During his tenure, the PGA relocated its headquarters from Palm Beach Gardens, Florida to a fancy, new campus in Frisco, Texas.
Seth Waugh is stepping down from the PGA of America after electing not to renew his contract, which expires on June 30.
A national search for a new CEO, which will include internal and external candidates, is underway. During the transition, Chief Championships Officer Kerry Haigh will serve as interim CEO. Haigh will not be part of the candidate pool for the new CEO position.
“The goal from the start was to leave the room better than we found it and I believe that together we have done just that,” Waugh said. “Golf has never been younger or a better reflection of the greater population. It’s never been more forward leaning, more popular or considered cooler than it is today. I have often said that golf is one of the great engines of good on earth. I am perhaps the biggest all-time beneficiary of that good.”
Waugh, 66, joined the PGA as CEO in September 2018. He was on the verge of completing a three-year term as an independent director on the PGA’s board when his predecessor Pete Bevacqua left to become NBC Sports Group President – he’s currently serving as athletic director at Notre Dame – and Waugh was hired to take over.
“I may have gotten the job because of what I’ve done, my business stuff, but I took the job so that I could make a difference,” Waugh said shortly after starting as the head of an association that exceeded 30,000 club professionals for the first time during his tenure. “The opportunity to do that is what is fulfilling to me. That will be my legacy, not whether we win a Ryder Cup or have the biggest TV deal ever. It will be whether the members are better off.”
During his tenure, the PGA relocated its headquarters from Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, to a fancy, new campus complete with championship golf courses in Frisco, Texas, and committed to bringing 26 future PGA America championships – the PGA Professional Championship in April being the first of them – to the two courses built in its backyard. In his role, he also signed a lucrative 11-year TV deal with CBS and ESPN beginning in 2020.
“On behalf of the more than 30,000 PGA of America golf professionals, we are grateful for Seth’s leadership and for all that he accomplished for our members, our game, the business and our people,” said PGA of America President John Lindert in a statement. “He skillfully led us through incredibly challenging times and was always a great partner. We are fortunate to be able to call on him going forward for his always helpful advice and counsel.”
As former CEO of Deutsche Bank Americas, Waugh worked during his time there with the PGA Tour to create the former Deutsche Bank Championship in Boston, where he hired now-PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan to be the first tournament director and served as an early mentor.
Ahead of the 106th playing of this year’s PGA Championship, the PGA of America’s flagship event, Waugh addressed the “messy” state of pro golf as the PGA Tour and LIV continue to battle for eyeballs and interest.
Kerry Haigh, Chief Championships Officer of the PGA of America, John Lindert, PGA of America President and Seth Waugh, Chief Executive Officer of the PGA of America, speak to the media during a news conference ahead of the 2023 PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club. (Photo: Warren Little/Getty Images)
Waugh said he was “absolutely” worried about the game at the professional level, noting how “it seems to get messier every week.”
“I think the best thing for the game is a deal. And we’ve been very consistent on that front,” said Waugh. “What has been an unsustainable business model has put pressure on other places like the (PGA Tour) that creates some financial dynamics as well as other dynamics that are very hard, and quite frankly it puts some financial pressure on us, as well.”
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — This week’s 2024 PGA Championship will most likely feature more LIV Golf players – 16, to be exact – than any other major championship this season as the professional game will briefly unite once again at Valhalla Golf Club.
Ahead of the 106th playing of the PGA of America’s flagship event, the organization’s President John Lindert, CEO Seth Waugh and Chief Championships Officer Kerry Haigh all gathered for a press conference and addressed the “messy” state of pro golf as the PGA Tour and LIV continue to battle for eyeballs and interest.
Waugh said he was “absolutely” worried about the game at the professional level, noting how “it seems to get messier every week.” As an optimist, however, he hopes this is the darkness before the dawn.
“I think the best thing for the game is a deal. And we’ve been very consistent on that front,” said Waugh. “What has been an unsustainable business model has put pressure on other places like the (PGA Tour) that creates some financial dynamics as well as other dynamics that are very hard, and quite frankly it puts some financial pressure on us, as well.”
“I don’t think the game is big enough for two tours like that, and I think we are diluting the game in a way that is not healthy. We’ve said that, really, from the beginning,” he continued. “I hope there’s a deal. I think both sides are not only committed to trying to find a deal but really need a deal, and in my history of deal making, when both sides kind of need something to happen, it generally does.”
