The PGA Tour has eliminated four percent of its workforce as part of a restructuring process aimed at transitioning to a for-profit model. According to figures confirmed by the tour, 56 full-time employees based in the United States were laid off, while an additional 73 open positions will not be filled.
Affected Employees Notified
The affected employees were informed by senior team leaders, and PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp sent a memo to all staff explaining the organisational recommendations resulting from a review conducted by a third-party consulting firm. “Today we took a difficult - but important - step,” Rolapp wrote in the memo.
Background and Context
This development follows the announcement by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) of a new five-year strategy focusing investments on the country's economy across six key themes, deploying more money domestically to diversify its reliance on oil. Reports suggest this has led to PIF pulling funding from parts of its sporting portfolio, putting the rival LIV Golf league at risk.
In January 2024, the PGA Tour announced an agreement with Strategic Sports Group (SSG), a consortium of U.S. sports team owners, to invest up to $3 billion into a new for-profit entity called PGA Tour Enterprises. SSG initially invested $1.5 billion, with an option for co-investment from PIF.
However, talks between the PGA Tour and PIF have stalled since the two sides last met with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House in February 2025.
