Michael LoRé

mlore@bigswingmedia.news

‍Don Rea didn’t do himself or the PGA of America any favors in September by initially comparing the vulgar, line-crossing language and behavior directed at European players during the 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black to what could be heard at a youth soccer game.

After drawing public—and most likely private—backlash including from the media and European player Matt Fitzpatrick, the PGA of America president swiftly issued an apology to the organization’s 30,000 members. In a letter obtained by the Associated Press, Rea finally condemned “that behavior unequivocally,” saying it was “not representative of who we are as the PGA of America or as PGA of America golf professionals.” Rea was subsequently removed from the PGA Tour Inc. policy board in November and attended January's PGA Show in a “scaled down role,” according to Golfweek.

Sports Business Journal recently reported Rea isn’t expected to be onsite at the 2026 PGA Championship from May 11-17 at Aronimink Golf Club.

To add to the PGA of America's persistent problems, the organization has seen six senior level executives depart since 2025, including CEO Derek Sprague, who unexpectedly left midway through his two-year term in January to reportedly tend to family in upstate New York.

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PGA of America Leadership Turnover 2025/26

• ‍Derek Sprague, Chief Executive Officer‍
• Craig Kessler, Chief Operating Officer‍
• Jeff Price, Chief Commercial Officer‍
• John Easterbrook, Chief Membership Officer‍
• Sandy Cross, Chief People Officer‍
• Ryan Ogle, PGA Championship Director

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Despite a litany of leadership changes at the top as the PGA of America recovers from a frustrating and headline-heavy home Ryder Cup defeat after taking a flier on Keegan Bradley as U.S. captain, confidence remains high within the organization heading into the 108th playing of the PGA Championship, especially under the guidance of new CEO Terry Clark.

"What I'm pretty sure of is that neither Don Rea or Derek Sprague had the skill set to manage the galleries and the press backlash at the Ryder Cup," said third-generation PGA pro Jonathan Doctor. “(Rea) picked up the wrong can. Instead of picking up the watering can and trying to pour it on the fire, he picked up the kerosene can by accident, I think, and dumped it on there.

"They all have media training, but in the heat of the moment, I think a lot of it comes down to what is your experience dealing with situations like that? And most golf professionals don’t have a lot of experience dealing with situations like that.

“I’ve known Derek Sprague probably most of my life—he’s a friend and acquaintance of my dad. I think he was a fantastic president of the PGA of America. I think he is an exceptional golf professional. I don’t believe that he was the right person for the job. I don’t believe there are any PGA golf professionals who are trained and have the business acumen from their day-to-day roles as golf professionals to run the PGA of America (as CEO). I think that somebody like Terry Clark is the right person to be in that role.”

Outside of USGA CEO Mike Whan who has been in his position since July 2021, golf's governing bodies have called upon new faces within the past two years to lead their respective organizations into the future with the sport more popular and mainstream than ever, no offense Prime Tiger.

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Golf's Leadership Reset

• ‍The R&A: Mark Darbon, July 2024‍
• LIV Golf: Scott O’Neil, January 2025‍
• LPGA: Craig Kessler, May 2025‍
• PGA Tour: Brian Rolapp, June 2025‍
• PGA of America: Terry Clark, February 2026

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“I think having a fresh perspective is healthy for any organization and for the sport of golf,” Sprague said during a media opportunity at the 2025 Ryder Cup.

Even small change is typically met with concern. When it’s an industry-wide makeover though, is too much “fresh perspective” a bad thing? The golf industry may soon find out as one former PGA of America executive said leadership changes across the industry “ain’t slowing down” and will be “continuous.”

Yet with so many new names ushering golf into a new era as YouTube/creator golf is skyrocketing in popularity, alternative forms of the game are springing up daily, and LIV Golf appears to be folding due to a lack of funding, arguably the most significant change at the PGA of America hasn’t been in the boardroom, it’s been the self-reflection within the organization.

