New PGA CEO Waugh Goes Corporate On The Distance Issue, For Now
/
Rex Hoggard got the first chat with new PGA CEO Seth Waugh for GolfChannel.com.
On the distance issue:
SW: I have an opinion as a golfer, but not as a CEO yet. I pride myself on coming in without preconceived notions and hearing all the sides and I haven’t done that yet. I don’t think you can do this without the sign-on of these 29,000 [members].
I think golf should be more fun instead of less fun. I don’t think we need to make the game harder.
I look forward to getting in the middle of the conversation, but it’s premature to give an opinion because it’s not informed without hearing all the sides of the argument.
Hmmmm...cryptic on his views as a golfer.
Waugh endorsed the PGA of America team and vision in place from his predecessor Pete Bevacqua:
SW: [Bevacqua] has done a great job. The association is in the best shape, probably ever. The Ryder Cup is bigger than it’s ever been. We’re going to do a TV contract that is bigger than it’s ever been in the past. The status of the brand, the level that he created by being at the table, has never been higher.
The cool thing for me is how do we optimize that? There are two ways to take things over, to redo and clean up and the other is it’s on a roll and you want to continue to reach higher highs, and that’s where we are.
Waugh also appeared on Golf Central from the NBC affiliate WPTV where the busy newsroom nonsense didn't cause him to flinch once. Something tells me Waugh's going to make having an in-house studio priority #1 in the next PGA of America headquarters!
Here is the full interview with Ryan Burr, who asks at the 4-minute mark about the possibility of a PGA Tour merger and says there is "no fire" where the smoke is coming from.
Commissioner Jay Monahan welcomed Waugh with this Instagram post:
