LOUISVILLE, Ky. — We are just months away from a busy May that will hold both the 150th Kentucky Derby and the PGA Championship.
Tuesday night, both Churchill Downs Inc. CEO Bill Carstanjen and PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh shared a stage as keynote speakers of the GLI Annual Meeting.
The sold out 106th PGA Championship is once again returning to Valhalla, the major championship venue in the Bluegrass -- the first time since 2014.
"We're proud to have had a history here, we don't want the history to end; we want Valhalla to be a part of our road going forward," Waugh said. "We want to be the best partner anyone's ever had and we want to get invited back."
But will the championship ever return to Louisville? The PGA no longer owns Valhalla and PGA Championships are already scheduled through 2030. And Louisville? Not on the list.
"This is the first time we've ever been here in May so we haven't been able to share the stage with Churchill Downs, but excited to do that," Waugh said.
But could the 150th Kentucky Derby break the all-time crowd number? The attendance record at the Kentucky Derby was set in 2015 with 170,500 fans when American Pharaoh won.
"We've already seen in our preliminary metrics that Derby 150 is going to take it to another level," Carstanjen said. "So what's going to happen for 150? I'm not exactly sure what the final numbers will look like, but it's going to be really spectacular."
While the numbers are still to be determined when it comes to the Kentucky Derby, Waugh said the PGA is estimating 200,000 fans, $200 million in economic impact, and $5 million for charity.
"I hope we break that this year, given it is a record year in every way," Waugh said. "Louisville shows up...and they do every time."
The 150th Kentucky Derby is May 4, followed shortly by the PGA Championship which kicks off May 13.
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