‘Checks every box’: New LPGA commissioner makes bold move

While a deal between the PGA Tour and the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF) is out of traction, the PIF found a new global golf partner on Wednesday as the LPGA announced a groundbreaking new tournament backed by Golf Saudi.

The Aramco Championship will be held from March 30 to April 5, 2026 at Shadow Creek Golf Club in Las Vegas. The tournament, with a purse of $4 million, is a joint event with the Ladies European Tour and will be part of the five-tournament PIF Global Series, which also includes stops in London, Saudi Arabia, Seoul and China. Purses for the five events total $15 million.

“The Aramco Championship, part of the PIF Global Series, at Shadow Creek reflects exactly where we are headed as we build the global schedule for our tour,” said LPGA Commissioner Craig Kessler said in a press release. “We often talk about routes, courses and purses – and this event checks all the boxes: a spectacular West Coast setting, an iconic course and a purse that continues our momentum in raising the bar for our athletes. We also recognize that partnerships like this – built on the LET’s long-standing partnership with Golf Saudi and PIF – can help strengthen the women’s game on a global scale and increase opportunities for our athletes.”

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The LET has been working with Golf Saudi for a number of years, but this is the first time the LPGA has partnered with the entity. There has been talk of an LPGA-PIF partnership for years, and that talk increased when LIV Golf entered the men’s side of the game. However, the potential partnership has always been considered controversial due to the human rights abuses Saudi Arabia is accused of, especially when it concerns women. While players like Angela Stanford and Stacy Lewis have spoken out against a deal with Golf Saudi in the past, current stars Nelly Korda, Charley Hull, Lydia Ko and Lexi Thompson have taken part in the PIF Series. Thompson won the 2022 event in New York.

“Women’s golf continues to go from strength to strength and PIF has a strong track record of supporting that growth and investing in the future of the women’s game,” Yasir Al-Rumayyan, chairman of Golf Saudi’s board of directors and governor of PIF, said in a statement. “Today’s announcement marks another important milestone as we work closely with great partners at the LPGA and LET to introduce a co-sanctioned event as part of next year’s PIF Global Series. The future of women’s golf has never been brighter, both on and off the course.”

Kessler, who was announced in May as the LPGA’s new commissioner, has been open about exploring all opportunities to grow the women’s game by focusing on building what he calls the four pillars: trust, visibility, fans and financial future. Kessler believes the Gulf Saudi deal will benefit them on several fronts. He told the Associated Press that he is “overwhelmed” by the support for the deal and that the overwhelming sentiment from players was “What took so long?”

Earlier this year, the LPGA lost T-Mobile as sponsor for the match play event at Shadow Creek. The deal with Golf Saudi allows the Aramco Championship to fill that gap and become the third leg of the LPGA’s West Coast Swing. The 2026 Aramco Championship will take place the same week as the Augusta National Women’s Amateur, one week before the Masters.

With one groundbreaking and controversial move, Kessler has already delivered what his predecessor would not have done and shown that he is willing to make changes to deliver the change and growth he promised.