Waugh wouldn’t speak on the timing and noted while he has connections to those in the discussions, he doesn’t have any information the rest of us don’t already possess. Tiger Woods, who is on the subcommittee that will negotiate with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, spoke on the status of the negotiations on Tuesday and echoed what’s been said for months: progress is being made. Jon Rahm, who made the move to LIV late last year, said he thinks a deal will be done but doesn’t want a rushed resolution.
“I hope there’s urgency because I do think it’s doing damage to the Tour, to the game,” added Waugh. “As I said earlier, I hope it’s short-term damage, as opposed to permanent damage, and so I hope there’s some urgency in the timing around it because I just don’t think it’s a healthy situation right now.”
When it comes to players in the field, the PGA of America will invite those in the top 100 of the Official World Golf Ranking who aren’t already exempt. Of the 16 LIV players on site this week, seven received special invites from the PGA of America. Four were inside the top 100 of the OWGR. Of the three who were not, Dean Burmester and David Puig both tried to earn their way in by playing on the DP World Tour and Asian Tour, respectively, and both won at least once. The outlier is Gooch, who has only played for LIV since he joined the Saudi-backed circuit and earlier this month said he won’t be attempting to qualify for the U.S. Open while 34 of his colleagues will try to play their way in.
Talor Gooch of the United States walks to the eighth tee during a practice round prior to the 2024 PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club on May 15, 2024 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
Haigh avoided a direct question about Gooch’s invitation being strictly based on his LIV performance – he’s currently eighth on LIV’s season-long standings for 2024 but won the season-long individual championship last year – and gave no hint about LIV-specific qualifying criteria being implemented.
“Well, our invitation process has been pretty much the same for many years. You know, we have 15 criteria that are pretty much set, and then there’s an opportunity for us to invite those players who may not be in those 15 criteria,” said Haigh. “That process over the years has made us be able to have what we feel is a field we are really proud of. It brings the best players in the whole world together to compete on a great golf course for a major championship, and that’s what we pride — we are very proud of the field that we have, and we feel they are the best players in the game.”
“We have the most flexibility of any of the majors, right. We are not bound to World Rankings. We are not bound to special invitations,” Waugh added. “But Kerry has the ability, we all have the ability, to kind of lean in and really pick the best field in golf, and that’s never been, frankly, more important than it is right now.”
Four months ago, Fred Ridley, the chairman of Augusta National Golf Club, strongly hinted that he and the club supported the USGA and R&A’s proposed Model Local Rule (MLR) that would mandate golfers in elite events use distance-reducing golf balls. Tiger Woods came out in support of the idea, and so did Rory McIlroy, giving the two governing bodies of golf some momentum in their battle against distance.
But as the comment period has continued, that momentum has slowed, and Monday, one of the biggest sports organizations in the world came out against the idea.
Golf Channel’s Rex Hoggard obtained a memo and posted it on Twitter that was written by the CEO of the PGA of America and sent to the USGA and R&A. In the memo, Waugh, who was writing as the head representative for the PGAs of America, Australia, Great Britain and several other countries, said that the groups, comprised of more than teaching professionals, course operators and others in the golf industry would not support the idea of the Model Local Rule.
“We fear that the proposed changes could seriously interrupt the current momentum in the game and be fundamentally damaging and detrimental in the long run,” Waugh wrote. “We are also very aware that there are sets of data that conflict with the R&A and USA materials. This is confusing and, in our view, needs to be considered fully, reviewed and clarified prior to any final decision being made.”
He went on to state: “For the whole industry to buy into any changes, we feel it is very important that everyone agrees with one set of data to be used to establish the basis of dramatic change. Also, to be abundantly clear as regards to the current proposal, after much thought and conversation, we arrived at full agreement as a group that we firmly oppose bifurcation for the following reasons.”
Golfweek contacted representatives of the USGA and asked for comment, then received the following statement:
We remain in a Notice & Comment period, accepting feedback from voices from across the game. The PGA is an important stakeholder and we appreciate the feedback they have contributed to this conversation.
The comment period on the proposed Model Local Rule is scheduled to conclude on next Monday, August 14.
Less than two weeks ago, a similar memo was written by Jay Monahan and sent PGA Tour players, explaining that the PGA Tour had informed the USGA and R&A that it was not in favor of the Model Local Rule in its current form.
