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Seth Waugh is stepping down as CEO of the PGA of America

Posted on by Dsen .N

Seth Waugh announced he is leaving the PGA of America after deciding not to renew his contract, which expires on June 30.

Waugh, 66, joined the PGA of America as CEO in September 2018. He was on the brink of ending his three-year term as an independent director on the PGA board when his predecessor Pete Bevacqua left to become president of NBC Sports Group – he currently serves as athletic director at Notre Dame, and Waugh was hired to take over the role.

“Maybe I got the job because of what I did, my business stuff, but I took it to make a difference,” Waugh said shortly after starting as head of the association of more than 29,000 club professionals. “It’s a fulfillment for me to be able to do this. This will be my legacy, whether we win the Ryder Cup or land the biggest TV deal in history. “It will all depend on whether members are better off.”

During his tenure, the PGA moved its headquarters from Palm Beach Gardens, Florida to a fancy new campus with championship golf courses in Frisco, Texas, and committed to hosting 26 future PGA America Championships – the PGA Professional Championship taking place in April, the first of which – on two golf courses built in his backyard. In this capacity, he also signed a lucrative 11-year television contract with CBS and ESPN, starting in 2020.

As former CEO of Deutsche Bank Americas, Waugh worked to establish the former Deutsche Bank Championship in Boston during his time on the PGA Tour, where he hired now PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan as the first tournament director and was his early mentor.

Ahead of the 106th playing of this year’s PGA Championship, the PGA of America’s flagship event, Waugh addressed the “mess” state of professional golf as the PGA Tour and LIV continue to compete for eyeballs and attention.

Kerry Haigh, PGA of America’s Chief Championship Officer, John Lindert, PGA of America’s President, and Seth Waugh, PGA of America’s Chief Executive Officer, speak to the media during a press conference ahead of the 2023 PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club. (Photo: Warren Little/Getty Images)

Waugh said he was “absolutely” concerned about playing at the professional level, noting that “it’s getting worse every week.”

“I think the best thing for this game is to get a deal done. And we have been very consistent in that respect,” Waugh said. “What was an unsustainable business model has put pressure on other places like the (PGA Tour), which creates some financial dynamics, and also other dynamics that are very difficult, and, frankly, it puts some financial pressure on us as well “.