The PGA of America was wary of doing business with Donald Trump before announcing a deal last year to bring two of its major championships to golf courses owned by the billionaire businessman.
On April 30, 2014, the day before a scheduled news conference to disclose two PGA majors for Trump courses, a story appeared on golf website GeoffShackelford.com outlining the deal: the 2017 Senior PGA to Trump National Washington and the 2022 PGA to Trump National Bedminster in New Jersey.
According to a source who spoke with Golfweek on the condition of anonymity, Derek Sprague, then the PGA’s vice president who since has been promoted to president, was incensed about the news leak and demanded answers about how the information had been disclosed.