The PGA Tour and the Alliance of PGAs cannot stop the USGA and the R&A from creating the Model Local Rule, but if they choose not to adopt it and implement it in the events they operate, it would be a massive blow to the overall acceptance of the MLR.
The USGA operates the U.S. Open, U.S. Women’s Open and several other championships, while the R&A runs the British Open, Women’s British Open and numerous tournaments as well. Mike Whan, the CEO of the USGA, and Martin Slumbers, his counterpart at the R&A, have stated that if the MLR is created, they plan to adopt it starting in 2026 at their elite men’s events.
However, the PGA of America runs the PGA Championship. If Seth Waugh and the PGA of America decided not to adopt the MLR, it is possible that the Masters, U.S. Open and British Opens would require golfers to use a different ball than they would use at the PGA Championship, the Players Championship and week-to-week PGA Tour events.
While the USGA and R&A’s proposed MLR is not intended to be adopted at the club level or at most amateur competitions, Waugh wrote that the proposal would create confusion, more work for PGA of America members and ultimately lead to bifurcation (the use to different rules governing professionals and recreational golfers). The USGA and R&A have adamantly stated that there are already several Model Local Rules, and tournaments are free to adopt them or not adopt them as they see fit. In the eyes of the USGA and the R&A, the creation of a Model Local Rule that requires elite golfers to use reduce-distance balls would not create a separate set of rules, but many people and organizations do not agree.
“Lastly and importantly, the suggestion that elite women should play the ‘recreational ball’ could be viewed very negatively at a time when we are all trying to promote and champion women’s golf and participation,” Waugh wrote.
In an interview with Golfweek, Mike Whan said that he does not feel there is a distance problem in women’s golf and hinted that the USGA would likely not adopt the MLR at the Women’s U.S. Open.
After the conclusion of the Notice & Comment period, the USGA and R&A are expected to study the comments and announce a decision on the Model Local Rule, possibly with six months.
“We’re full steam ahead as a business,” said PGA Tour COO Tyler Dennis.
LOS ANGELES — United States Golf Association CEO Mike Whan began the governing body’s annual new conference ahead of the 2023 U.S. Open by wishing PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan well.
“Hope you’re watching this, hope you’re feeling better, and everyone at the USGA wishes you a speedy recovery,” said Whan.
On Tuesday night the PGA Tour announced that Monahan, 53, is “recuperating from a medical situation” and that in his absence, Chief Operating Officer Ron Price and Executive Vice President Tyler Dennis would lead the day-to-day operations. The Tour also held a brief meeting Wednesday morning to address the staff amid a great time of uncertainty.
Appearing on Golf Channel’s “Live from the U.S. Open,” Dennis said there was no further update on Monahan’s situation.
“We’re full steam ahead as a business,” Dennis said. “All of our priorities remain unchanged. We had a big announcement last week and nothing is changing in that regard. We’re working very hard toward the definitive agreements. There’ll be a lot of news on that subject in the coming weeks and months.
“It’s full steam ahead, day to day as a business, and we’re stronger than we’ve ever been and we’re focused on the future.”
Last week the bombshell news broke that the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund had partnered to create a new global golf entity. Monahan, 53, was thrust back into the spotlight because of his previous comments about LIV Golf, which was fully financed by the PIF, and the commissioner was heavily criticized, especially by the 9/11 families group.
Monahan joined the PGA Tour in 2008 and was named the Tour’s fourth commissioner on Jan. 1, 2017, when he succeeded Tim Finchem. The Massachusetts native graduated from Trinity College in 1993 and was a four-year member of the golf team. He then earned a masters degree in sport management from UMass in 1995.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with PGA Tour commissioner and friend to many, Jay Monahan, his wife Susan and their entire family,” said PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh via a statement. “He has given so much of himself to our beautiful sport and we wish him a very quick recovery back to health and the game we all love.”
The only furrow on Waugh’s brow came later when a questioner asked if the OWGR is slow-playing LIV’s application.
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Not much disturbs the perma-tanned panache of Seth Waugh, the Wall Street banker-turned-CEO of the PGA of America. He strolls through the buttoned-up golf world in white britches and boat shoes, projecting the insouciant air of someone bound for a dockside jamboree in Palm Beach. So when he was asked on Tuesday at Oak Hill Country Club if it was stressful being on the board of the Official World Golf Ranking as it processes the application of LIV Golf, Waugh was sanguine in his dismissal.
