If the publics feelings about the USGA could be distilled into a building, the result would look something like the clubhouse at The Olympic Club: formal and old-fashioned. As you know, for every five people that make it to that Walker Cup level, there are 5,000 that had incredible junior careers but didnt get to that level. That is, until Whan made a few quiet phone calls to other leaders in the industry Jay Monahan (PGA Tour), Keith Pelley (European Tour), David Abeles (TaylorMade) and the man he would replace at the USGA, Mike Davis. Whan, meanwhile, is, in his own words, a salesman.He started at Procter & Gamble in 1987, rising to a position as director of marketing for its oral care department before leaving in 1994 to take over as vice president and GM of Wilson Sporting Goods. ", https://golfweek.usatoday.com/2021/02/17/usga-ceo-mike-whan-lpga-commissioner/, Mexico, Caribbean, Atlantic islands, Central America, Top 50 Classic Courses in Great Britain & Ireland, Top 50 Modern Courses in Great Britain & Ireland, Q&A: Amy Olson on that deeply emotional U.S. Women's Open run, the LPGA's pickleball craze and replacing Mike Whan, Nichols: Mike Whan is leaving the LPGA, but the mission to cultivate allies for women's golf will never leave him, Players react to shocking news of commissioner Mike Whan leaving LPGA, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. After college, he worked as a newspaper reporter, first for the (Marthas) Vineyard Gazette, later for The Philadelphia Inquirer. Ive told the USGA and everybody else, I realize that weve got to make sure the game is better a hundred years from now than it is today, he says. Davis said, yes, but that it could work. . I hear people say, Were building a course; its gonna be 8,700 yards so we can host anything. The acreage that takes, the water, the maintenance, it all adds up. His main source of income is from his primary work as a golf executive. Theres a discipline there thats healthy. Ever the relentless salesman, he says with a laugh, I still have a passion for toothpaste., MORE: Why Torrey Pines marks the end of a design era in majors. His wife Camila, formerly known as the Princess of Wales, now holds the title of queen consort. Im impressed and excited about the level of involvement the USGA has in so many different aspects of the game. If Im smart enough to let them teach me while Im trying to teach them, I could be good for them, and they could be good for me. During the interview process, who was selling who? Why dont we have a U.S.A. development program for kids? Find contact's direct phone number, email address, work history, and more. Lets pause, however. 1. With that, a 56-year-old who prefers playing golf with a speaker pumping music in the cart and who is admittedly unqualified to make on-course rulings became one of the single-most impactful decision-makers in the game. There was a bigness to the event. Building a strong development program for the youth, especially for diverse youth, changes the way golf looks in 20 years. All Rights Reserved. Fact is, though, his rise is anything but. He and his wife, Meg, already had two young boys and she was pregnant with their third child. He enjoyed a salary of $1,176,119 per year during his time at ALGA. Details To Know About Virginia Governor Candidate, Keri Lewis Biography; Net Worth, Age And Wife. Lydia Ko can still talk to New Zealand Golf and have real support in terms of guidance, coaches and everything else. Mike Whan is readying to succeed Mike Davis. He aint that. They are Austin, Wesley, and Connor. He has a deep understanding of the changing landscape, and that is critical given all the important topics that exist in golf, Francis says. And this job CEO of the USGA, a non-profit organization that serves as the governing body of golf in the United States and Mexico, generates roughly $165 million in annual revenue and oversees the mens and womens U.S. Lots of grease. His wife is Meg, but her identity is yet to be revealed to the public. He left a year later for a post at TaylorMade as vice president of marketing. Not really. Were just talking about the best of the best. It is a provocative rsum for the leader of the USGA, but Whan carries his outsider status with pride, noting that he is hardly an expert on the rules. Considering his rsum, he couldve sat around, waited for the right opportunities to come around, maybe joined some boards and made absurd money back in the business world. The executive, Mike Whan, is a changemaker, in the parlance of the corporate marketing world he came up in. RANGE SESH: Whan, a 4-handicap, gets in a few swings during the U.S. Womens Open media day at The Olympic Club. Shell get her name on that trophy before shes through. It only seems like Thompson has been around forever. Weve been to this parade before, Whan says. He enjoyed a salary of $1,176,119 per year during his time at ALGA. Under his