Praise rolls in for retiring USGA head David Fay; Rice in the wings?

December 24 -- After 21 years as chief executive, David Fay will step down from his USGA post on December 31. Fay, 60, announced Friday that he will retire from the organization he’s been with for 32 years.

Mike Butz, USGA deputy executive director since 1995, will serve as interim acting executive director while the association searches nationally for a new chief. He will take the reins on Jan. 1, 2011.

With Fay’s retirement, one can’t help but wonder what role former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice may play in the new regime. The USGA named Rice to one of the five spots on the USGA’s 2012 nominating committee, a position that Golfweek’s James Achenbach noted would could put Rice “on the fast track for future USGS leadership positions.”

In the meantime, golf watchers praised Fay for his role as head of the USGA. “David Fay will be missed by the United States Golf Association, probably more than it realizes,” wrote Gary Van Sickle, senior writer with Sports Illustrated.

Van Sickle noted that, before Fay assumed office, the public perceived USGA officials as “stuffy blue jacket-wearers with dandruff” -- an image that stuck around until Fay dispelled it.

“Fay wasn't like that at all during his 21-year run as the leader,” Van Sickle said. “He was personable and passionate....”

To Jay Mottola, executive director of the Metropolitan Golf Association, Fay was the consummate professional. "There's no question that he's been a very effective leader for the USGA," Mottola told the New Jersey Star-Ledger. "He does it in a quiet, low-key, effective way. His contributions have been very, very significant." 

Fay, who began his golf career as a caddie, has been a vocal backer of opening up the game to greater numbers of golfers and enhancing the diversity of those who play and watch golf. In his retirement statement, Fay took particular pride in his role in bringing golf to the Olympics and the strong focus on golf’s intrinsic values.

The “renewed commitment to our core responsibilities...have defined the Association for 100 years,” Fay said. Such responsibilities include the staging of women’s and men’s national championships and the writing and interpretation of rules and regulations, he said.

Indeed, Fay’s expertise in the Rules of Golf made him the go-to guy for analyses during network broadcasts of the USGA’s national championships.

Fay’s most lasting accomplishment, however, may be his successful support for staging the U.S. Open at Bethpage State Park on Long Island in 2002. The course was the first public track to host the event.

"[The USGA’s] commitment to bring the U.S. Open to Bethpage was a milestone event," Mottola said. "It was really David who really put everything on the line, to bring it to an untested course -- a truly public course -- for the first time. It took a lot of guts and foresight. That will be one of things that he's remembered for."

His 60th birthday was a special benchmark for Fay. “The year 2010 was memorable, personally and professionally,” he said. “Personally, I turned 60 two months ago. When one is a cancer survivor, milestones like this take on extra importance, and sharpen perspective.”

For more about Fay’s illustrious career, visit USGA.org.