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PGA America CEO Derek Sprague is leaving his position after one year to help support his mother and mother-in-law.
Sprague said she realized she needed to spend more time at home after her daughter’s wedding.
“At my daughter’s wedding last month in upstate New York, it became clear that my family needs me around to help care for my mother and mother-in-law,” Sprague said in a statement. “Focusing on family has become my priority and the best decision for me is to step away from my role as CEO and return home to be with them.”
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Former PGA of America president Derek Sprague announces on the first hole during the four o’clock matches for the 2020 Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits. The event took place in Kohler, Wisconsin on September 24, 2021. (Montana Pritchard/PGA of America)
Sprague took office in January 2025, becoming the first club professional in 20 years and the first PGA president appointed to that role. He informed the PGA of America board of directors in early December that he needed to return to his home in Malone, New York, and said he would remain in an advisory role until his successor was found.
Sprague, who served as PGA president from 2014 to 2016, was selected as CEO to replace Seth Waugh, the former CEO of Deutsche Bank Americas who had been brought out of retirement in 2018.
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PGA of America CEO Derek Sprague speaks to the media before the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Country Club. The event took place in Charlotte, North Carolina on May 13, 2025. (Andrew Redington/Getty Images)
Waugh had been grooming Craig Kessler, the PGA’s chief operating officer, as a possible replacement, but the PGA board opted for one of its members. Kessler was named LPGA commissioner last summer.
Sprague’s resignation widens the turnover in golf’s executive leadership. Brian Rolapp took over as CEO of PGA Tour Enterprises in August; Kessler joined the LPGA in July; and Mark Darbon has been in his role as CEO of R&A for just over a year.
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PGA of America CEO Derek Sprague attends a press conference next to the Black Course at Bethpage State Park Golf Course on September 17, 2025 in Farmingdale, New York. The KPMG Women’s PGA 2028 and PGA Championship 2033 tournaments will be played on the course. (Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
Sprague was the PGA of America executive who reached out to Rory McIlroy to apologize for the verbal abuse he and his wife suffered at Bethpage Black during the Ryder Cup. McIlroy’s wife, Erica, previously worked at the PGA of America and McIlroy said Sprague “couldn’t have been nicer” in what he described as a “lovely letter.”
He was inducted into the PGA of America Hall of Fame in 2019.
