Jeff Price: PGA of America’s Chief Commercial & Philanthropy Officer on Partnership Economics, Fan Growth, and AI’s Next Wave in Sports

Interviewed by Linnéa Jungnelius

Jeff Price is redefining how a legacy sport scales modern revenue: global brand platforms, streaming-first distribution, and fan experiences that reach beyond the venue.

From the sidelines of college football to the executive suites of global sports, Jeff Price’s journey has been one of persistence, reinvention, and impact. He began by breaking into the NBA after 30 rejections, went on to master brand partnerships at Gatorade, helped transform MasterCard into an emotional brand through sports, and digitized legacy media during his years at Sports Illustrated.

Today, as Chief Commercial Officer at the PGA of America, he leads a billion-dollar commercial and media portfolio spanning the Ryder Cup, PGA Championship, and more. Along the way, he has consistently delivered landmark deals, like bringing the PGA Championship to ESPN+ streaming, and created partnerships with renewal rates north of 80 percent.

His career, defined by innovating at the intersection of tradition and transformation, has produced a blueprint anchored in partnerships, empowerment, insight, innovation, and focus, offering transferable lessons not just for sports executives, but anyone leading through disruption. In this conversation with Linnéa Jungnelius, Jeff shares insights on reinvention, partnership, and performance from transforming iconic brands and driving growth across sport.

Empowerment as the Operating System

One of Price’s most candid admissions is that it took him too long to understand that empowering teams is different from instructing them. He’s since made empowerment the heart of his leadership philosophy.

As a leader, it took me too long to understand that empowering teams and leading teams is different than instructing teams. Instructing and feeling like you have to be a part of every decision is not great leadership.

The Playbook:

Hire people who thrive in a “we, not me” environment.
Empower by giving clarity on mission and guardrails, not micromanaging.
Define leadership success by teams grown and successors created.

Consumer Insight as the North Star

From Gatorade to MasterCard to the PGA, Price emphasizes that everything begins with the consumer. At the PGA, that means deeply understanding golfers who engage both on-course and off-course, and making sure the invitation to the sport matches the experience delivered.

We need to understand what the things are that are going to motivate a younger audience to want to be a part of the world in which we live and work and play. It’s critically important.

The Playbook:

Start with insight → then brand → then media.
Design programs that capture dual-habit consumers, both on- and off-course.
Match the invitation with the experience to build trust and loyalty.

Experiences Beyond the Venue

Price has pushed the PGA to think bigger than the golf course. The Ryder Cup now extends into New York City with activations like Ryder Cup Live at Rockefeller Center, alongside new cultural moments like Breakfast at Bethpage.

We recognized for the Ryder [Cup] to continue that ascension to the premier global sports landscape, we had to move beyond the golf course… To be a global sports property, we had to be bigger than just the venue.

The Playbook:

Treat every tentpole as a festival platform, not just a competition.
Build city-scale activations that extend brand reach and cultural relevance.
Package multi-surface experiences: premium tickets, at-home kits, celebrity tie-ins.

Focus as Strategy

Price is a believer in clarity and focus, using simple frameworks like SWOT to align teams and prepare them to move at speed. He also sees AI as the next wave: not replacing professionals, but enhancing their ability to deliver value.

The coaches that understand how AI can better assist the relationship that they build is something that we’re spending a lot of time thinking about… It never displaces or replaces the PGA of America professional, it enhances his or her ability.

The Playbook:

Use SWOT → clarity → focus as a shared decision language.
Publish the stop list alongside the growth plan.
Experiment with AI as a tool to augment talent, not replace it.

Jeff Price’s journey underscores that commercial success in sports, or any PE-backed business, comes down to the same fundamentals: build true partnerships, empower teams, ground every move in consumer insight, innovate beyond the obvious, and stay ruthlessly focused.

For investors and CEOs under pressure to deliver value creation, these lessons translate directly: treat talent and culture as the growth engine, align commercial strategy to brand integrity, and design experiences that scale trust.

Transferable Lessons for Leaders

Make talent strategy a 100-day priority.
Hire for transformational drive, courage, and magnetism, not just pedigree.
Reward grit over glamour: execution and resilience win.
Walk away from revenue that pulls the brand off-course.
Partner by asking: “What problem of yours can we solve together?”

Iconic brand experiences that scale. Tune in to Episode 26.

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Lightning round with Jeff Price

	Purpose is...	a mission. It's about delivering something that's larger than any individual goal or accomplishment.
	Leadership is...	inspiring and finding a way to create focus, passion, and collaboration that creates great results and teamwork.
	Success is...	believing that the work that you're doing is meaningful and hopefully on a personal, professional, and socio level, you've created something that has deep meaning.
	Brilliant leaders are...	able to see the moment, but also look in and have a vision for where the future can and should go.
	Brilliant commercial leaders are...	curious, conversational, and they listen.
	I perform at my best when...	I'm leading a team that cares deeply about the work they're doing.