Can New CEOs at LIV Golf, PGA of America Heal Golf’s Divide?

ORLANDO — Men’s professional golf is set to remain divided in 2025 as LIV Golf continues to upend the sport, but discussions are happening between new leaders in the game.

PGA of America CEO Derek Sprague, who is in his first week on the job, says he will “absolutely” be speaking with Scott O’Neil, the newly named CEO of LIV Golf. 

“He’s already reached out to me, in email,” Sprague told Front Office Sports at the 2025 PGA Show in Orlando. “We’re going to try to get together. We have so much new leadership in the golf ecosystem today. So, looking to meet with all of them, including Scott from LIV Golf.”

This week, Sprague formally replaced Seth Waugh at the PGA of America, one of golf’s governing bodies that is separate from the PGA Tour but oversees one men’s major, the PGA Championship, and the U.S. operations of the Ryder Cup. Last week, O’Neil took over the reins from Greg Norman at LIV. There are also relatively new chief executives at the DP World Tour (European Tour) and the R&A, while the LPGA is searching for a new commissioner.

The PGA Tour continues to negotiate with LIV’s financial backers at the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia. But unlike the PGA Tour, LIV Golfers are not banned from competing in PGA of America–operated events. In 2023, Brooks Koepka, a LIV player, won the PGA Championship.

For Sprague, conversations with LIV’s new CEO will be accompanied by talks with other leaders in golf, like top executives at Augusta National, the USGA, and R&A.

“Working with the other major championships to make sure that on the spectator side we can build unity there,” Sprague says of his goal. “It’s been a little divisive in the last couple years. And as recreational golf is booming, the fans have been disenchanted with all the talk about money in the professional game.”

Pay for Play?

Another controversial issue involving more money in men’s golf is the PGA of America’s decision to begin paying players on the U.S. Ryder Cup team a $200,000 stipend, in addition to an increase in money for charity.

Since 1999, American Ryder Cup players have received $200,000 to allocate to a charity of their choice. This year, that will increase to $300,000, and they will also receive an additional $200,000 that they keep or donate.

“Would I like them to play for just the flag, so to speak? Absolutely,” Sprague says. “But, at the end of the day, they are giving up a week. They are coming and playing this great event.” 

The Ryder Cup is a moneymaking mission. NBC pays the PGA of America $55 million for the U.S. media rights to each edition of the biennial team event, as part of a $440 million deal running through the 2031 edition. Meanwhile, the cheapest tickets for this September’s Ryder Cup in New York started at $750—and sold out in no time.

“When you take it over a 25-year period, to go from $200,000 to $500,000, I didn’t make a lot of it,” Sprague says of the stipend increase.

Charities could still be the big winners of the changes—U.S. team captain Keegan Bradley has already said he will donate all of his $200,000. “Hopefully some other players will follow suit,” Sprague says.