Tom Carpus named chair of the PGA Rules Committee

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. – Tom Carpus of Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, whose leadership in professional education was celebrated both within the Philadelphia PGA Section and at the national level, has been named chair of the PGA Rules Committee.

The PGA Head Professional at Kennett Square (Pennsylvania) Country Club, Carpus is a 55-year-old native of Lackawanna, New York, a suburb of Buffalo. He moved to the Philadelphia area at age 10, when he began to foster his love of golf.

As PGA Rules chair, Carpus will serve a two-year term. He will head 38 PGA Members on a Rules Committee that oversees and implements the Rules of Golf at the Association's premier spectator championships – the PGA Championship, KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship, KPMG Women's PGA Championship and the Ryder Cup – along with all PGA Member and Junior Championships.

In addition, the PGA of America sends its committee members to help officiate at numerous other championships, including the Masters, U.S. Open, Open Championship, The Players Championship, the U.S. Women's Open, GCSAA Championship and the U.S. Senior Open.

A 1983 graduate of Drexel University, Carpus competed on the school's golf team and turned professional in 1985. He was elected to PGA Membership in 1988, and became a PGA Master Professional in 2004. He served from 1985-91 as a PGA Assistant Professional at Rolling Green Golf Club in Springfield, Pennsylvania. Carpus was a member of the Philadelphia PGA Section staff (1991-92) as Tournament Director, supervising more than 100 Section competitions.

From 1993-98, he was the PGA Head Professional at Greate Bay Country Club in Somers Point, New Jersey, where he hosted the LPGA ShopRite Classic. In 1998, Carpus became PGA Head Professional at Kennett Square Country Club.

Since 1996, Carpus has been an instructor/coordinator at more than 30 PGA/USGA Rules Workshops and has presented education programs throughout the country. Since 1993, he has served the Philadelphia PGA Section in various positions including a two-year term as president (2004-2005).

Carpus was named the 2002 Philadelphia PGA Golf Professional of the Year; is a two-time recipient (2000-01) of the Section's Horton Smith Award; the 2011 Section Bill Strausbaugh Award; and the 2007 national Horton Smith Award. In 2007, he inducted into the Drexel University Athletic Hall of Fame.

Carpus, who succeeds Ron Hickman of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, as Rules chair, was appointed to the PGA Rules Committee in 1995. He has worked 21 PGA Championships, four Ryder Cups, seven Masters, two Open Championships; four KitchenAid Senior PGA Championships; one Players Championship and multiple national PGA Member championships.

As PGA Rules chair, Carpus is responsible for representing the PGA at various golf championships as well as managing and attending many of its own championships. The PGA Rules Committee also is responsible for helping jointly conduct the annual USGA/PGA Rules Workshops.