“I’m just one board member, and I’ve lived through 9/11 and a financial crisis or two,” he said. “No, I think we can handle it.”
The only furrow on Waugh’s brow came later when a questioner asked if the OWGR is slow-playing LIV’s application by clinging to a 12-month timeline for the review process when the circuit — unlike many developmental tours — has stout resources behind it. The inquiry assumed the ready availability of financing, but also a willingness to spend it. And it overlooked a pertinent reality: a tour that owes its existence to the whim of one mercurial man has a dubious future if those whims change. Stability can be fleeting if one’s sole anchor is a Saudi oligarch facing legal jeopardy.
“That’s a total mischaracterization,” Waugh responded, the words carrying more bite than his tone or manner of delivery. “What I’ve said and what I’ll say now is there has been healthy back and forth. It has not been acrimonious.”
There may well be a patina of harmony in the top-level interactions between the OWGR’s board and LIV executives, but that comity is not shared by LIV’s surrogates, who are eagerly engaged in an effort to short-circuit the approval process and undermine the very credibility of the rankings. Last month, Bryson DeChambeau declared the ranking “obsolete,” while insisting that LIV needed to be included in a system that is, um, obsolete.
Phil Mickelson has accused most every entity in the game — the PGA of America, the USGA, the OWGR, the PGA Tour and Augusta National Golf Golf Club — of “colluding” against LIV and its players, not least by denying ranking points that would eventually help exclude many LIV competitors from major championships. It’s the kind of conspiracy seed that Mickelson knows will be ardently watered in the social media jungle by the MAGA trolls and manufactured bots that comprise so much of the LIV support network. He has not yet accused LIV’s broadcast partner, The CW, of conspiracy for cutting away before the end of their tournament last weekend to air, variously, reruns and skincare infomercials.
“It’s a natural process. There is no magic to 12 months. All of these, I think, certainly since I’ve been around, have taken more time than I think was assumed early on,’ Waugh explained. “That’s where it is. This is not an us versus them. I think the OWGR, if you take a step back, the whole point is to create a level playing field, a yardstick by which to measure the game. Our job is to measure tours. Not players but tours and how they perform on those tours to come up with that yardstick. That’s what we’re all attempting to try to do.”
That was a subtle pushback on an argument oft-mounted by LIV players, that DJ or Brooks are entitled to world ranking points just by virtue of being DJ and Brooks, regardless of where they ply their trade. This sleight of hand neatly sidesteps a fundamental issue: the structure and integrity of the tour on which they compete. Not in terms of its funding source, but in the relative meritocracy of its competition.
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LIV’s structure poses a dilemma for Waugh and his fellow OWGR board members: how to fairly certify for ranking points a tour on which some players are contractually exempt from the consequences of poor performances? While Greg Norman has talked about a system of relegation and promotion, his circuit’s biggest stars can’t be sent to the minor leagues, thereby potentially ensuring them a slice of a ranking points pie at every event, no matter how lousy their showing. Most weeks on most tours, someone who finishes 48th has bested 100-plus rivals. The man in 48th at a LIV event has beaten no one.
Going back to the PGA Championship at Kiawah Island two years ago, Waugh has publicly voiced misgivings about the long-term viability of LIV’s business model, a valid observation that is deemed by LIV acolytes as evidence of innate hostility that his words don’t actually imply.
“As a former businessman who looks at things, I think disruption is a good thing. I think good things have happened from that,” he said. “But when asked, I struggle and I have since the beginning, even before the beginning, with understanding how it’s a sustainable business model.”
Almost lost in the questioning is that Waugh’s side hustle on the OWGR board is secondary to his role this week in running the PGA Championship, where he says the goal is civility.
“Everybody who’s here this week is our invited guest, and we’re happy to have them and we’re going to treat them all the same,” he said. “A lot of these folks are people that I’ve known for a long time that are friends that I still talk to, so none of it is about that. It’s about being, as I said before, having the true north of what’s in the best interest of the game.”
Of course, as a veteran of Wall Street, Waugh knows all too well that people tend to believe true north is always the direction they’re headed.
“I struggle and I have since the beginning, even before the beginning, with understanding how it’s a sustainable business model.”
