Seth Waugh is leaving the PGA of America after six years as CEO, a period marked by a sharp boost in golf participation and PGA membership and the move of its headquarters from Florida to a massive complex in Texas.
Waugh was the CEO of Deutsche Bank Americas when he joined the PGA of America board as an independent director and then was hired to lead the 30,000-plus members in 2018.
His contract was up for renewal on June 30, and Waugh decided not to renew.
“It feels like the right time, not only personally but professionally,” Waugh said. “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.”
Waugh will stay on with the PGA of America in a senior advisory role. He will be at the Open Championship and Paris Olympics and plans to be part of the Ryder Cup next year at Bethpage Black.
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