With the civil war within the game of golf still rumbling on, the PGA of America CEO has signed off with a promising message to members as he called time on his six-year spell at the helm.
PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh has announced his intention to step down from his role after six years as he issued a positive final address over the state of the game as he signed off.
The former Deutsche Bank Americas chief first came on board at the historic organization – which boasts over 30,000 members – as an independent director in 2018. In the interim period, he oversaw the PGA of America’s move to its new headquarters in Frisco, Texas alongside a surge in memberships.
This comes after Keith Pelley left the DP World Tour earlier this year after over eight years in the hotseat as the European circuit’s chief executive. PGA chief championships officer Kerry Haigh has been installed as interim CEO in the wake of Waugh’s departure from his post- with a search underway for his permanent successor.
Waugh will stay on with the PGA of America in a different capacity, taking up a role as a senior advisory and will be present at the Open Championship and Paris Olympics this year. His decision to step away from his previous post comes after his contract with the organization was up for renewal.
His departure also comes at what has been an eventful period in the history of the sport, with the civil war within golf still rumbling on as LIV Golf, the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour remain at an impasse over a proposed merger. Still, Waugh was in no doubt that he leaves his role with the game in a better shape, saying: “It feels like the right time, not only personally but professionally.
“We’ve accomplished an awful lot in the six years. The game has never been in better shape. Participation is at an all-time high. It’s growing in all the ways we hoped it would. The fastest growth is women and people of color. We try to make the game look like the rest of the world, and maybe have the world behave more like our game.”
PGA of America president John Lindert thanked Waugh for his contributions, saying: “We are grateful for Seth’s leadership and for all that he accomplished for our members, our game, the business and our people. He skilfully led us through incredibly challenging times and was always a great partner. We are fortunate to be able to call on him going forward for his always helpful advice and counsel.”
In a final address in his post Waugh paid tribute to the PGA of America’s members, while also speaking of his love for the game in a closing statement. He said: “I have often said that golf is one of the great engines of good on Earth.
“I am perhaps the biggest all-time beneficiary of that good and I want to thank the membership, my colleagues, all the various board members, past presidents, our extraordinary partners, my peers at all the other golf bodies, as well as everyone who plays and loves our beautiful game for all the support and friendship during this journey.
