Few people have done more to showcase public golf than David Fay. During his 21-year tenure as the executive director of the USGA, Fay changed the landscape of the U.S. Open by bringing the national championship to public courses around the country and showcasing the game’s accessibility and popularity as a game for all to enjoy.
His contributions made him a worthy recipient of the 2025 ASGCA Donald Ross Award. The organization’s highest honor recognizes an individual who has made a significant contribution to the game of golf and the profession of golf course architecture. Fay will receive the Donald Ross Award during the American Society of Golf Course Architects Annual Meeting in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, on Oct. 27.
“Nearly 75 percent of golf courses in the U.S. are public facilities,” ASGCA President Brian Costello said. “David Fay made sure to shine a bright light on the accessibility and enjoyment of these courses, while maintaining the integrity of the national championship as the ultimate test of golf.”
Under Fay’s leadership, the USGA conducted the U.S. Open at numerous courses that are open to the public: Pinehurst No. 2, Pebble Beach, Torrey Pines South, Chambers Bay, Erin Hills and most notably, Bethpage Black.
The linchpin of Fay’s legacy was his ability to transform his vision of holding the national championship at the municipally owned Bethpage State Park in New York into a successful 2002 U.S. Open, won by Tiger Woods. Known as the “People’s Open,” this championship catapulted Bethpage Black into a perennial host of golf’s biggest events, including the 2025 Ryder Cup later this year.
In building or shaping Bethpage Black and other public U.S. Open courses over the years, Fay had help from many ASGCA past presidents, Rees Jones, Robert Trent Jones Jr., Bruce Charlton and Mike Hurdzan; as well as ASGCA members Bill Coore and Dana Fry.
A native of New York and graduate of Colgate University, Fay’s nearly four-decade career in golf began at the Metropolitan Golf Association. He spent 32 years with the USGA in several roles, including tournament relations manager, director of program management and assistant executive director. In 1989 he was named executive director, a position he held until his retirement in 2010. To casual golf fans, Fay is also recognized for his years spent providing rules commentary and analysis during television broadcast of USGA events.