Over the last few years, the PGA, which is responsible for 30,000 members across 41 districts, has had an internal campaign to remind its professionals the value of being a member.

“I don’t think most associations have to go through that,” Doctor said. “There’s a phrase among golf professionals all the time which is: ‘I get a monthly magazine for my dues.’”

While the century-old monthly publication chock full of industry news, best practices and trends is a nice membership perk, PGA professionals get a ton more for their annual dues, which can range between $600-700 depending on section and status.

Among their membership perks, PGA pros have the ability to attend five days at The Masters, all seven days of the PGA Championship, and most PGA Tour events, as well as receive access to educational resources and career services as well as competitions, partner perks/deals, Golf Retirement Plus (GRP) program, and Deferred Compensation Plan that launched in 2023.

PGA pros can also qualify for the PGA Championship via the PGA Professional Championship. The tournament winner and top-20 finishers earn an automatic berth to the major alongside the likes of Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau as they battle for the Wanamaker Trophy each May.

“I mean, obviously, yeah, playing in the PGA (Championship) is one of the great benefits,” said Ryan Lenahan, who has qualified for two consecutive PGA Championships since becoming a PGA pro in 2024. “But at the same time,
I remember the day when I got my membership. It made me appreciate all the work that I did and everything to get that because it wasn’t an easy path.”

It can take up to nine years for aspiring members to complete the three levels of education as well as other requirements in order to be elected for membership. Lenahan, PGA Director of Instruction at Walnut Creek Country Club in Michigan, was able to complete his process in approximately two years.

Strengthening that organizational culture and pride while providing a sense of stability are major priorities for Clark, the former CMO at UnitedHealth Group who has been an independent director on the PGA of America board since 2024.‍

“My focus will be on providing clarity, strengthening our culture, and empowering our teams to support our members and PGA of America golf professionals at the highest level, while elevating our major championships and marquee events as defining stages for the game, our partners, and the communities we serve,” Clark said in a statement when he was announced as CEO on February 4.‍

Like Doctor, Luis Ituarte, a long-time PGA Golf Executive in Management, Development, or Ownership, remains confident in the organization as a whole, regardless of who is in charge.

After all, the PGA of America has forged forward for more than a century since first being conceived in 1916; the organization split into a separate entity from the PGA Tour in 1968.

“I know there’s a changing landscape but I think most pros will tell you they trust the decisions made upstairs,” said Ituarte, a PGA member since 1996. “I know what’s going on and I don’t worry about it. I think most guys trying to run their club, getting their education, managing their P&L and making sure their staff is happy have pretty much been confident that the PGA will maneuver through the landscape of golf, and whatever filters down to them, they’ll have an opinion on at that moment.

“I don’t think any of us live where we’re always thinking what are they going to do or how are they going to do it? There’s a lot of trust.”

Clark and the PGA of America sought to rekindle trust and comfort with members and golf fans alike by announcing veteran Jim Furyk as U.S. captain for the 2027 Ryder Cup at Adare Manor in Ireland. The organization had its sights set on Tiger Woods until he withdrew from consideration following a DUI arrest in February. The U.S. has lost seven of the last 10 editions of the prestigious biennial event as it heads into the Ryder Cup’s centennial next year.

With the Emerald Isle lingering in the distance, the PGA of America must first prioritize its other tentpole tournaments including this week’s PGA Championship and the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship (June 25-28).

Leadership is also still searching for an overdue title sponsor for the Senior PGA Championship after KitchenAid ended its sponsorship following the 2024 tournament. Without a title sponsor, the event is costing the organization several million dollars; the PGA loses money putting on its women’s, senior and club professionals events.

“The only two financial and recognition drivers are the PGA (Championship) and Ryder Cup,” one former PGA of America executive said. Because of that, the organization typically operates in a four-year financial cycle following home Ryder Cups which drive the most revenue.

