The PGA of America turned to a very familiar face for its next Chief Executive Officer, naming past president Derek Sprague to the position on Friday. He will be the first to have served as both president and CEO.

In succeeding Seth Waugh, who was the PGA’s CEO from 2018 to June of this year, Sprague enters the job in arguably the most tumultuous time in the history of golf leadership, with the PGA Tour and LIV Golf searching for CEOs amid talks of a working relationship, and the DP World Tour naming its own fresh leader.

Beyond overseeing the work of 30,000 accredited golf professionals in America, the PGA of America runs the PGA Championship, Women’s PGA Championship, Senior PGA Championship and Ryder Cup. Of immediate priority for Sprague is the 2025 Ryder Cup, to be played at New York’s Bethpage Black, and the controversies that have arisen over ticket prices and the more recent news that American players will be paid in the event for the first time.

Sprague, who has been the general manager at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., since 2018, served as the 39th president of the PGA from 2014-2016. In its announcement of his hiring, the PGA of America noted during that time, “The association was instrumental in growing the game through player development and youth programs, such as PGA Jr. League and Drive, Chip & Putt. In addition, he co-chaired the highly successful Ryder Cup Task Force, which created a blueprint for success in the event.”

“Throughout my career I have made it a priority to bring people together around a common cause. At a time of profound change in golf, there is also great opportunity for our association and our membership,” Sprague said in the release.

Current PGA of America President Don Rea Jr. said of Sprague in the release: “To have a leader at the helm who knows every detail of the association and what it means to be a PGA of America member will enable our association to succeed far into the future. We are also grateful to [PGA Chief Championships Officer] Kerry Haigh for his excellent leadership during our period of transition.”

This article was originally published on golfdigest.com