PGA of America CEO steps down after one year to take care of mother and mother-in-law

The CEO of the PGA America, Derek Sprague, is stepping distant from his relation aft 1 twelvemonth to assistance enactment his parent and mother-in-law.

Sprague said helium realized helium needed to walk much clip astatine location aft his daughter’s wedding.

"At my daughter’s wedding past period successful upstate New York, it became wide that my household needs maine adjacent to assistance with the attraction of my parent and mother-in-law," Sprague said successful a statement. "Focusing connected household has go my priority, and the champion determination for maine is to measurement distant from my relation arsenic CEO and instrumentality location to beryllium with them."

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PGA of America past president Derek Sprague announces connected the archetypal spread during the a.m. foursome matches for the 2020 Ryder Cup astatine Whistling Straits. The lawsuit took spot successful Kohler, Wisconsin, connected Sept. 24, 2021. (Montana Pritchard/PGA of America)

Sprague took implicit successful January 2025, becoming the archetypal nine nonrecreational successful 20 years and the archetypal PGA president appointed to the role. He informed the PGA of America committee successful aboriginal December that helium needed to spell location to Malone, New York, and said helium would enactment connected successful an advisory relation until his successor is found.

Sprague, who served arsenic PGA president from 2014-16, was selected arsenic CEO to regenerate Seth Waugh, the erstwhile Deutsche Bank Americas CEO who had been lured retired of status successful 2018.

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Derek Sprague, CEO of the PGA of America, speaks to the media anterior to the PGA Championship astatine Quail Hollow Country Club. The lawsuit took spot successful Charlotte, North Carolina, connected May 13, 2025. (Andrew Redington/Getty Images)

Waugh had been grooming Craig Kessler, the PGA’s main operating officer, arsenic a imaginable replacement, but the PGA committee opted for 1 of its members. Kessler was appointed LPGA commissioner past summer.

Sprague stepping down extends the turnover successful golf's enforcement leadership. Brian Rolapp took implicit successful August arsenic CEO of the PGA Tour Enterprises; Kessler joined the LPGA successful July; and Mark Darbon is conscionable implicit a twelvemonth into his relation arsenic CEO of the R&A.

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Derek Sprague, PGA of America CEO attends a property league beside the Black Course astatine Bethpage State Park Golf Course connected September 17, 2025 successful Farmingdale, New York. The 2028 KPMG Women's PGA and 2033 PGA Championship tournaments volition beryllium played connected the course.  (Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

Sprague was the PGA of America enforcement who reached retired to Rory McIlroy to apologize for the verbal maltreatment that helium and his woman endured astatine Bethpage Black during the Ryder Cup. McIlroy's wife, Erica, antecedently worked astatine the PGA of America and McIlroy said Sprague "couldn't person been much gracious" successful what helium described arsenic a "lovely letter."

He was inducted into the PGA of America Hall of Fame successful 2019.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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