ASGCA DONALD ROSS AWARD If I could have chosen, I would have worked in baseball,” says David Fay. That’s not what you might expect to hear from someone who worked for the United States Golf Association (USGA) for 32 years, 21 as executive director. “I always liked golf, it just wasn’t my first passion,” he explains. When asked what it means to be named as the recipient of the 2025 ASGCA Donald Ross Award, he immediately compares the legendary golf course designer’s career to that of Major League Baseball pitcher Cy Young, highlighting that both men were prolific, successful and respected. Those adjectives are just as easily applied to Fay himself. His long and distinguished career was with the USGA, but he is best known for his role in bringing the U.S. Open to golf courses that are accessible to the public – including Bethpage Black (2002 and 2009), Torrey Pines (2008), Chambers Bay (2015) and Erin Hills (2017). During his tenure, the USGA expanded its philanthropic activities, providing, through its ‘For the Good of the Game’ grants program, more than $65 million since 1997 to more than 1,000 programs aimed at making golf more affordable and accessible. Together, these programs have served more than 2.2 million participants. “Nearly 75 percent of golf courses in the U.S. are public facilities,” explains ASGCA President Brian Costello. “David Fay made sure to shine a bright light on the accessibility and enjoyment of these courses, while maintaining the integrity of the In his time as USGA executive director, David Fay made it his mission to bring major championships to public golf courses. Following the announcement that he will receive the 2025 ASGCA Donald Ross award, Richard Humphreys spoke with him to learn more about his career A champion of public golf " “The idea was simple: why not host a U.S. Open on a course anyone could play on without paying a fortune?” 18
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