The PGA of America reported $166 million in revenue for its most recent fiscal year from April 1, 2024 to March 31, 2025—a slight decline from the $172 million from the prior year, which included the 2023 Ryder Cup at Marco Simone in Italy. The 2021-22 fiscal year was the organization’s most lucrative over the last decade as the PGA brought in more than $192 million thanks to the 2021 Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits.

Clark and Co. will look to ride the financial windfalls from Bethpage Black as the organization sets to re-establish confidence and consistency both inside and out of the largest working sports organization in the world.

“The PGA can't help your personal life and your economic goals, but it can definitely give you that stability, that cache behind what we’re trying to accomplish,” Ituarte said. “And I have a huge amount of respect for the PGA in that regard because they’re always going to be that because they strive to be that. You know, that logo everywhere, it means something.”

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‍Essay originally published in The Met Golfer, May/June 2024.  Special thanks to the Metropolitan Golf Association.

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Happy Birthday, Mom

‍Betty Sampson Roberts wasn’t a great golfer by any means, but she passed the game’s most important traits on to me.‍

I lost my mom last year, but in the best of all worlds, that’s the way it’s supposed to work. That I lost a parent is sad; had she lost a child, well, that would have been devastating. I’ve seen that happen and it changes a survivor forever in the most horrible way. Mom was 95 and led an extraordinary life. She didn’t play in the Solheim Cup or win the Women’s Open. You won’t read about her anywhere in golf history. Fact is, she really struggled with the game.

Why am I writing about her? Because her birthday is in May, and as the Earth marks its first trip around the sun without her here to blow out the candles, I miss her terribly. I figure after appearing in this space for 20 years, maybe you’ll just indulge me a bit of latitude. Maybe it’s just enough that her greatest distinction in golf was that she helped facilitate me playing a game I’ve grown to love.

Too much of my life is about business and work, which is the case for so many people I know. Even though she was a teacher who was uncompromising about whatever was in front of her (she got a master’s degree in her 50s), I think Betty Sampson Roberts taught me – or at least tried to teach me – the value and joy in games.

I’m not a very good golfer, but it does bring me joy (when it’s not bringing me misery), and I think that’s one of the lasting blessings my mother left me with.

She played – I think – because my dad did. And I played because they did. I have vivid memories of the first clubs I ever tried to swing: Mom’s persimmon Patty Berg signature 7-wood. It mostly hung out in that leather trunk of a bag in the garage, so it was accessible, as opposed to my dad’s Haig Ultras, which were an absolute “no touch” proposition.

Mom’s swing was ungainly, like the clubs might have been too heavy for her to control. Watching her, it sometimes seemed like the club was swinging her… like the thing’s momentum at the top of the backswing was just going to keep on going back.

But she played, and before I had a driver’s license, she drove me everywhere so I could play. Again, a memory: sitting there behind me on the driving range one of those early years at summer camp – the picture of 1960s elegance in those sequinned sunglasses with lenses shaped like a cat’s eyes – watching me and applauding every god-awful swing I was making. Isn’t it amazing how unconditionally supportive moms are capable of being?

I stuck with it, because she certainly did. Golf wasn’t just about the skill of the game. It was about the experience, the camaraderie, and, without a doubt, the occasional “acorn even a blind squirrel could find.”

I’ve written in this space many times about golf as a wonderful thing that can connect families. I don’t want to give the impression that mom and I played a lot of golf together. We didn’t, but she set an example for me: This was one of the things we (our family) did... and so that’s what I did.

If she wasn’t much of a player, she never failed to delight in hearing me talk about my travels in the game– for work and for play. But I guess that’s what moms do. They support you and share. I miss her very much.

Patty Berg was a giant of the game, a founding member of the LPGA and Hall of Famer. I know she must have influenced countless kids. I never met her, but if I had, I probably wouldn’t – at least right away – have talked to her about her 15 major titles or serving in the Marine Corps or three times being voted the Associated Press Athlete of the Year. I would have told her about that persimmon 7-wood with her name on it ... the one in the garage that got me started on my own golf journey.

Thanks, Mom. Happy birthday. I miss you.‍

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