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Lee Smith has been appointed Vice-President of TPC Sawgrass while continuing as Executive Director of The Players Championship. His new role aims to enhance the synergy between the tournament and the venue.
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Lee Smith said it's all about riding the current momentum at two of the PGA Tour's primary brands, its marquee tournament and the venue on which it's played, and taking it to yet another level.
The PGA Tour announced last week that Smith, the executive director of The Players Championship since 2018, will now be the Vice-President of the TPC Sawgrass and The Players, combining the leadership of both course and event.
Sound like his workload just increased significantly? Smith, a career PGA professional who came to the Tour after running Liberty National and the Northern Trust, a FedEx Cup Playoff event, is ready to dig in.
Executive Director of The Players Championship Lee Smith thanked President and CEO of Feeding Northeast Florida Susan King for their great business relationship before The Players Championship donated $1 million from the proceeds of the 2025 tournaments to Feeding Northeast Florida for their Nutrition Security wing. in Jacksonville, Fla. Wednesday July 9, 2025. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union]
"While we have significant momentum going at both places, I think the opportunity is to really add gasoline to that momentum and provide a unified vision, as opposed to two separate business units that just communicate," Smith said. "It's to take advantage of my experience in the club world and the event world and bring those two together."
Lee Smith is the Executive Director of The Players Championship and has been appointed Vice-President of TPC Sawgrass, overseeing both the tournament and the venue.
Smith's appointment is significant as it aims to leverage the momentum of both the tournament and the venue to elevate their status in the PGA Tour.
Lee Smith has extensive experience as a PGA professional, having previously managed Liberty National and the Northern Trust, a FedEx Cup Playoff event.
Recently, The Players Championship donated $1 million from the proceeds of the 2025 tournaments to Feeding Northeast Florida for their Nutrition Security wing.

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Smith will lead the overall strategy, planning and execution for The Players and have full oversight of TPC Sawgrass operations. He will coordinate competition, broadcast, ticketing, security, finance, marketing, partnerships and communications for the two entities, oversee capital projects, infrastructure investment, and property development at the TPC Sawgrass and align tournament needs with year‑round club operations.
TPC general manager **Matt Borocz**and director of golf Brian Riddle will remain in their positions. The Tour will hire a Players tournament director who will report to Smith and handle day-to-day tournament operations, while Smith will focus on overall strategy, alignment and performance.
"I think this role provides the opportunity to put two flagship assets of the PGA Tour together under one vision," Smith said. "It really leverages the momentum and the growth that's already been created to get bigger and better."
Atlantic Beach resident and PGA Tour rookie Chandler Blanchet is playing his second PGA Tour signature event this week at the Truist Championship.
Chandler Blanchet of Atlantic Beach hits a shot onto the eighth green of the TPC San Antonio on April 2 during the first round of the Valero Texas Open.
Blanchet, a Gainesville native who played college golf at West Florida, qualified through the Tour's Aon Swing 5 points list, which offers spots in signature events for the top-five players in FedEx Cup points from the previous five PGA Tour events, in this case the Puerto Rico Open, Valspar Championship, Texas Children's Houston Open, Valero Texas Open and Zurich Classic.
Blanchet earned enough points even though he's missed the cut at Houston, San Antonio and New Orleans. He was the runner-up to Ricky Castillo in the Puerto Rico Open and tied for 18th in the Valspar Championship.
Blanchet previously qualified for the RBC Heritage through the Aon Swing Five and tied for 33rd at Harbour Town. He's 74th on the FedEx Cup points list this week.
The dates for the 2027 Players Championship have been set for March 11-14 at the Players Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass. Tournament week will begin on March 8. Tickets will go on sale in the fall. ... Cameron Young became only the third multiple winner on the PGA Tour this season with his victory in the Cadillac Championship last week, to go with his Players Championship title. Matt Fitzpatrick (three) and Chris Gotterup (two) are the other multiple winners. ... There have been only three first-time winners this season, Jacob Bridgeman at the Genesis Invitational, Castillo at the Puerto Rico Open and Alex Fitzpatrick with his brother Matt at the Zurich Classic. There were seven first-time winners at this point in the schedule last year.
Event: Truist Championship, May 7-10, Quail Hollow Club, Charlotte, N.C.
Purse: $20 million ($3.6 million and 700 FedEx Cup points to the winner).
Defending champion: Sepp Straka.
TV: Golf Channel (May 7-8, 2-6 p.m.; May 9-10, 1-3 p.m.); CBS (May 9-10, 3-6 p.m.).
Area players: Ludvig Aberg, Chandler Blanchet, Bud Cauley, Harris English, Brian Harman, Andrew Novak, J.T. Poston.
Event: ONeflight Myrtle Beach Classic, May 7-10, Dunes Golf and Beach Club, Myrtle Beach, S.C.
Purse: $4 million ($720,000 and 300 FedEx Cup points to the winner).
Defending champion: Ryan Fox.
TV: Golf Channel (May 7-8, 10 a.m.-12 p.m.; May 9-10, 3-5 p.m.).
Area players: Adrien Dumont de Chassart, Lanto Griffin, Evan Harmeling, Billy Horschel, Patton Kizzire, Ben Kohles, Paul Peterson, Sam Ryder, Jimmy Stanger, Davis Thompson, Alejandro Tosti, Karl Vilips, Danny Walker.
Event: LIV Golf Virginia, May 7-10, Trump National Golf Club, Sterling, Va.
Purse: $30 million ($4 million individual winner, $3 million team winner).
Defending champion: Joaquin Niemann.
TV: Fox Sports App (May 7, 1-6 p.m.); FOX (May 8, 2-5 p.m.; May 10, 12-5 p.m.); FOX Business (May 9, 1-6 p.m.).
Event: Mizuho Americas Open, May 7-10, Mountain Ridge Country Club, West Caldwell, M.J.
Purse: $3.25 million ($487,500 to the winner).
Defending champion: Jeeno Thitikul.
Area players: Chella Choi, Auston Kim.
TV: Golf Channel (May 7-8, 12-2 p.m.; May 9, 5-7:30 p.m.); CBS (May 10, 1-3 p.m.).
Event: Insperity Invitational, May 8-10, The Woodlands Country Club, The Woodlands, Texas.
Purse: $3 million ($450,000 to the winner).
Defending champion: Stewart Cink.
Area players: David Duval, Fred Funk, Vijay Singh.
TV: Golf Channel (May 8, 7-9 p.m.; May 9, 8:30-10:30 p.m.; May 10, 5-7 p.m.).
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Players Championship director Lee Smith looking forward to double duty