ever did, which is what should be expected from a world class CEO.
When he talks about collaborating with ANGC, the USGA and other golf organizations — like he did on Wednesday — it’s actually believable that he could hold court in those rooms. This is a good thing for an organization that has seemingly taken a back seat for a very long time.
This post will continue below for Normal Club members and includes thoughts on …
Rolapp’s six tentpole themes for the future of the Tour.
Why I still have some concern about sponsor exemptions.
And the biggest problem he still faces.
Also, a pick for the Players!
It's a treasure trove of the important, the seemingly important, and — importantly! — the unimportant stuff. It's an asset in my inbox.
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