PGA of America Hires New Chief Commercial Officer


Jeff Price, former president and publisher of Sporting News, who also served as president of SI Digital and head of sponsorships for MasterCard, has been named the Chief Commercial Officer of the PGA of America.

Price will begin work August 1. He will be based at PGA headquarters in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., and report directly to PGA CEO Pete Bevacqua.

Price will oversee the primary commercial areas of the organization, including media, sponsorship, merchandising, marketing/communications and international.

While at the helm of Sporting News from 2010 to '13, Price drove its digital transformation. His efforts culminated in Sporting News' joint venture with London' Perform PLC, to form Sporting News Media, the largest digital sports video company in the United States last year. Price's move to the PGA of America will not be his first foray in the golf industry, as he re-launched Golf.com during his time at Sports Illustrated and oversaw golf sponsorships at MasterCard.

Along with Price joining the PGA, Chief Marketing Officer Kevin Ring will broaden the scope of his responsibilities, adding the areas of sponsorships, sales and partnership management.

"Jeff is an incredible talent with a level of proven experience that will enable the PGA of America to effectively integrate all aspects of our business, to drive greater value to our members and grow the game," said Bevacqua. "Jeff is a visionary whose collaborative approach across a wide range of multi-media platforms will enable the PGA to maximize our many business opportunities. We are thrilled that he is joining the PGA team and excited that Kevin Ring will take on new ventures that will further strengthen the PGA."

Price, who serves on the National Executive Board of the National Sports Marketing Network, said: "It is a tremendous honor to join the PGA of America as its Chief Commercial Officer. The opportunity to help lead the commercial enterprise serving 27,000 dedicated PGA professionals and to help grow a game I love is truly a dream come true.

"The role and responsibilities as designed by Pete Bevacqua and the Board will allow me to leverage more than two decades of experience driving top-line and bottom-line sports marketing results while simultaneously tapping into my passion as a forward-leaning sports media leader. I'm truly excited to join a team focused on building continued growth and innovation."

An avid golfer, Price received his M.S. from the Mark H. McCormack Department of Sports Management at the University of Massachusetts and earned his B.A. at Bates College.

The above report is courtesy of the PGA of America. For more information, visit www.pga.com.