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PGA of America tabs new CEO after Derek Sprague’s exit

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The PGA of America has a new CEO.

On Wednesday, the organization announced that former health insurance executive Terry Clark will take over as CEO on March 2. Derek Sprague resigned from the position on January 7 to spend more time with his family.

Clark has served as an independent director on the PGA of America’s board since 2024. He spent 20 years at United Health Group, where he rose to the role of Chief Marketing Officer. He has also served on boards for the YMCA and the Special Olympics.

“Golf is a game with a rare and enduring impact on individuals, families, and communities, and the PGA of America sits at the center of that influence,” Clark said in a statement. “Our greatest strength is our PGA of America Golf Professionals — trusted leaders in their communities who introduce, teach, and grow the game in every corner of the world. At an important moment for golf, we have the right people, the right assets, and a meaningful opportunity to lead with purpose.”

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PGA of America vice president Nathan Charnes, who will become president in November, said that Clark earned the board’s trust with his long track record of judgment and leadership.

“As an independent director, Terry has developed a first-hand understanding of our strategic priorities and the critical role PGA of America Golf Professionals play at every level of the game,” Charnes said. “He brings a proven ability to lead complex organizations with clarity and rigor, while fostering collaboration and accountability across diverse stakeholders. At a time when continuity, stability, and long-term focus are essential, the Board is confident Terry is the right leader to guide the Association forward and continue advancing the game in meaningful and sustainable ways.”

Clark’s appointment comes just months after the PGA of America faced widespread criticism for its handling of the crowds and environment at the 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black. The Bethpage crowds hurled a torrent of verbal abuse at European players, with Rory McIlroy and his wife, Erica, getting the brunt of it. The episode was compounded when PGA of America president Don Rea told the BBC that American players faced the same level of abuse during the 2023 Ryder Cup in Rome. Sprague reached out to the McIlroys to personally apologize for the week of verbal abuse after the event concluded.

The PGA of America will be under the spotlight again in May when the PGA Championship takes place at Aronimink outside of Philadelphia. The KPMG Women’s PGA Championship will be contested in June at Hazeltine.

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“It’s been a long start to the year”

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Joe Gibbs Racing driver Taylor Gray won Saturday’s Kansas Lottery 300 and secured his second career win. The O’Reilly Series driver did so by holding off Haas Factory Team driver Sheldon Creed. Later, during a post-race interview, Gray expressed his views on the same.

The JGR driver qualified among the top ten drivers on the grid and began the 200-lap race from P10. Meanwhile, Creed was faster than him in the qualifying session and secured a P4 start. Gray made steady progress in stages one and two, securing sixth-place and seventh-place finishes, respectively.

Following that, Taylor Gray secured the lead with a strategic move by his crew chief, Jason Ratcliff. The crew chief called Gray in the pits ahead of the dominant drivers Creed and Brandon Jones, giving him an advantage over his competitors with a set of fresh tires. As a result, the JGR driver took home his second career victory and told the media in the victory lane:

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“First of all, thank you to everyone at Joe Gibbs Racing,” said Gray in Victory Lane. “How about (crew chief) Jason Ratcliffe? That pit call was awesome. I knew we had a car capable of winning. I thought the No. 20 (Jones) was a little better than us before the green-flag cycle, but you just have to stay locked in.”

“Jason made a really good adjustment on the car, a really good pit call, and got us the clean air. I can’t thank everybody enough. It’s been a long start to the year, man. Not that we’re not bringing speed to the race track, but things just haven’t gone our way. So it’s nice to finally be able to close one out,” he added.

Taylor Gray crossed the finish line with a small margin of 0.718 seconds ahead of Sheldon Creed. Meanwhile, JRM driver Justin Allgaier secured third place, followed by Jesse Love in fourth place and Brent Crews in fifth place.


“Originally, I was supposed to be the 19”: When Taylor Gray opened up about his future with Joe Gibbs Racing in stock car racing

In October 2024, stock car racing driver Taylor Gray revealed that he was initially set to drive the #19 Toyota in his sophomore season with Joe Gibbs Racing. However, the NASCAR team announced that it would bring back the #54 Toyota for the last season and named Gray as the full-time driver.

The stock car racing team was impressed by the 21-year-old driver’s performance in the 2024 season. Following that, the team offered Gray a full-time contract for the 2025 season in the O’Reilly Series. Later, the JGR driver told the media:

“We were kind of talking about next year a little bit. And he was asking me about number stuff and what number I was supposed to be. And originally, I was supposed to be the 19. Like that was what I was going to do with the 19. And he looks at me and goes, “No,” he said, “you’re going to run the 54.” And so they, they drug the 54 kind of out of retirement. I like to say. And yeah, it’s pretty cool.”

Taylor Gray is currently ninth in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series with 294 points to his credit. He moved up three spots after the Kansas Speedway win. Additionally, he has secured one top-five and four top-ten finishes in ten starts so far.

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