Derek Sprague is leaving after one year as CEO at the PGA of America, wishing to return to upstate New York to help support his mother and mother-in-law, who are requiring more care.
Sprague took over in January 2025, the first club professional in 20 years to be CEO and the first former PGA president appointed to the role. The PGA of America has some 30,000 professionals, and it runs the Ryder Cup in America and the PGA Championship for men, women and seniors.
He said he would stay on in an advisory role to ensure a smooth transition when the PGA of America finds his successor. Sprague had informed the PGA of America board in early December of his need to get home to Malone, New York.
The PGA of America said it expects to announce a new CEO in the coming weeks.
“At my daughter’s wedding last month in upstate New York, it became clear that my family needs me nearby to assist with the care of my mother and mother-in-law,” Sprague said in a statement. “Focusing on family has become my priority, and the best decision for me is to step away from my role as CEO and return home to be with them.”
Sprague, who served as PGA president from 2014-16, was selected as CEO to replace Seth Waugh, the former Deutsche Bank Americas CEO who had been lured out of retirement in 2018.
Waugh had been grooming Craig Kessler, the PGA's chief operating officer, as a potential replacement until the PGA board opted for one of its members. Kessler was appointed LPGA commissioner last summer.
Sprague was the PGA of America executive who reached out to Rory McIlroy to apologize for the verbal abuse the Northern Irishman endured at Bethpage Black during the Ryder Cup. McIlroy's wife, Erica, previously worked at the PGA of America and McIlroy said Sprague “couldn't have been more gracious” in what he described as a “lovely letter.”
He also was a staunch opponent during his year as CEO of the USGA and R&A's plan to roll back the distance of golf balls for elite competition in 2028 and everyone else in 2030.
Sprague grew up in Malone and ran every aspect of Malone Golf Club, serving as general manager and director of golf. After his stint as PGA president, he worked at Liberty National in New Jersey when it hosted the 2017 Presidents Cup, and then was appointed general manager of the TPC Sawgrass before being selected CEO of the PGA of America.
He was inducted into the PGA of America Hall of Fame in 2019.
Sprague stepping down extends the turnover in golf's executive leadership. Brian Rolapp took over in August as CEO of the PGA Tour Enterprises; Kessler joined the LPGA in July; and Mark Darbon is just over a year into his role as CEO of the R&A.
AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
FILE -Derek Sprague, CEO of the PGA of America, speaks during a news conference at the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club,, May 13, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt York, File)
Congregants and leaders vowed to rebuild a historic Mississippi synagogue that was heavily damaged by fire after an individual was taken into custody for what authorities said Sunday was an act of arson.
The fire ripped through the Beth Israel Congregation in Jackson shortly after 3 a.m. on Saturday, authorities said. No congregants were injured in the blaze.
Photos showed the charred remains of an administrative office and synagogue library, where several Torahs were destroyed or damaged.
Jackson Mayor John Horhn confirmed that a person was taken into custody following an investigation that also included the FBI and the Joint Terrorism Task Force.
“Acts of antisemitism, racism, and religious hatred are attacks on Jackson as a whole and will be treated as acts of terror against residents’ safety and freedom to worship,” Horhn said in a statement.
He did not provide the name of the suspect or the charges that the person is facing. A spokesperson for the Jackson FBI said they are "working with law enforcement partners on this investigation.”
The synagogue, the largest in Mississippi and the only one in Jackson, was the site of a Ku Klux Klan bombing in 1967 — a response to the congregation’s role in civil rights activities, according to the Institute of Southern Jewish Life, which also houses its office in the building.
“That history reminds us that attacks on houses of worship, whatever their cause, strike at the heart of our shared moral life,” said CJ Rhodes, a prominent Black Baptist pastor in Jackson in a Facebook post.
"This wasn’t random vandalism — it was a deliberate, targeted attack on the Jewish community,” Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of The Anti-Defamation League, said in a statement.
“That it has been attacked again, amid a surge of antisemitic incidents across the US, is a stark reminder: antisemitic violence is escalating, and it demands total condemnation and swift action from everyone,” Greenblatt said.
The congregation is still assessing the damage and received outreach from other houses of worship, said Michele Schipper, CEO of the Institute of Southern Jewish Life and past president of the congregation. The synagogue will continue its regular worship programs and services for Shabbat, the weekly Jewish Sabbath, likely inside of one of the local churches that reached out.
“We are devastated but ready to rebuild, and we are so appreciative of the outreach from the community,” said Schipper.
One Torah that survived the Holocaust was behind glass not damaged in the fire, Schipper said. Five Torahs inside the sanctuary are being assessed for smoke damage. Two Torahs inside the library, where the most severe damage was done, were destroyed, according to a synagogue representative.
The floors, walls and ceiling of the sanctuary were covered in soot, and the synagogue will have to replace upholstery and carpeting.
“A lot of times we hear things happening throughout the country in other parts, and we feel like this wouldn’t happen in our part," said chief fire investigator Charles Felton “A lot of people are in disbelief that this would happen here in Jackson, Mississippi.”
FILE - This Nov. 2, 2018 photo shows an armed Hinds County Sheriff's deputy outside of the Beth Israel Congregation synagogue in Jackson, Miss. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, file)