leadership, the LPGA experienced unprecedented growth, with significant increases in the number of tournaments, purses and television coverage. There will be things we do where we have to be the final decision maker: rules or what were going to do on distance and equipment testing. They understand youre different, but you come from a place of knowledge. I remember thinking when I got off the phone, Maybe theres something here. If anything, its like global warming, Whan says. On this, no one is quite sure what to expect. So my house was full of boxes and Im very OCD as you probably know, so when I see 5,000 boxes, theres no way I can sit at my computer and type emails and take calls. That was not only new for me, but I think it was new for them because they havent been in the office a whole lot. Hannah Green couldnt hold back the emotion after clinching her first LPGA title in nearly four years. Its a nice media headline, but Ive been going into the USGA offices since mid-May. Its important. That's already happened, 'It irritates me': Justin Thomas slams proposed ball rollback in 3-minute 'rant', 'Confusing' and 'detrimental': Equipment makers sound off on rollback proposal, How would a golf-ball rollback affect competitive amateurs? Apart from working at LPGA, he has also worked for companies like Mission-Itech hockey and Taylormade-Adidas Golf Company. (Top photo by Cliff Hawkins / Getty Images). Interesting Facts on Mike Whan Mike Whan's net worth must be a fortune. What incoming USGA chief Mike Whan was thinking watching the U.S. Womens Open, Hannah Green survives 3-way playoff for emotional victory at JM Eagle LA Championship, Tour Confidential: Tony Finaus rise, Justin Thomas career, summer trips, In defeat, Jon Rahm says 1 sentence that may inspire YOU to work on Monday, 2023 Mexico Open at Vidanta: How to watch, TV schedule, streaming, tee times, Meet the new GOLF Top 100 Teachers of America, How the arrow on Tony Finaus Ping putter can benefit YOUR game | Winners bag. Mike is effective at doing that. You can disable footer widget area in theme options - footer options, Mike Whan Wife Age, Salary and Net Worth: Everything About LPGA Commissioner, benoftheweek (TikToker) Wiki, Bio, Age, Height, Weight, Dating, Career, Net Worth, Facts, Lisa Kudrows net worth, fact, career, awards, biography & life story, Gabriela Bee Bio-Wiki, Age, Net Worth, Height, Songs, Eh Bee, and Family, Don Gummer Bio, Age, Art, Education, Net Worth, Wife, Children, Meryl Streep and Sculptures ZIO Wiki, Where Is Tommy Steele Today? You didnt get it done, but now youll have the juice to make it happen at the national championships. And theyve got to learn mine. U.S. Open 2021: Can new USGA boss Mike Whan help solve golfs biggest challenges. It doesnt comeas a shock me that in my 12 years I think I saw maybe 11 weeks of a U.S. player being No. Whan is active on Twitter with the handle @USGAMike . First, though, he wanted some time away from it all. And thats part of the beauty of any U.S. Open.. Im talking about a statewide, then regional, then a national team, and working with our state and regional partners to help these kids. The February announcement of him as the USGA boss came with an accompanying characterization of him as an outsider, as a wild card, as a reformer. How spectacular. Are you all set?, And I said, Well, Ive got six more than I need . When discussing change, Whan likes to present a conventional thought and roll his eyes at it at the same time addressing and dismissing, all at once. Seated face to face in a room at the Olympic Club's City Clubhouse, about 10 miles north of the U.S. Women's Open venue, two of the game's power brokers candidly riffed on childhood jobs . He joined the TaylorMade Golf Company as vice president of marketing in 1995 and later served as vice president of sales and marketing and executive vice president/general manager for Taylormade-adidas Golf. He was a youth-sports quarterback who idolized an older, grittier neighborhood kid who became a mentor: Sean Payton, who played two seasons in the NFL and later coached the New Orleans Saints to a Super Bowl title. Thompson, who made a bogey on the last to finish a shot out of a playoff, was a central figure in Whans 11 years as commissioner. Hes wearing an Oakmont CC golf shirt, one he picked up during the U.S. https://t.co/7Ma0FkVp46, Michael Whan (@LPGACommish) January 6, 2021. Maybe disappear, spend the year at the family lake house in Georgia. "Their reaction of 'Please do this, this should be good . Am I motivational to that team or currently a pain? (Mike Ehrmann / Getty). Everybody evolves not only to make the game better, but to make sure its great for the next 100 years. Why does Ford spend $50 million in NASCAR? Your 2021 U.S. Womens Open champion. Where are you on the distance debate? We know its coming. last year, Whan was the commissioner of the L.P . The fact that those decisions will