For nearly 30 years, Kerry Haigh has been in charge of PGA of America championships as the association’s chief championships officer. In that role, he is responsible for the overall operation, administration and golf course set-up for the PGA Championship, Ryder Cup, Senior PGA Championship and PGA Grand Slam of Golf.
For his contributions to the game, Haigh recently was named the recipient of the GCSAA 2027 Outstanding Contribution Award.
The Outstanding Contribution Award is given to an individual who has made a contribution to the association and the game of golf that are “significant in substance and duration.”
“I’m honored and extremely excited,” Haigh said in a news release. “I’m biased, but I really admire what all superintendents do. They all seem to reflect the same great traits and are extremely knowledgeable and personable. The way they continue to move the industry forward and work with technology and data that has taken such great strides in recent years is incredible.”
Since August 1989, Haigh has overseen PGA of America championships. The son of a teacher, Haigh was introduced to the game by his father, Gordon. Growing up in a coal-mining town, he tagged along with his dad every weekend at Wheatley Golf Club in his native Doncaster in Yorkshire, England.
Haigh played golf for the University of Leeds, where he also had an internship at Gleneagles Hotel in Scotland, where he learned how to manage the operations side of the golf business.
After graduation, Haigh worked for the PGA in Great Britain from 1981 to 1984, organizing events throughout Europe. In 1984, he was hired by the LPGA as a tournament official. By 1998, he was hired by Kemper Sports as the tournament director for the 1989 PGA Championship held at Kemper Lakes in Chicago.
Following the 1989 PGA Championship, he was hired by The PGA of America to oversee the tournament department of The PGA of America. He was named managing director in 2004. He is responsible for the set-up for PGA championship events and is considered one of the leading experts on the rules of the game.
Haigh also is an advocate for the work of superintendents, says Mark Kuhns, CGCS, the host superintendent for the 2009 PGA Championship at Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, New Jersey.
“He takes care of us to the end,” Kuhns said. “He’s a champion for superintendents.”
Haigh will receive the award during the closing session of next year’s GCSAA Conference and Trade Show in New Orleans.
Previous winners include: Bert McCarty, Ph.D. — 2026; Wendy Gelernter, Ph.D. and Larry Stowell, Ph.D. — 2025; Tenia Workman — 2024; Fred Yelverton, Ph.D. — 2023; and Jack Fry, Ph.D. — 2022.
