David Kohler and his family have a net worth of $16 billion. The owner of Whistling Straits has deep sports ties, as well as ambitions. He told FOS that hosting another Ryder Cup is among them.
Ryder Cup Comeback? Billionaire Owner Eyes Whistling Straits Return
Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
Whistling Straits Golf Course was the site of the most recent U.S. Ryder Cup victory in 2021, and it has also hosted three PGA Championships in 2015, 2010, and 2004.
The billionaire owner of the famous Wisconsin links on the shores of Lake Michigan told Front Office Sports that bringing a future edition of the Ryder Cup back is a top priority, while hosting another PGA Championship appears less likely, mostly due to the annual event now taking place in May, instead of August, after a permanent date switch in 2019.
The first open Ryder Cup date on U.S. soil is 2041, while the PGA Championship has an opening in 2032. Whistling Straits will host the 2028 U.S. Amateur Championship, in addition to several other future smaller USGA events.
Kohler Co. chairman and CEO David Kohler, whose company owns Whistling Straits, caught up with FOS ahead of this week’s PGA Works Collegiate Championship being played at Whistling Straits for the first time. Formerly known as the National Minority Collegiate Championship, this week’s field features 180 players (including 27 teams and 45 individuals) representing historically Black colleges and universities as well as institutions that serve other people of color who will compete across five divisions in the 54-hole, stroke-play event.
Kohler’s family is estimated to have a net worth of $16 billion, according to Forbes, from its sprawling bathroom fixtures business. In addition to running the company, Kohler, 58, also serves on the board of directors for the Green Bay Packers. He is a Duke alum.
Some of Kohler’s remarks have been edited for brevity and clarity.
Front Office Sports: Is Whistling Straits in the market for more major events?
David Kohler: Absolutely. We’re in conversations with the PGA of America and USGA, as well as other organizations, regarding unique events that we might create. We have great championship venues, including Blackwolf Run, which hosted two U.S. Women’s Opens in 2012 and 1998. They were purpose-built for majors and significant events—things like not having any housing anywhere on the course, the infrastructure that’s been built around them, and the reputation for delivering great championships in a state that turns up. We have a lot of assets at our disposal, and hospitality resources we’ve built here in Kohler that can provide leading-edge accommodations. We have all the elements to host, so we want to continue
to be selective and do special events.
FOS: Are you targeting any specific years for future PGA Championships?
DK: No, I wouldn’t say any specific years. Since they moved that date from August, that’s less optimal, given our growing season here and where we are from a timing standpoint. But I think definitely the Ryder Cup in the future. We think we deserve, and have proved the right, to be considered for that again. The 2021 event at Whistling Straits will go down as one of the greatest Ryder Cups in history—the venue, the drama, the U.S. win. I think we earned the right to be considered in the future; we certainly would love to see that back.
Read the full interview with David Kohler, which touches on more events for Whistling Straits, his role with the Packers, and his alma mater, Duke, here.
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We’re in a golden age for sports media. Live games are the most-watched programs on TV. Women’s sports are exploding. Giant streamers are joining the party. And sports documentaries have never been hotter properties.
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Join us in New York City this September for Tuned In, where we’ll sit down with leaders in sports media—from athletes and on-air talent to media moguls and league executives—to discuss where we are heading in the world of sports media.
“I maintain I did not act inappropriately at any point before, during, or after a professional bodywork treatment session, nor have I ever been told I am unwelcome at any massage therapy provider,” Tucker said in a statement to OutKick in February. “These claims are simply not true.”
At the NFL Scouting Combine in February, Ravens GM Eric DeCosta spoke to media, calling the allegations “serious” and “concerning.”
Tucker missed eight of his thirty field goal attempts, and two extra-point attempts last regular season. His career mark, of 89.1% of field goals made, is an NFL record.
Tucker’s release was foreshadowed when the Ravens drafted kicker Tyler Loop out of Arizona in the sixth round of the NFL Draft on April 26.
The Ravens have deemed Tucker’s release to be a “football decision,” in a statement from DeCosta, who thanked Tucker for his 13 seasons with the team.
It took nearly two decades, but the WNBA will welcome another expansion team.
The Golden State Valkyries will make their preseason debut Tuesday at the Chase Center in San Francisco against the Los Angeles Sparks. The Valkyries are the league’s 13th team and the first WNBA expansion franchise since the Atlanta Dream joined in 2008.
The Valkyries are owned by the Golden State group, which announced a rebrand from GSW Sports on Monday, led by Joe Lacob. The group, which also owns the Chase Center, agreed to pay a $50 million expansion fee for the WNBA franchise in 2023.
Leading up to Tuesday’s preseason opener, the Valkyries have already hit several milestones, including becoming the first WNBA team on record to pass 10,000 season tickets. The team also has a 31,800-square-foot practice facility in Oakland. (State-of-the-art facilities have become one of the key factors in the WNBA’s criteria for selecting expansion markets.)
Golden State and the Chase Center also unveiled a look at the Valkyries’ new court Monday.
Sharing Is Caring
While the Valkyries’ season is set to begin, the Warriors’ season will continue after advancing to the second round of the NBA playoffs following a win over the Rockets on Sunday. This means the Warriors, who share the Chase Center with the Valkyries, will play at least two more games in their home arena.
Based on the Warriors’ second-round schedule, there will not be any conflict with the Valkyries’ regular-season home games, even if the Warriors play a maximum of three home games in their series against the Timberwolves. Minnesota and Golden State have a rare four-day break between Game 5 on May 14 and Game 6 on May 18—and the Valkyries’ regular-season opener falls on May 16.
There is a chance of schedule conflicts if the Warriors advance to the conference finals, though the Valkyries go on an extended road trip after hosting the Mystics on May 21, which leaves the Chase Center free for the Warriors for the rest of the month.
The Valkyries did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Despite their short-term aspirations, the team, on paper, looks like it will be near the bottom of the standings this year. The Valkyries have just one former All-Star on their roster: Tiffany Hayes, whose lone All-Star appearance came in 2017.
But Nakase, who was an assistant with the Las Vegas Aces under Becky Hammon, isn’t fazed. “I don’t think you should ever make assumptions in sports,” Nakase told the San Francisco Chronicle. “Go ahead and doubt us.”
LOUD AND CLEAR
Succession Plan
Scott Wachter-Imagn Images
“I’m no longer a coach; I’m El Jefe.”
—Gregg Popovich said at a press conference Monday in which the Spurs introduced Mitch Johnson as their new head coach. Popovich, who had served as San Antonio’s head coach since 1996, the longest tenure in North American sports, stepped down Friday. He suffered a stroke in November, and Johnson had since served as interim head coach.
Popovich will remain as team president, which explains the “El Jefe” portion of his statement, as it is Spanish for “the boss.” The 76-year-old holds the NBA head coaching record for career wins (1,422) and led the Spurs to five championships.
In 2023, Popovich signed a five-year deal with the Spurs, reportedly worth $80 million. It was the largest total deal given to an NBA head coach before it was surpassed by Erik Spoelstra, who signed an eight-year, $120 million deal with the Heat in January 2024.
The annual value of Popovich’s deal ($16 million) was still more than Spoelstra’s ($15 million), but it was surpassed by Warriors coach Steve Kerr after he signed a two-year extension worth $17.5 million annually in February 2024.
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