be made by a self-described misfit? We just have to make sure that the out of bounds stakes arent so far out that we wake up without the sport., The fast-talking Whan is quick to admit that there are plenty of areas within the USGA in which he is no expert. Then there was Ganne, Jersey girl, making a putt on the last to take the low-am medal by a shot at age 17. As a former vice president of marketing at TaylorMade and vice president and general manager at the Wilson Sporting Goods Company, Whan brings instant credibility and can relate to equipment manufacturers and tour leaders from first-hand experience. Mike has 4 jobs listed on their profile. He has written a variety of books about golf and other subjects, the most recent of which is The Second Life of Tiger Woods. Mike started working with LPGA as a commissioner in 2009 and is working to date. His upbringing in golf was spent sweating. The PGA Championship announced the same. I think three things. Its a big business! Whan was at the end of a long week and about to start another one. I remember showing it to my wife, who wouldnt have had any interest in New Jersey at that time either. He keeps moving, not breaking stride. I kept telling my wife I promise Ill help tonight, but Ive got to get to the office to get some stuff done. "With the stuff that went down at 9/11, I have a hard time getting involved with them. This club's forward-thinking tactics offer clues, How much driving distance golfers lose as they age, according to new data, Rory McIlroy says he'd use rolled-back ball even if the PGA Tour doesn't, The most urgent job in golf? I have a tournament next week, so well take it from here, Lexi Thompson said, wrapping up her week with a brief press session. Asked to summarize his biggest takeaway from the week, Whan said, Venues matter. It was because I walked the range so that I could hear from my members. It would be a feeder for virtually everything we do, right? More than anything though, hell strive to be golfs champion. Lets make sure we can keep this game inside the stadiums that weve built, but at the same time, as soon as we draw whatever line in the sand that were gonna draw, I want it to be clear, and I want 3,000 engineers still waking up the next day and saying, OK, I think I can find another innovative way to make this better, right up to the line. If those engineers wake up and go, Well, games over, then I havent made the game better for the next 100 years. He was saying, Onward. Mike Whan is a married man. Instead, Whan, at 44 years old, was a relative surprise pick. Im still trying to understand why bifurcation scares everybody as much as it does. Mike Whan with an LPGA-USGA Girls Golf member (Getty Images/LPGA). Then the LPGA commissioner, Mike Whan speaks during the LPGA announcement of new brand positioning encouraging girls to #DriveOn in 2019. Theres a certain mythology to Whan, one that was polished smooth over his decade as commissioner of the LPGA Tour. I know the industry enough to know that Mike Whan was probably a bit of a misfit, relative to what the USGA typically has, Whan says with his mouth full. GOLF.com and GOLF Magazine are published by EB GOLF MEDIA LLC, a division of 8AM GOLF. Whan says that, during his tenure, the USGA wont be alone in a lot of its actions. He keeps going , Weve got to find the right medium. One significant challenge is that mens purses arent slowing down any time soon, including majors. Old ghosts like Joe Dey. It sounds pretty definitive that youre on board for a rollback at the pro level. Apart from working at LPGA, he has also worked for companies like Mission-Itech hockey and Taylormade-Adidas Golf Company. That could prove useful because, for whatever reason, tour players these days love to criticize the USGA. When I started talking to (USGA President) Stu (Francis) about this, really the key for me I think to be successful in this job is not only to think big and long-term about golf, which is easy for me, but also making sure that were doing it with others, not just for others. Thats going to be hanging on some plaque in my office, he said, so that every time I turn the lights off I remember to ask, am I doing enough to make sure that young girls all around the world, when Im going to bed, are putting somewhere saying this one is for the U.S. Womens Open.. employee . If youre not, theyll talk to somebody else. But I will make sure we have a team good enough to choose. The times are changing. Theyd interviewed a number of promising candidates, Francis said, but Whan was the shining light, the man who checked every box and could come in ready to move at 100 mph. You know me, Id rather be talking about that more than they used to because I think we should. Before that, he spent nearly 23 years as senior writer for Sports Illustrated. Its not difficult to get Whan to talk about himself. Its great when you have plans , Whan says. After a