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — PGA CEO Seth Waugh had some fiery takes — literally — about LIV Golf ahead of this week’s PGA Championship.
“Their logic about the team play being something significant that people can get behind I think is flawed,” Waugh told The Times. “I don’t think people really care about it. And I don’t see how it’s a survivable business model.
“They can fund it for as long as they want to, but no matter how much money you have, at some point, burning it doesn’t feel very good. I don’t see they are accomplishing much. It seems logical to me, then, that you would work towards some sort of agreement. I hope the game comes back together in some form.”
On Tuesday, Waugh spoke during the PGA’s annual state of the association press conference ahead of the 105th PGA Championship at Oak Hill, and he didn’t exactly walk back his previous comments.
“We don’t think division is in the best interest of the game,” Waugh said. “As a former businessman who looks at things, I think disruption is a good thing. I think good things have happened from that. Certainly, the players are better off in a lot of ways from what it was. I think having more the fans deal with — get to see more of the great players together more often is a good thing. I think there’s more interest in the game frankly as a result of all this disruption.
“But when asked, I struggle and I have since the beginning, even before the beginning, with understanding how it’s a sustainable business model.”
Waugh and PGA’s Kerry Haigh, chief championships officer, addressed a wide assortment of questions. Here are five more things to know from their press conference.
“Imagine Lydia (Ko) and Rory (McIlroy) walking down the 18th hole together. How cool would that be?”
THE WOODLANDS, Texas – Something unusual happened early this week at the Chevron Championship. Golf’s most important leaders gathered on LPGA soil to brainstorm how to drive the women’s game forward. Attendees of the inaugural Commission at The Chevron Championship in Houston included PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan, PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh and U.S. Golf Association CEO Mike Whan.
“We convene at the (men’s) majors and the industry comes together in various forms,” said LPGA commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan. “We just felt like it was really important to bring people to an LPGA event.”
The commission was hosted jointly by Marcoux Samaan and Chevron Chairman and CEO Mike Wirth. Other attendees included executive vice president of content and executive producer for NBC Universal and Golf Channel Molly Solomon, LPGA board chair and former KPMG chair John Veihmayer and LPGA major champion and television broadcaster Dottie Pepper.
Guest panelists included Olympic gold medalist Angela Ruggiero, co-founder and CEO of Sports Innovation Lab, Danette Leighton, CEO of the Women’s Sports Foundation and Angel City Football Club CRO Jess Smith.
“Mostly our goal was to educate them,” said Marcoux Samaan. “Level-set on where we are, where we’ve been, where we’re going, where women’s sports is more broadly. And then to really think about innovative ways to think about women’s golf and the LPGA.”
Marcoux Samaan said one of the most eye-opening topics to many in the room was the impact of the LPGA’s travel schedule. Organizers shared a social media post from Golf.com’s Claire Rogers that illustrated the way players bounce around the country and the globe in head-spinning fashion.
“We don’t have as much of an ability to control our destiny as much as they do,” said Marcoux Samaan of the LPGA’s schedule compared to that of men’s leagues.
“When we build the demand and build the understanding of how good our women are, we can help dictate the schedule a little bit more.”
Marcoux Samaan believes that shared resources with the PGA Tour around technology could make an immediate impact on the women’s game, such as ShotLink for scoring and data management.
The event served as a great conversation starter for many topics, Marcoux Samaan said.
After the morning session, attendees were invited to play in the Chevron Championship Pro-Am, where Marcoux Samaan and Monahan teed it up together with Nelly Korda on the front nine at The Club at Carlton Woods.
Stacy Lewis only had two holes with Monahan on the back nine before he had to head back to Florida for family reasons. Lewis was impressed by how prepared and engaged Monahan was during their short time together.
“I think he realizes that they need to do more,” said Lewis on Wednesday. “He said that to me multiple times yesterday. … it’s just now whether we can push it forward and actually do something about it.”
Lewis put forth her desire to see the LPGA and PGA Tour come together for an event that features the top men and women playing together in full-field events with separate leaderboards and separate purses across two courses on one site.
“Imagine Lydia (Ko) and Rory (McIlroy) walking down the 18th hole together,” she said. “How cool would that be?”
Korda hinted at the same to Monahan, though she noted that the unofficial Grant Thornton Invitational later this year that features LPGA and PGA Tour players partnered together is a good step.
