ORLANDO, FLORIDA | The PGA Show, held last week in Orlando, Florida, served as a reminder that there is an unusual leadership transition taking place among the leading golf associations and tours in the global game.
Guy Kinnings is just months into his term as CEO of the DP World Tour, succeeding Keith Pelley after he returned to Canada to run Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment. Mark Darbon’s time at the R&A is even shorter, as he replaced Martin Slumbers just weeks ago. Mollie Marcoux Samaan recently stepped down as LPGA commissioner; a search for her successor is just getting started.
And then there is Derek Sprague, who made his debut as the CEO of the PGA of America at the PGA Show. He leaves Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, next week to take up residence at the gleaming new home of the association in Frisco, Texas.
Rea, installed in November after four years serving as an officer, is going to break some china. He is bold, outspoken, and sometimes dramatic in his public statements.
Sprague was often seen at the PGA Show joined at the hip with newly ascended PGA of America President Don Rea Jr. Together, they are a dynamic duo who appear determined to increase both the visibility and stature of the PGA of America within the leadership of the game.
Rea, installed in November after four years serving as an officer, is going to break some china. He is bold, outspoken, and sometimes dramatic in his public statements. The operator of a par-61 golf course in Arizona, he loves the game and believes firmly in the importance of the PGA of America. Rea is comfortable with a microphone in his hand and not short of opinions.
Sprague is a bit less flamboyant and serves as a good counterbalance to Rea’s brashness. He describes himself as a “process guy;” he is thoughtful and careful in manner, but he is equally firm and confident in his messaging. He prides himself on being a solution-oriented, hands-on leader with not a lot of use for bureaucracy.
It is clear that both men want a bigger voice for the PGA of America, indeed the World Alliance of PGAs, in the future of the game; they want a seat at the table on behalf of their membership of 30,000-plus golf professionals. Reading between the lines, you get the idea they are tired of the PGA of America and its members being taken for granted.
Rea and Sprague are quick to remind people that the organization conducts three major championships across three tours … the PGA Championship on the PGA Tour, the Senior PGA Championship on the PGA Tour Champions, and the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship on the LPGA Tour. In addition, it owns half of golf’s greatest spectacle, the Ryder Cup.
Rea and Sprague want their share of leadership voice and industrywide respect to reflect that investment. And they believe this goal is best served by having a member be the voice of the organization.
Some in the PGA of America family feel that, while former CEO Seth Waugh did in fact have a seat at the table, it was due more to his pre-existing relationships with Martin Slumbers and PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan than his title and role at the PGA of America. Beloved by his staff and respected by the global golf ecosystem, Waugh was viewed with suspicion in some quarters of the PGA of America for not being “one of us.” Never mind that his accomplishments during his term were amazing. He brilliantly led the PGA of America through the COVID-19 pandemic, and he successfully implemented a deferred compensation program for members, effectively a pension fund where previously there had been none.
By contrast, Sprague is a lifelong golf professional and a member of the organization. He began his career at Malone Golf Club in upstate New York, where he served as head golf professional for 25 years. He went on to work for the Fireman family at Liberty National Golf Club in New Jersey before becoming the general manager at TPC Sawgrass.
A sore point for Rea and Sprague is the coming rollback of the golf ball in 2028. They believe the PGA of America wasn’t properly consulted by the governing bodies as much as they were directed. They further believe that, although the organization was briefed by the governing bodies, its counsel was ignored, and the outcome was preordained.
Since taking office just a few weeks ago, Sprague has been forceful in saying that the organization and its members are adamantly opposed to the rollback. He has also suggested this viewpoint is shared by the PGA Tour, and that together they might get the regulators to modify their planned rollback, if not scrap it altogether.
The tour’s resistance to the rollback is well known, but it is unclear if it is willing to take on a fight with the governing bodies at the moment, given its present circumstances with LIV Golf and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.
There is no reticence whatsoever coming from Rea and Sprague; they want the issue relitigated. Quickly.
Sprague, 57, can be expected to serve for the next seven to 10 years. Rea has only through the end of his term in 2026 to make his mark. They are not wasting time. They expect to be taken seriously, starting now.
E-MAIL JIM
Top: New PGA of America president Don Rea Jr. (right) speaks to Golf Channel at the 2025 PGA Show.
darren carroll, pga of america