The PGA Tour laid off 56 employees Thursday representing four percent of the organization’s total workforce.
CEO Brian Rolapp announced the decision in an internal email obtained by The Athletic.
He called it “a difficult — but important — step.”
The reductions followed a review by FTI Consulting. Beyond the layoffs, 73 open positions will go unfilled.
The Tour is aggressively restructuring as it shifts to a for-profit model. In January 2024, the PGA Tour launched PGA Tour Enterprises. Strategic Sports Group, a private equity firm, backed the venture with $1.5 billion.
That deal gave players equity stakes in the tour. SSG’s stated goal was to “maximize revenue generation.”
Cost-cutting extends beyond headcount. The Tour recently confirmed it will skip Hawaii to open the 2026 season. The Sentry in Maui and Sony Open in Oahu are both off the schedule to reduce logistics expenses.
Rolapp said the staffing changes will help the Tour “move faster, make better decisions and continue to evolve as the future competitive and commercial model takes shape.”
He is currently working with board members and players to redesign the Tour’s competitive structure. Hiring isn’t stopping entirely. Rolapp said the Tour will add talent in reprioritized areas going forward.
Rolapp addresses all Tour employees Monday in a company-wide meeting. The Tour also ran a voluntary retirement program in 2025.
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