The first time Mike Whan walked into USGA headquarters wearing shorts and a T-shirt, he could tell employees immediately began to text about the new CEO’s casual attire. It’s a new era in Liberty Corner, New Jersey, though the full culture-changing impact of Whan at the helm undoubtedly will be slowed with so many still working from home.
Whan, the longest-tenured LPGA commissioner who rebuilt the tour from near ashes when he took on the job in 2010 and passed the ultimate stress test by seeing the tour through a global pandemic, now takes on a new set of challenges as head of golf’s governing body.
Longtime USGA CEO Mike Davis retired from the role in June. Golfweek caught up with Whan, who officially started July 1, when he was a mere seven days into the new gig to talk about where the game might be headed under his leadership.