“They have such a big platform,” said Korda. “I feel like the best way to grow the game at the end of the day is to combine the two.
“Girls golf is growing at an incredible rate, and they see that too.”
A pandemic might have changed the way the U.S. Ryder Cup team chooses players, but success is keeping the new system intact.
ORLANDO — A pandemic might have changed the way the United States Ryder Cup team chooses players for its side, but success is keeping the new system intact.
PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh and current president John Lindert said definitively this week during the annual PGA Show that current U.S. captain Zach Johnson will have six captain’s picks as the Americans look to end a 30-year drought on foreign soil in the 44th edition of the biennial matches against Europe at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club in Rome, Italy. And it’s unlikely the system will ever revert to its pre-pandemic ways.
Prior to 2008, captains were only given two captain’s selections with the other 10 picks chosen by automatic qualification through a points system. That jumped to four captain’s picks under Paul Azinger in ’08, then was bumped to six for captain Steve Stricker in 2021 due to COVID concerns.
The results spoke volumes: Stricker led the Americans to a 19-9 win at Whistling Straits, the largest margin of victory since all of Europe joined the Ryder Cup in 1979. After two decades of being pummeled by Europe, the U.S. has now won two of the last three matches.
And Lindert and Waugh said there’s no talk about ever going back to fewer captain’s picks.
“The feedback from last time’s Ryder Cup, it was a very positive influence to have the captain be allowed to have six captain’s picks for a variety of reasons and some that I didn’t even think about,” said Lindert, who is a member of the Ryder Cup committee along with Waugh. “When there were only two, the two who got picked somewhat didn’t feel inclusive because they were the two, right?
“With six, it’s a 50-50 field so it becomes a more inclusive team and it allows the captain to actually build a team.”
Julius Mason of the PGA of America, president John Lindert and CEO Seth Waugh speak at the PGA Show in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Tim Schmitt/Golfweek)
Johnson, 46, was officially named the captain of the 2023 Ryder Cup for Team USA last February. He played in the Ryder Cup five times (8-7-2 record) and the Presidents Cup four times (10-6-1) and was an assistant captain the past two editions of the Ryder Cup. He will be the 30th captain for Team USA.
Waugh added that the addition of extra selections makes the job more enticing for future captains.
“Really, the six started because of COVID. We don’t know how many people are going to play or how long the season would be. And so, to give the captain maximum flexibility of obviously putting the best team on the field. And they loved it,” he said. “If you talk to a lot of the captains, the hardest thing they have to do is tell the 13th person that they didn’t make the team. So by having six choices, you’re making six happy calls, when you might be making a bigger number of unhappy calls because you might have to call 13 through 15 or something.
“They absolutely are all competitors who want to win. And we think this gives them the best opportunity to do that — to put the best team out of field.”
As of Jan. 26, 2023, the six automatic qualifiers for the U.S. team are Scottie Scheffler, Will Zalatoris, Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Cameron Young and Chris Kirk. It’s unknown if Dustin Johnson, currently seventh on the list, would be eligible for the event due to his ties with LIV Golf.
“We were totally happy in Florida. We did an RFP, sort of assuming we’d get paid to stay, right?”
FRISCO, Texas — If the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is a city bulging on steroids, the exurb of Frisco is an overly enthusiastic spotter egging on the beast, screaming loudly for one final rep.
In late August, city council members and officials from the city enjoyed a day most other municipality planners would dream of: the unveiling of a cutting-edge, multi-million dollar home of a national sports organization, one that will bring a dozen or more major events to town over the next decade. Celebrities stirred about the 100,000-square-feet facility, which includes practice bays, indoor putting greens, conference rooms, and a massive foyer/conference area.
Among those on hand at the event were Dallas Cowboys greats Tony Dorsett, Ed “Too Tall” Jones, Drew Pearson, Billy Joe DuPree and the team’s owner, Jerry Jones, as well as LPGA Hall of Famer Kathy Whitworth and former WNBA superstar Nancy Lieberman.
But for Frisco City Councilman Bill Woodard, while the ceremony was celebratory, it’s something he and fellow city officials have become comfortable with. Frisco — a once-sleepy prairie town that had a little more than 6,000 residents in 1990 but is now closing in on a quarter of a million — has used sports as a vehicle to distance itself from the numerous other small municipalities in the region, using unique public-private partnerships and massive incentives to lure teams. Or in this case, the PGA of America.
