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PGA America CEO Derek Sprague is stepping down from his role after one year to help support his mother and mother-in-law.
Sprague said he realized he needed to spend more time at home after his 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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Derek Sprague announces on the first hole during am foursome matches for the 2020 Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wis., Sept. 24, 2021. (Montana Pritchard/PGA of America)
Sprague took over in January 2025, becoming the first club professional in 20 years and the first PGA president to be appointed to the role. He informed the PGA of America board in early December that he had to return home to Malone, New York, and said he would remain in an advisory role until his successor is found.
Sprague, who served as PGA president from 2014-16, was tapped as CEO to replace Seth Waugh, the former Deutsche Bank America CEO who had been coaxed out of retirement in 2018.
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Derek Sprague, CEO of the PGA of America, addresses the media prior to the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Country Club in Charlotte, NC on May 13, 2025. (Andrew Redington/Getty Images)
Waugh had been grooming Craig Kessler, the PGA’s chief operating officer, as a potential replacement, but the PGA board chose one of its members. Kessler was named LPGA commissioner last summer.
Sprague’s resignation prolongs turnover in golf’s leadership. Brian Rolapp joined in August as CEO of PGA Tour Enterprises, Kessler joined the LPGA in July and Mark Darbon is just over a year into his role as CEO of the R&A.
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Derek Sprague, PGA of America CEO, attends a press conference next to the Black Course at Bethpage State Park Golf Course on September 17, 2025 in Farmingdale, NY (Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
Sprague was the PGA of America executive who contacted Rory McIlroy to apologize for the verbal abuse he and his wife suffered at Bethpage Black during the Ryder Cup. McIlroy’s wife, Erica, formerly worked at the PGA of America, and McIlroy said Sprague “couldn’t have been more gracious” in what he described as a “lovely letter.”
He was inducted into the PGA of America Hall of Fame in 2019.
