Jacksonville, Fl — Northeast Florida’s signature event will be overseen by a new leader. Lee Smith has been named Executive Director of THE PLAYERS Championship, replacing Jared Rice.
The change was announced this morning, a month after Scottie Scheffler won the 2023 tournament.
Rice has taken a new role leading business development for the TOUR’s Championship Management portfolio of events. He served as Executive Director of THE PLAYERS since 2016.
Smith spent the last five years as General Manager at Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City, New Jersey. Since 2008, Smith has been a key member of the TPC Network, serving as Head Golf Professional at TPC Sugarloaf outside Atlanta; General Manager of TPC Summerlin in Las Vegas; and Regional Director of Operations for TPC Networks, a role he held concurrently with his position at Liberty National.
“I’m excited to transition to Ponte Vedra Beach to help build on the tremendous momentum THE PLAYERS Championship has established in recent years. We will continue to elevate the experience for our players, partners and fans, while ensuring the Northeast Florida community benefits immensely from those efforts.”, Smith said.
Jared Rice led THE PLAYERS through the 2020 cancellation due to COVID-19, as well as the 2019 transition from May to March. He’s credited with steering a $2 million gift last fall to fund the complete redesign and expansion of the Nemours Children’s Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders in Jacksonville.
“It is a bittersweet moment for me, as it has been an honor to lead THE PLAYERS Championship in our efforts to give this community and our players an event they can feel pride and ownership in,” said Rice. “I’m excited to focus my efforts on bringing new partners to our Championship Management events and building premium fan experiences in what are without doubt the premier tournaments on the PGA TOUR.”
