Whan comes to the USGA after spending 11 years at the LPGAGETTY IMAGES
The USGA today named outgoing LPGA Commissioner Mike Whan as its new CEO, replacing Mike Davis. Whan, who last month announced that he would leave the LPGA in '21, will start his new job with the USGA this summer. Whan said that he did not have the USGA CEO job when he announced his departure for the LPGA in early January and said he will continue to assist the LPGA in finding his replacement. “I had [a] conversation or two, but didn’t have the job offer,” Whan said. “I will be going from A to B sooner. The USGA is a great opportunity for me personally.” Whan comes to the USGA after spending 11 years at the LPGA, where he built what was a financially struggling property into a leading women’s sports organization. Whan was on the USGA’s radar before he announced his resignation last month. “We’ve been thinking about this for a while,” said USGA President Stu Francis. “Mike started as a leading candidate and ran wire to wire easily. It is how do we position ourselves at the USGA to maintain the first-class championships and take advantage of the boom in golf and grow the game.” Davis joined the USGA in '90 and became the organization’s first CEO in '16. He will leave later this year to create a new venture called Fazio & Davis Golf Design.
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING: Whan's move to the USGA was widely praised on social media this morning, with NBC Sports' Will Gray noting, "Tough to recall a union on this scale in golf that feels more like a win-win.” TSN golf reporter Bob Weeks: “If they give him some room to work, he’ll be fabulous.” Media personality Jeff Eisenband: “I’ve never met a person who had something negative to say about Mike Whan. He created a reputation of being loyal to the players as @LPGACommish.” Golf Channel’s Ron Sirak: "In 11 years at the helm of LPGA the Tour experienced historic growth in virtually every aspect of the business.”
