Monahan to leave as PGA Tour boss

Jay Monahan is leaving the PGA Tour next year after a decade that ends with a sport fractured by the Saudi riches of LIV Golf. He turns it over to top NFL executive Brian Rolapp in a new role as CEO that Rolapp sees as rife with commercial growth. Rolapp, the chief media and business officer for the NFL and seen as a potential successor to a Commissioner Roger Goodell, was introduced Tuesday as CEO, a position that had never existed in the tour’s six decades of existence. Rolapp met with the players for an hour on Tuesday morning ahead of the Travelers Championship in Connecticut, offering broad views more geared toward what the tour has in its favor before identifying any solutions to patch the game back together. Monahan, 55, announced last December the search for a CEO. Still unclear was his role until the announcement of Rolapp on Tuesday. Monahan said he will shift his day-to-day responsibilities to Rolapp and focus more on his position on the PGA Tour board, along with the commercial PGA Tour Enterprises board, through the end of his contract in 2026.

Sabalenka extends apology to Gauff

Aryna Sabalenka says she has written to Coco Gauff to apologize for the “unprofessional” comments she made following her loss to her American rival in the final of the French Open. Speaking to Eurosport Germany, the top-ranked Sabalenka said her remarks after her 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-4 loss to Gauff at Roland-Garros earlier this month were a mistake. In her post-match news conference in Paris, Sabalenka suggested that the result was more due to her own errors than to Gauff’s performance. “That was just completely unprofessional of me,” Sabalenka, above, said. “I let my emotions get the better of me. I absolutely regret what I said. You know, we all make mistakes. I’m just a human being who’s still learning in life. I think we all have those days when we lose control. But what I also want to say is that I wrote to Coco afterward — not immediately, but recently.” Sabalenka hit 37 winners but finished the final with 70 unforced errors — compared to Gauff’s 30. She said she wrote to Gauff to apologize and “make sure she knew she absolutely deserved to win the tournament and that I respect her.”

Tagged Chiefs G Smith at minicamp

Pro Bowl right guard Trey Smith, who skipped voluntary workouts after receiving the franchise tag, was present for the start of the Chiefs’ mandatory three-day minicamp Tuesday. Smith is hoping to land a long-term contract with the Chiefs, who chose him in the sixth round of the 2021 draft, when his stock had plummeted amid health concerns. He has far outplayed that draft positioning, though, and that is why the Chiefs gave him the franchise tag — essentially a $23.4 million guaranteed salary for the upcoming season. Smith and the Chiefs have until mid-July to work out a new contract, otherwise he will play the season on the one-year deal. Smith wasn’t made available to reporters Tuesday, but the fact that he reported to the mandatory minicamp — rather than risk a potential fine — was noteworthy. Two years ago, defensive tackle Chris Jones held out all summer and into the start of the regular season before eventually agreeing to a contract with the Chiefs. “It’s good (Smith) didn’t take my approach,” Jones quipped. “He shouldn’t take advice from me.” —Associated Press