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Heading into this week’s PGA Show—the annual gathering of 30,000 golf-industry professionals in Orlando—the PGA of America is dealing with yet another major executive departure.
The PGA of America, which is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit organization based in Texas, is an entity separate from the PGA Tour, and runs major events including the Ryder Cup, the men’s and women’s PGA Championships, and PGA Show.
Three recent key moves highlight a significant leadership transition happening.
Ryan Ogle, director of the 2026 PGA Championship, announced Friday on LinkedIn that he is stepping away from the PGA of America to accept a new opportunity to “finally settle my family in a permanent home.” He has not yet publicly announced where he’ll be landing. Ogle had been working just outside Philadelphia ahead of the PGA Championship at Aronimik Golf Club, to be played May 14–17. Previously, he had been the director for the 2024 edition in Louisville and the 2021 edition on Kiawah Island in South Carolina.
A couple weeks earlier, in a surprise move, PGA of America CEO Derek Sprague announced Jan. 7 that he was stepping down to return to New York and support his family as his mother and mother‑in‑law require increased care. Sprague hadn’t been on the job for an entire year before announcing his resignation. At the time, the PGA of America said it expected to name a new CEO in the coming weeks.
And at the end of 2025, PGA of America chief commercial and philanthropy officer Jeff Price left the organization to become CEO of the Heisman Trophy Trust, a nonprofit whose stated goal is “to grow the legacy and preserve the integrity of the Heisman Memorial Trophy.” Price had been instrumental in the financial success of the 2025 Ryder Cup, which brought in record revenue. The PGA of America hired a search firm to help find Price’s replacement, which has not yet been announced.
The PGA of America is making its best efforts to ensure that the leadership shakeups will not affect upcoming events.
Following Ogle’s resignation, the PGA of America wrote in a statement to the Philadelphia Business Journal, “Championship planning remains fully on track, supported by an experienced leadership team and we’ll share more about next steps at the appropriate time.”
Amid the churn of top brass, the PGA of America this year is looking to rebound from a challenging 2025, highlighted by controversy off the course at the Ryder Cup.
Rowdy U.S. fans at Bethpage Black Golf Course in New York turned ugly against the dominating European team, with the crowd behavior being widely criticized by players and golf pundits. Sprague was among the PGA of America leaders to take some of the heat. Sprague and PGA of America president Don Rea Jr. both issued apologies at different points.
Meanwhile, the PGA Tour is not even six months into the tenure of new CEO Brian Rolapp, who officially began his role in August after leaving the NFL, where he was chief media and business officer.
Rolapp has taken over the duties previously held by PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan, who will exit the league after his contract expires at the end of 2026. Rolapp has already been busy shaping the PGA Tour’s future, creating a new competition committee led by Tiger Woods, reinstating Brooks Koepka from LIV Golf, and exploring major changes to the PGA Tour’s tournament schedule.
There has even been speculation in the golf industry that the PGA Tour could be interested in trying to acquire the PGA of America’s ownership of the Ryder Cup’s U.S. operations, which would be a major move in the business of golf.
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