NAPLES, Fla. – This week’s CME Tour Championship champion will take home a check for $4 million, but that player could be the second winner of the week behind new commissioner Craig Kessler – and the league he now oversees.
Kessler has only been on the job for four months, but has already shown that he understands the areas where the LPGA needs to grow – and is willing and able to take the necessary steps to push the Tour in that direction. The LPGA has already announced a new tournament in partnership with Golf Saudi. They announced the move of the Chevron Championship to improve the event experience. And Tuesday, the Tour announced a groundbreaking new partnership with FM, Golf Channel and Trackman to improve and elevate television broadcasting in 2026. FM’s investment will enable every round of every tournament to be broadcast live in the United States. The broadcasts will include 50% more cameras, drone footage and enhanced shot tracking data.
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When Kessler was named commissioner, he outlined “four pillars of success” to help the LPGA grow. The second was “visibility”. Tuesday’s agreement made this pillar stronger than ever, and players understand how important it is to the present and future of their Tour.
“The television partnership is really essential” Minjee Lee, three-time major winner said Tuesday. “Essentially, we’re entertainers, so if we don’t have TV times, live TV times, or the time slots are when a lot of people are watching TV, it’s hard to really build the Tour the way we want to build it. … I think having more exposure as players, that’s all for us too. It’s really cool to see how Craig has – with his short time on the Tour, how he’s trying to elevate our Tour, and see how we let’s go.”
The former COO of Topgolf and the PGA has a new mission: to pave the way for the LPGA, where, he’ll be the first to tell you, the stars are already aligned.
Lee watches his brother, Min Woo, play on the PGA Tour and DP World Tour. She has seen how different the two television products are and hopes this partnership will begin to put the women’s golf product on an equal footing with the men’s.
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“I think they have a good time on TV, that’s why I can just turn it on and it’s live,” Lee said of the PGA Tour and DP World Tour broadcasts. “I think it’s kind of an important part of building a better tour. Just to have more visibility as players. That’s kind of what we’re always working towards.
Lydia Ko, Hall of Famer has seen the LPGA Tour struggle to elevate its product for years. There are a number of reasons why the LPGA has failed to reach a broader sporting audience, but visibility and television coverage play a major role in elevating the players and the sport. Kessler’s decision is one Ko has long hoped to see, and she knows it suits the Tour’s talent. Making the Tour visible every week and making it easier to follow using ShotLink data can be a game-changer for women’s golf.
“I think it’s what the players and the Tour deserve,” Ko said. “I think it will get more attention from some people who just have a hard time keeping up with things before. I think I’ve been in this position where I’m not playing a tournament, and I kind of want to watch or see what happened or see some data, and that’s an aspect that I felt like we could really improve on.
“So to see the growth in this area and to see how much more coverage we’re going to get domestically and overseas, it’s a very exciting thing. I think there’s been a lot of exciting announcements over the last few months. I think Craig has officially been the commissioner since July. In four months, I think we’ve seen a lot of big improvements in things and I feel like we should have been in this position longer.”
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Grace Kim, Evian 2025 champion, added: “I think we need all the visibility that we should have. I think sometimes, especially overseas, schedules might not match up, so being able to have that extra time on air could definitely improve our viewership. … Being able to have that connection to get it globally for a longer period of time, I think that’s huge.”
Kessler has a lot on his plate as he looks to strengthen his four pillars – trust, visibility, building a fan base and securing a financial future – and help the LPGA break through to a bigger level. It will take time to realize his vision.
But her early moves are big moves that show Kessler understands the mission, and the broadcast change sent a clear message that Kessler has both a plan and the vision to take the LPGA to where she wants it to be.
“I think the last few months have been a little fast-paced, and it’s been great to be a part of it and see the growth from that perspective,” Ko said of Kessler’s first terms as commissioner. “I think we’re growing as an organization and becoming – and having a much stronger foundation, I guess, for the organization outside of just playing for more money and what directly impacts us on a day-to-day basis. I think those kinds of things are really important for us going forward.
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“I’m excited about what’s next. And I truly believe that Craig is going to take our tour to the next step, and I’m excited to be a part of it.”
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