At a time when most people his age are eyeing retirement, Seth Waugh, 61, is as busy as ever as CEO of the PGA of America, but not too busy to participate in the best-attended Monday pro-am in golf.
It’s the Seminole Pro-Member at the 1929 Donald Ross masterpiece in Juno Beach, Florida, site of the 2021 Walker Cup and ranked No. 13 on Golfweek’s Best Classic Courses list, where past champions of this one-of-a-kind event dating to 1937 include Ben Hogan, Byron Nelson, Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer. It has been played the Monday after the Honda Classic since 2017. (From 2004-16, it was held the Monday after the World Golf Championship at Trump Doral Resort.)
Look to the wall of champions on the mahogany board in the northeast corner of the Seminole Golf Club locker room in gold lettering for Waugh’s name alongside his partner Justin Rose, the 2013 U.S. Open winner and Olympic gold medalist.
At the PGA Merchandise Show in January, Waugh, a former executive with Deutsche Bank, who has teamed with Rose to win the Pro-Member three times (2012, ’16-17), proved he knows his numbers and has his sights set on hoisting another trophy.
“Four is more than three, right?” he said with a wink.
The Waugh-Rose bond runs deeper than a glorified one-day pro-am. It dates to 2003, when Waugh green-lighted his then tournament director Jay Monahan – yes, the PGA Tour Commish once ran the Deutsche Bank Championship near Boston – to offer Rose a sponsor’s exemption via the foreign-player exemption category.
“It was the first year of the tournament and we were at the governor’s state house for the pro-am draw party and Mitt Romney was governor,” Waugh says, setting the scene for a well-practiced story.
“I see this young man nibbling on shrimp cocktail at the seafood bar. I went up to him and asked if he was Justin Rose. He said he was. I said, ‘Well, what are you doing here?’ He said he got an exemption from Deutsche Bank and thought he should thank somebody. I said, ‘That was very nice. Did your agent suggest it?’ He said, ‘I don’t have an agent, I just thought it was the right thing to do.’
“He was staying out in Providence like 90 minutes away. I said, ‘I’m Seth Waugh and you just thanked me. Go home and get some rest and win this thing.’ He finished third and got in the next week’s tournament and got his (PGA Tour) card and was on his way. In a world of entitled folks, he got in his rental car, drove up to Boston and was looking for someone to thank from Deutsche Bank.”
A friendship took root and before long, Rose was staying at Waugh’s home whenever he competed at the Honda Classic in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. For the longest time, Waugh played in Seminole’s Pro-Member with New England’s favorite son, Brad Faxon, until Faxon got hurt in 2011 and Waugh invited Rose to fill his shoes.
“We had a good time,” Waugh said. “The next year Fax was good to go, but we were short on players, if you can believe that. I called Justin and asked if he could play and he said sure. I hung up and realized I think he thought I had invited him to play with me. So, I called Fax and told him I screwed up. How about you play with Tom Ryan (CEO of CVS) and we’ll play in the same group? Fax agreed but before he hangs up he says, ‘It’s all good as long as neither of us wins,’ and we both giggled. Backstory: we had finished second two or three times as a team and we always screwed up 18.”
But not this time with Rose.
“We were in the last group, and both birdie 17 and (Seminole head professional) Bob Ford comes out to tell us we need one more. I hit a wedge to 15 feet and made it for a 3 for 2 and we ended up winning by one stroke. Even before I said anything to Justin, I turned to Fax and said, ‘Sorry! I absolutely threw up with you, but with Justin I got it done.’ ”
Three wins at the Seminole Pro-Member is no fluke and Waugh, an 8.4 handicap, is quick to point out that he did help a little, though one year Rose shot 63 and they won both net and gross.
“He’s a baller,” Rose says of his pards. “When he’s got a stroke hole, he has this amazing knack to make the putts for net birdie. Seth’s a competitor and that’s why I love playing with him.”
If any further confirmation of the depth of their friendship is needed there is this: When Rose’s daughter Charlotte was born in 2012, he asked Waugh to be her godfather.
“I think he’s godfather to about 20 kids, to be honest with you, because he’s such a cool guy. But having just one son (aspiring tour pro Clancy) I thought a baby girl would be fun for him, and it’s a great excuse for us as a family to stay in touch,” Rose says.
“I was flattered and honored,” Waugh says. “What I love about Justin is he’s never changed. He’s always on point. To watch him mature over the past 16-17 years has been a real joy.”
As for their annual date in the Seminole Pro-Member, Waugh says, “For us, it’s become a chance to catch up.”
And chase another title. After all, four is more than three.
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