Although it seems to be working, it’s still a work in progress. Originally a train stop near a watering hole, Frisco’s humble beginnings have not kept its planners from thinking big. And when pro golfers are milling about town when the PGA Championship comes calling in 2027, they’ll have to fade into the background behind numerous other high-profile athletes.
The city is the home of the 12,000-seat Ford Center at the Star, a complex where the beloved Cowboys practice, and area high school football teams are often given access. The National Hockey League’s Dallas Stars practice at the Comerica Center, a 7,000-seat venue that is also the home of the G-League affiliate of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks.
There’s more. The 20,500-seat Toyota Stadium that houses FC Dallas, a member of Major League Soccer, has hosted of the Frisco Bowl since 2017, and the Division I FCS football championship game for a dozen years.
And the movement to sports really began back in 2003 when the Texas Rangers moved their Double-A affiliate into what is now called Riders Field, an interesting and much-lauded park that sits at the intersection of the Dallas North Tollway and the Sam Rayburn Tollway.
While we’re on it, let’s talk tolls and travel. Yes, Frisco is technically a bedroom community of Dallas, but the only way to get from the north part of town — where the two new PGA Frisco championship courses are housed — to, say, Reunion Tower in the heart of downtown Dallas is by taking the tollway. This is no small feat. Without traffic, it’s at least a half-hour commute and during rush hour, this can easily turn into an hour. Also, the cost? A cool $12.12 to make the round-trip.
But despite the distance from downtown, Frisco officials hardly seem worried. In fact, Woodard — who has been on the city’s council for six years after spending six years on the planning and zoning commission — was pleased but not surprised this day was finally here as he mingled with other city representatives off to the side at the opening ceremonies.
The PGA of America Frisco had its official opening Aug. 22, 2022, in Frisco, Texas. (Photo: Tim Schmitt/Golfweek)
“We’ve always believed we can act like a big city. And we can do a lot of things that other cities can’t,” he said. “And it’s that mentality that’s allowed us to go after these big projects that most people would say, ‘Well, there’s no way, a city that size can do that project.’ We find a way, and we’ve always had a very positive proactive attitude in doing that.”
How much will Frisco, others kick in?
Of course, that attitude includes giving large tax breaks to sports organizations. In fact, when city officials approved the incentives package for the PGA of America back in 2018, it was expected to top $160 million.
For the initial development of the public portion of the project,
the city of Frisco was on the hook for $13.3 million; the Frisco Community Development Corp., $13.3 million; Frisco Independent School District, $5.8 million; and the Frisco Economic Development Corp., $2.5 million.
Now that things are in motion, the city will also provide performance incentives, which could reach as high as $74 million.
And the state of Texas will allow PGA Frisco to run without hotel or sales taxes for a decade, along with some mixed beverage taxes. That is expected to save the project somewhere in the neighborhood of $62 million over the first 10 years.
Frisco’s Economic Development Corp. is also on the hook for about $1 million a year to help with the relocation from Florida, job creation and other incentives.
Those massive numbers, especially for a city that only has about 225,000 residents, were enough to woo the PGA of America, which had a number of major suitors.
In fact, Seth Waugh, the CEO of the PGA of America, said the group didn’t think it would leave its home in Palm Beach Gardens.
“We were totally happy in Florida,” he said. “We’d been there for 60 years, you know, all good. We did an RFP [request for proposal], sort of assuming we’d get paid to stay, right? That’s how it works, right? You get the state and the county to step up. They kind of did it. But we went to, you know, all the other places in the country that you would go to, so Charlotte and Atlanta and Phoenix and, you know, everywhere you can imagine. Frisco jumped out. They just jumped out.”
But why?
“Financially, they were attractive,” he said. “It’s obviously a business-friendly place. But this isn’t just a building. This is a destination where we can really get a return on our investment here in a way that we can’t elsewhere.
“And then, as you start adding it up — you’ve got a workforce that’s as good as anywhere, educated and willing. And then, the centrality was a big deal because you know we actually built something that our members are going to come see. There’s no reason to come to our old headquarters building right now. They’ve got a reason to come.”
