The PGA Tour’s commercial arm, PGA Tour Enterprises, is reportedly looking to invest and take over the US Ryder Cup team’s organisation.
Reports surfaced this past weekend of PGA Tour Enterprises’ Ryder Cup interest during The Masters in Augusta, which saw Rory McIlroy finally win the green jacket to secure a career Grand Slam.
The US Ryder Cup team is currently run by PGA of America, which is a 30,000-member player organisation that looks to uphold and grow golf across the US, as well as administer the US aspect of the Ryder Cup and other competitions, including the PGA Championship.
The interest from PGA Tour Enterprises revolves around The PGA Tour’s lack of control over the four golf majors – all governed by separate organisations – and a growing need to secure more investment in the sport, both domestically and internationally.
PGA Tour Enterprises was subsequently established to address these key issues two years ago and has already received a $1.5bn investment from Strategic Sports Group (SSG), as well as a potential investment by the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) as part of the ongoing plans to merge the PGA Tour with LIV Golf.
While PGA Tour officials declined to comment on the Ryder Cup interest during The Masters, multiple sources cited by The Guardian believe that a deal is “neither inevitable nor imminent” and negotiations would be “far from straightforward”.
The state of US golf play
Any potential negotiations between PGA Tour Enterprises and PGA of America will be dependent on whether newly-appointed PGA of America CEO Derek Sprague will be open to discussions.
Another key facet of any negotiations breaking ground will be highly dependent on when PGA Tour Enterprises announces a new CEO after PGA Tour Chief Jay Monahan stated last December that the organisation is actively seeking new leadership.
Sprague was viewed as an appointment that would continue to uphold PGA of America’s traditional ‘player-first’ values, a change from the more corporate and commercial interest his predecessor Seth Waugh held.
This may prove difficult for any potential bid by PGA Tour Enterprises, as not only would this be a clash of interests, but also it will not happen anytime soon before a new PGA Tour Enterprises CEO is announced.
The PGA of America appears committed to becoming more player-first centric after the organisation announced last year that it would be paying US Ryder Cup team members for the first time ever, with $300,000 contributing towards charity and $200,000 for players.
Upon his appointment in December 2024, Sprague commented: “It is my task, alongside the officers and board, to elevate the profession of our more than 30,000 PGA of America golf professionals while ensuring the health of the association and its relationships within our industry.”
