Jacksonville native Jacob Davidson has been named event director of The Players Championship, taking on day-to-day planning and execution of the PGA Tour event at TPC Sawgrass.
Davidson played golf at Trinity Christian and the University of North Florida, where he competed from the 2006-07 season through 2010-11. He first attended The Players as a 10-year-old in 1998 and later volunteered at the tournament while he was a UNF student-athlete.
He joins The Players after about a decade with Callaway Golf, where he held senior roles in product strategy, athlete relations, tour operations and sports marketing. Most recently, he served as vice president of product strategy and product marketing for the company’s equipment portfolio. Davidson also has been an assistant golf coach at UNF and Mercer University.
Davidson is the first Jacksonville native to hold a senior management role at The Players, according to Lee Smith, vice president of TPC Sawgrass and The Players. Smith previously served as executive director and moved into his expanded role in May.
“The opportunity to return home and help lead an event that has meant so much to me throughout my life is incredibly special,” Davidson said in a statement.
The Players Championship is scheduled for March 9-14 at the Players Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach. The tournament said several ticket and hospitality options have already sold out or are nearing capacity.