The PGA of America Frisco had its official opening Aug. 22, 2022, in Frisco, Texas. (Photo: Tim Schmitt/Golfweek)
Omni, school district played major roles
Since the tax base alone isn’t enough to leverage to offer huge incentives, Frisco and the PGA of America found other willing partners to help finance the project.
Omni was quick to jump on the plan, and is putting the finishing touches on a project that includes 501 guest rooms and seven four-bedroom golf villas. The hotel will feature a dozen restaurants/food shops, three pools — including an adults-only rooftop infinity pool — 127,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting and event space, and a destination spa.
A 10-hole short course called The Swing and a 75,000 square foot putting course called the Dance Floor will also add to the flavor of the property.
And the school district’s involvement is key as well. Since Frisco ISD put up nearly $6 million for the project it’s getting a few key pieces in return — including use of the swing bays and simulators. Also, the new Panther Creek High School, the district’s 12th high school, recently opened its doors across the street.
Waugh joked during the opening ceremonies that Panther Creek will be one of the state’s best golf schools immediately.
“If they don’t win a state championship in like five years, either they’re not very athletic or we’re not very good teachers,” he joked.
So for now, this seems a match made in heaven — albeit a hot, muggy heaven. And while there are certainly those who have opposed the massive incentives offered up, Woodard said he and the city’s councilmembers believe those who live in Frisco are on board.
“I think overwhelmingly people are supportive of it. I mean, there’s always going to be detractors for one reason or another, but I think our residents have seen what we’ve built and what we are trying to do and the positive aspects of the job attraction and what that brings to the area,” Woodard said.
So is this finally it? Has Frisco landed its last big sports fish?
“I’m afraid to say it’s not possible to do something else because we kind of thought that with it with The Star and then the opportunity with the PGA came along and we’re like, ‘Oh we gotta make that happen,'” Woodard said.
“So I’ll just say that, you know, we’re looking for these great things, that’ll make the city that much stronger, and be a great place to live and work and to play.”
The move from Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, was certainly a bold one.
FRISCO, Texas — PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh stepped to a podium on Monday, looked back through massive windows at two sprawling golf courses behind him — one designed by architect Gil Hanse and the other by Beau Welling — then turned back toward the 500-or-so attentive guests invited to the opening of the organization’s breathtaking new home and smiled.
“Welcome to our field of dreams. Build it and they will come,” Waugh said in his typical wry style. “And in this case, it’s 500 of our closest friends in the future. It’ll be all 28,000 of our PGA professionals and millions of golfers that enjoy this, this land, and all the future players, You know, you realize that in most places that I’ve spent most of my life if we’d done this it might be a blurb in a sports page that we moved our home here.
“But we are in Frisco — in Dallas — and it’s front page news. And it’s incredible what’s happened here. You know you’re on to something if (Dallas Cowboys owner) Jerry Jones is sitting in the back row. I certainly hope this doesn’t reflect on the time that I come to AT&T (Stadium) in the future where I might sit.”
The move from Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, was certainly a bold one. PGA Frisco — which was born from an incentives package the organization couldn’t ignore — sprawls over 600 acres of former ranch land and has grown into a $550 million mixed-use project. The facility, which is just over 100,000 square feet, includes practice bays, indoor putting greens, conference rooms, and a massive foyer/conference area where Monday’s presentation took place.
Among those on hand for the ceremony were a number of Dallas Cowboys legends — Tony Dorsett, Ed “Too Tall” Jones, Drew Pearson, Billy Joe DuPree and the aforementioned owner, Jerry Jones, as well as LPGA Hall of Famer Kathy Whitworth and former WNBA superstar Nancy Lieberman.
“I’ve been very lucky to work all over the country, but I really think that this project will be the epicenter of golf here, right here in Frisco, Texas,” said PGA of America president Jim Richerson. “That will do things to promote and bring people from different backgrounds into the game, that will do things to bring people from different backgrounds in the industry of golf that will utilize golf in a way to bring people together from the business world from the sports world, and from the golf world and a very unique way that’s never been done before.”
Here’s a look at the new facility, which will see 26 high-profile events over the next dozen years, including a pair of PGA Championships (2027 and 2034), the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in both 2025 and 2031, two KitchenAid Senior PGA Championships (2023 and 2029), a pair of National Car Rental PGA Jr. League Championship (2023 and 2024), and three PGA Professional Championships in 2024, 2030 and 2033.