successful tenure at the LPGA, Mike Whan will become the eighth lead executive in the USGA's history. Im proud of that, but at the same time Ive got to find the right balance. What it wont do is worry too much about the traditionalists out there complaining about the influx. @USGAMike would be Mike Whan, the CEO of the USGA. You cant be the commissioner of a sport, you cant be the CEO of the USGA and think youre gonna win a popularity contest. Of course, the Ping lawsuit from 1987 still hovers over this debate. He thought about Sierra Brooks, the promising Symetra Tour rookie with grand plans for the LPGA. Obviously, the success were having now with a different face of the game and the future, weve got to pour fuel on the fire and were in a great position to do that. Seven. What do you wake up thinking about these days? Contact. Maybe disappear, spend the . The USGA announced on Wednesday that current LPGA commissioner Mike Whan will succeed Mike Davis as its new CEO, becoming the eighth top executive in . Making sure young girls view this game as theirs just as much as their brothers. Just as he recruited the rest of the industry to commit to growing girls golf on a larger scale, Whan sees the USGAs role in capitalizing on the games recent participation boom as part of an industry-wide effort. 1 for the first time in a long time. In 2016, he was given the Donald Ross Award by the American Society of Golf Course Architects, the organizations highest honor. Walking in, Mike Whan looks around and says, yep, thisll work. The final round of the U.S. Womens Open was painful, unexpected and spectacular, because thats what golf is, played at its highest levels, and on its most beautiful playing fields. Among Whans first public acts as USGA CEO was attending a press conference announcing Oakmont and Merion as long-term host venues to a number of championships, including multiple U.S. By: Michael Bamberger June 7, 2021. Im curious about USGA CEO perks. Nothing on the menu over eight bucks. Shes had that since her junior days. Thats probably why when Whan walked into USGA headquarters for his first executive leadership meeting earlier this summer, he didnt realize he was the only one there wearing shorts. Aw, no, no, I cant. So there was no reason to fake it.. From the moment you said you were leaving the LPGA Tour there was speculation you would land at the USGA, even though you were an unconventional candidate for the CEO job. This is how he operates. Whan acknowledged that the distance problem wont be solved in a team meeting in a board room at USGA headquarters. My assistant [at the LPGA] always found it strange that Tuesday when I was at a tournament was blocked in my schedule. Im not sure Id say that today, but I feel comfortable saying that will be the case again soon. The organization, do I have the right team? Whan? That is, until Whan made a few quiet phone calls to other leaders in the industry - Jay Monahan (PGA Tour), Keith Pelley (European Tour), David Abeles (TaylorMade) and the man he would replace at the USGA, Mike Davis. Youve got to invest in them.. The reality is that were going to be a partner in virtually everything we do. New USGA CEO Mike Whan chats with a guest at the Kolbe Conversations "Let's Talk Golf" held Tuesday at the Patterson Club in Fairfield. The distance debate is a 100-year-old problem, Whan said, and hes impressed that the USGA and R&A have committed to making changes that will be good for the game for the next 100 years. To hear Whan tell it, the odds, as he saw them, were overwhelmingly stacked against him. He wasnt. Carpeting that dates back to Willie Stargell. Mike Whan was on his way to the gas station recently, wearing the protective gloves his wife had given him, when the plight of several players came to mind. But why now? The USGA really does feel a responsibility to do the right thing for the game for the next hundred years. Then I got into the office on the first day and one of the first questions I was asked was, Hi Mike, are you all set on white polos?, I said to em, I go, Uh, I have seven of them., And they go, Yes, right, is that OK? That group is really what I consider my friends. David Fay and his bow tie. This water-conservation whiz's is among them, Pros playing two different balls?! He was wrong. He started caddying at a local country club in Naperville, Ill., out in Chicagos western suburbs and ended up taking a job on the grounds crew. Amateur. What I would tell you is, I dont think the world of golf comes to a halt with some sort of bifurcation. Unofficially, hes the first to ever eat at The Apollo Cafe. Those are decisions, he says, for individuals far more qualified than him. . . The only ones who dont have that are the U.S. players. The pandemic summoned millions of first-time golfers to courses across the country, causing the sport to experience its greatest period of growth since Tiger Woods changed the game