Here’s Who the PGA TOUR is Targeting for its CEO Role

The PGA TOUR is targeting a few high-level executives from both the golf world and other industries for its Chief Executive Officer role.

Back in December, TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan said that it would hire a CEO who would work alongside him to help handle operations:

“We’re bringing new perspectives on to our team to help us realize the incredible opportunities ahead for our sport, including launching a search for a CEO of the PGA Tour. We can learn so much from across the world of sport and entertainment, and I’m excited to meet candidates for this important new role.”

As a result, the TOUR has been on a mission to find an ideal candidate for the role, and it has a handful of potential fits, including one from a golf brand.

Here’s who the TOUR is looking at for the CEO role:

Steve Phelps

Phelps is currently the Commissioner of NASCAR and was recently promoted to the position.

Sports Business Journal reports that the TOUR considers him an “active and attractive target,” and even though he was just recently given the new Commissioner role within NASCAR, he is on the TOUR’s radar.

Phelps took over NASCAR in 2018 and is a huge fan of the sport, so it is not known whether he would be interested in taking on the role. 

A representative for Phelps did not comment on his potential interest, the report from SBJ said.

David Abeles

This is a name some golf fans might be familiar with, as Abeles is the President and CEO of TaylorMade.

Abeles has ties to the industry, obviously, but his most important tie is with Tiger Woods, who launched Sun Day Red with Abeles’ help prior to its 2024 launch.

Abeles has spent time with Acushnet, the parent company to brands like Titleist and FootJoy, as well as Competitor Group, which puts on running, cycling, and triathlon events.

With Woods taking more responsibility within the TOUR as he is one of several Player Directors who have been directly linked to merger talks with the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), we would be prone to believe Abeles is the frontrunner for the TOUR CEO job, at least as of now.

Cover Image via Reuters