PGA of America’s Seth Waugh stepping down from CEO

After six years of serving the PGA of America because the group’s Chief Govt Officer, Seth Waugh has determined to step down.

Waugh, who beforehand served as CEO of Deutsche Financial institution Americas, grew to become the CEO of the PGA of America in September 2018, the identical month Le Golf Nationwide in Paris hosted the 2018 Ryder Cup. After all, the PGA of America facilitates each the Ryder Cup and the PGA Championship.

However now, a month earlier than Le Golf Nationwide will host the Males’s and Ladies’s Olympic Golf Competitors, Waugh introduced in a assertion that he is not going to renew his contract with the group.

“I lately knowledgeable the board that I’d not be renewing my contract that’s set to run out on June 30, however I’m honored to proceed to serve the affiliation as a Senior Advisor,” Waugh stated.

Picture by Michael Reaves/Getty Photos

“It has been an absolute privilege and honor to function the CEO of the PGA of America for the previous six years.”

Waugh has had fairly a tenure. In Might 2019, he helped lead the group at Bethpage Black, which hosted the PGA Championship in Might for the primary time as an alternative of its conventional August date.

Then, a world pandemic disrupted the whole world, which consequently led to a {golfing} increase amongst novice gamers. Folks from all walks of life have begun to play the sport as the game continues to develop amongst youthful, extra various populations.

However the males’s skilled recreation has been divided over the previous few years because of LIV Golf’s prominence. Waugh and the PGA of America have principally stayed out of the PGA Tour-LIV Golf fray, however he did say at Oak Hill in 2023 that “division shouldn’t be good for the sport.”

However, the PGA of America invited quite a few LIV Golf gamers to compete at Valhalla this 12 months, hoping to create the strongest area in all golf.

On high of that, Waugh has repeatedly opined about rolling again the golf ball, which has sparked controversy over the previous decade. The US Golf Affiliation (USGA) and the R&A—the 2 governing our bodies golf has—wished to create a rule the place skilled golfers would use a limited-distance golf ball to fight the preposterous size gamers now have.

“We concern that the proposed adjustments may severely interrupt the present momentum within the recreation and be basically damaging and detrimental in the long term,” Waugh wrote in July 2023.

“It’s one thing that we really feel may result in division and trigger us to lose a really precarious attribute of golf; the truth that all of us play on the identical course with the identical golf equipment and balls. In our view, this dynamic ought to be preserved as a basic tenet.”

To reply, the USGA and the R&A determined that, as an alternative of making a distinct ball for professional circuits, all golfers should play with a more recent limited-distance ball that can be instituted in professional occasions in 2028 and among the many novice recreation by 2030.

“The easiest will work out this new ball and how one can hit it farther than I actually do,” Waugh stated at Valhalla in Might 2024.

Picture by Darren Carroll/PGA of America by way of Getty Photos

“I believe our greatest concern is for that a part of the sport that’s rising, are you going to form of disrupt that for one-half of 1 p.c which are on the market, proper, and the place do you draw the road of what’s elite and what’s not? Is a membership championship elite or not? And so, we’re glad it’s one rule, and the sport can be greater than any of this. We are able to all argue about it, however the recreation can be positive each recreationally and, I believe, professionally, as properly.”

Waugh has witnessed some unimaginable occasions play out throughout his tenure, too.

He noticed Phil Mickelson grow to be the oldest main champion at Kiawah Island. He additionally witnessed Justin Thomas win his second Wanamaker Trophy at Southern Hills in 2022. Then, Michael Block grew to become an web sensation at Oak Hill, jarring a hole-in-one on the fifteenth gap that golf followers will keep in mind ceaselessly.

Plus, he witnessed the People win the Ryder Cup on dwelling soil in 2021, when Steve Stricker captained Staff USA to victory in his native Wisconsin.

Nonetheless, a captain has but to be introduced for the 2025 competitors at Bethpage Black, whereas Luke Donald will return because the chief of Staff Europe after their resounding victory in Rome final fall.

Nonetheless, Waugh feels assured in his work and can proceed to seek the advice of the group as an advisor. PGA of America President John Lindert and Chief Championships Officer Kerry Haigh will function co-CEOs within the interim.

“The aim from the beginning was to depart the room higher than we discovered it, and I consider that collectively, now we have performed simply that,” Waugh added.

“I need to thank the membership, my colleagues, all the varied board members, previous presidents, our extraordinary companions, my friends in any respect the opposite golf our bodies, in addition to everybody who performs and loves our lovely recreation for all of the help and friendship throughout this journey. What a present this has been.”

Jack Milko is a golf employees author for SB Nation’s Taking part in By. You should definitely try @_PlayingThrough for extra golf protection. You’ll be able to comply with him on Twitter @jack_milko as properly.