in 1997. I really want to listen to other people and understand their perspective. To continue to raise that bar. He is a former commissioner of the American Ladies Golf Association and has made a pretty [] As one executive committee member put it on a recent call, Shame on us if we dont get this done, Francis noted. They dont come in swinging. I know Im very different. Particularly in the case of the ongoing distance debate, which as the USGA moves to the solution phase of its Distance Insights Report, there continues to be strong feelings on both sides of the aisle. His foot was on the gas. The first thing were going to invest in is to make sure were the best championships in the world, he said. I dont. At the top of that list: invest in the best. Since April, hes been enveloped in lengthy talks with everyone from Monahan and Waugh, to Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley and R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers, to manufacturers like Callaway and TaylorMade. Ive said this before about Lexi, but youre not going to have days like that unless youre good enough to be there in the first place, Whan said. He flew home on Friday because thats what he always has done at U.S. What you saw is what Mike Whan saw. By the end of the interview, he assumed their interest would be nil. I know that because I lived through it at the LPGA without a similar nest egg. I cant say definitively, but I think your memory of my perspective is true. Thompsons back-nine 41, when all she needed was 39 to win, it was painful. Im not sure what decisions will come out of that, but Im certainly not gonna let fear be the driver in making those decisions. Eight years later, in 2010, the job of LPGA commissioner came open when Carolyn Bivens resigned amid heavy tumult. Tour Confidential: U.S. Womens Open, Jon Rahm and Covid-19, Brooks-Bryson, Inside Lexi Thompsons collapse: How her U.S. Womens Open lead evaporated, It was just electric: 17-year-old Megha Ganne had an epic U.S. Womens Open (and even got to skip calculus), Jon Rahm just broke the PGA Tour single-season money record. At Olympic, 30 percent of the players I didnt know at all. For 11 years before joining the U.S.G.A. Just as lasting is the close connection he forged with the players, each of whom was famously given his cell number. I knew, if theyre going to hire me, then theyre going to have to hire me. Whan began his career in 1987 at the Procter & Gamble Company, where he rose to director of marketing for oral care before leaving to pursue his passion for sports. I went from having zero white polos to having seven, Whan says. He says, Im not here to make the USGA a different entity. In some ways, thats true. There will be no shortage of bridge-building. What is Mike Whan Nationality ? Mike started his career as a professional golfer in 1988. It's complicated, 7 things we learned (and didn't learn) from the ball-rollback explainer. I was built with a marketing bone thats out of whack, so I wont know how to tamp that down. The suggestion of an overhauled identity for the association causes Whan to lean back in his chair and slow things down a touch. Whan graduated from Miami University of Ohio and began his corporate career at Proctor & Gamble. The LPGA made it official in January, announcing Whans departure. And it needs clarity. Rory McIlroy, a measured and respected voice in the game, recently called the report a huge waste of time and money.. 2023 United States Golf Association. The association last went outside the family for an executive director hire four decades ago when Harry Easterly left a VP post at a financial securities firm to take the job in 1980. Late last month, Whan and his wife moved to a home on a golf course called Hamilton Farm, about five miles from his new office. Im not waiting to find out. They did enough homework on me to know I will be culturally different. There is nothing worse on TV than watching a golfer and caddie do arithmetic. That technology will be what the average fan wants. If were talking about the mens professional game, Id be surprised if people dont believe that some degree of reining in wouldnt be good for the game long-term. What seemed like such an obvious next step to so many for the outgoing LPGA commissioner wasnt a slam-dunk to the man himself. . He came to The Athletic from MLive Media Group, where he covered Michigan and Michigan State basketball. I question if we need change for the average player. Whans sports business career began at Wilson Sporting Goods as a vice president and general manager in the golf division. I said this to the board, and Ill say it to you: Every time Ive hit the send button in the past 12 years of my life, 30 percent of the people that received it hate me when they read it. I havent been asked that question, but Ive read that. There are people at the USGA, hopefully, much smarter than I am on venue selection.