PGA of America CEO Pete Bevacqua is leaving the organization for a newly created position with NBC Sports Group.
NBC Sports Group today announced Bevacqua would be taking over the role of president of the organization. In this post, Bevacqua will oversee programming, marketing, digital, the NBC Sports Regional Networks, and all golf businesses under the NBC Sports umbrella. He’ll report to Mark Lazarus, chairman of NBC Broadcasting and Sports, and will begin his new role in September.
“With the expansion of NBC Sports Group over the last seven years, and our continuing investments in new and existing businesses, adding Pete to our already strong management team will help us organize for future growth,” says Lazarus. “We are thrilled to have someone with his experience and reputation join our organization.”
Bevacqua joins NBC Sports Group from the PGA of America, where he has been CEO since 2012. The PGA of America oversees the PGA Championship and Ryder Cup, among many other events, and serves more than 29,000 members. Most recently, Bevacqua led the move of the PGA Championship from August to May beginning in 2019, giving the golf major a stronger place on the golf calendar. Among his other accomplishments at the PGA of America were creating the chief membership officer position, adding and renewing several key partnerships and sponsorships, and designing and implementing a strategic plan focused on the PGA’s mission to serve its members and grow the game. Prior to the PGA of America, Bevacqua was the global head of golf at Creative Artists Agency (CAA Sports), and held other key industry positions.
“The opportunity to join NBC Sports Group and the larger company of Comcast NBCUniversal, which holds media rights to the world’s biggest events and an incredible assortment of assets, was too good to be true,” says Bevacqua. “I am also deeply grateful to the membership, leadership and staff at the PGA of America. Professionally and personally, for me and my family, these have been the best six years of my life. Leading the PGA of America and the 29,000 PGA golf professionals will always mean a great deal to me.”