New Truist Championship executive director aims to further elevate golf in Charlotte
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Adam Sperling has been named the new executive director for the Truist Championship. His role starts Feb. 3 and he'll oversee the PGA Tour event starting in 2026, when it returns to Quail Hollow Club in south Charlotte.
Why it matters: Sperling played a major role in one of Charlotte's most successful golf moments — hosting the Presidents Cup in 2022. He works to help Charlotte shine as a major golf destination.
Catch up quick: It's a new era for top-tier golf in Charlotte, starting with a new name. Truist, a Charlotte-based bank, became the longstanding PGA Tour event's title sponsor in August, committing to a deal through 2031 after Wells Fargo announced it would not renew its title sponsorship.
- The Truist Championship, which remains one of the Tour's signature events, will be played in Philadelphia this spring as Charlotte prepares to host the PGA Championship for a second time.
- Joie Chitwood will continue to serve as executive director for the upcoming Truist Championship in Philadelphia. Chitwood will remain in that role through the end of the 2025 tournament.
By the numbers: The 2022 Presidents Cup produced $131.5 million in economic impact, per organizers.
Zoom in: Sperling and his wife Erin, their three daughters Claire, Cate and Nora, along with their golden retriever Jackson, have called Charlotte home since 2018. The upstate New York native credits Charlotte with welcoming him and his family to the point that they wanted to stay after the Presidents Cup.
- After the Presidents Cup, Sperling found a home at Quail Hollow Club as the director of professional golf, helping cement the club's relationship with ESPN BET (mobile sports betting became legal in North Carolina last March).
- Sperling expects sports betting to continue to have a presence at future Quail Hollow Club events, he tells Axios.
- He also helped negotiate Quail Hollow Club's partnership with the Tour and develop a product strategy for the upcoming PGA Championship.
What they're saying: "Adam brings an incredible passion for the game, a proven track record of organizing exceptional events, and a commitment to creating memorable experiences for our players, families, and community," Quail Hollow Club president Johnny Harris said in a statement.
What's next: "That's what we're all going to find out," Sperling tells Axios.
The bottom line: Springtime golf at Quail Hollow is a staple of Charlotte's social calendar. It's the place to see and be seen and watch some of the best golfers in the world.
- The event has evolved over the last few decades, but if you ask Sperling, "there is no finish line" for what's possible out there.