NAPLES, Fla. – This week’s CME Tour Championship champion will take home a $4 million check, but that player could be the week’s second winner behind new commissioner Craig Kessler – and the league he now oversees.
Kessler has only been in office for four months, but has already shown that he understands where the LPGA needs to grow – and that he 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 relocation of the Chevron Championship to improve the event experience. And on Tuesday, the Tour announced a groundbreaking new partnership with FM, Golf Channel and Trackman to enhance and take its television broadcast to the next level in 2026. FM’s investment will ensure that every round of every tournament is broadcast live in the United States. The broadcasts come with 50% more cameras, drone footage and improved recording data.
When Kessler was announced as commissioner, he outlined “four pillars of success” to help the LPGA grow. The second was ‘visibility’. Tuesday’s deal made that pillar stronger than ever, and the players understand how important this is for the present and future of their Tour.
“Television partnership is actually everything,” three-time major winner Minjee Lee said on Tuesday. “We’re entertainers at our core, so if we don’t have TV times or live TV times, or if there’s no live TV times, or if there’s a lot of people watching TV, it’s hard to really build the Tour the way we want to build it. … I think more exposure as players is everything for us too. It’s really cool to see how Craig has done that – with his short time on the Tour, how he’s trying to take our Tour to the next level, and to see how we’re doing.”
Craig Kessler Q&A: The LPGA’s new commissioner on goals, ‘pillars’ and what success looks like
By means of:
Dylan Dethier
Lee watches her brother, Min Woo, play on the PGA Tour and DP World Tour. She has seen firsthand how different the two television products are and is hopeful that this partnership will put the women’s golf product on the same footing as the men’s game.
“I do think they have good TV times, so 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 that’s an important part of building a better tour. Just getting more exposure as players. That is what we always work towards.”
Hall of Famer Lydia Ko has watched the LPGA Tour struggle for years to elevate its product. There are a number of reasons why the LPGA has not broken through to a larger sports audience, but visibility and television coverage play an important role in elevating the players and the sport. Kessler’s move is one that Ko has been hoping for for a long time, and one that she knows fits the talent on the Tour. Making the Tour visible and easier to follow every week with ShotLink data could be a game changer for women’s golf.
“I think this is what the players and the Tour deserve,” Ko said. “I really believe this is just going to draw more attention from some people who have had a hard time keeping track of things before. I think I’ve been in a position where I’m not playing a tournament, and I’d like to look or see what happened or see some data, and it was an aspect that I thought we could really improve on.
“So to see the growth in that and to see how much more coverage we’re going to get at home and abroad, it’s really exciting. I think there’s been a lot of exciting announcements in 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 that I think we should have been in that position for a long time.”
2025 Evian champion Grace Kim added: “I think we need all the exposure we should get. I think sometimes, especially overseas, the times might not match up, so being able to have that extra time on air could definitely expand our views. … To be able to have that connection to get it worldwide for an extended 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 on a bigger level. It will take time for his vision to become a reality.
But his first moves are big swings that show Kessler understands the assignment, and the change in broadcast sent a clear message that Kessler has both a plan and the vision to lead the LPGA to its desired destination.
“I think the last few months have accelerated a little bit, and it’s been great to be a part of that and see the growth a little bit from that perspective,” Ko said of Kessler’s early stint as commissioner. “I think as an organization we’re growing and becoming – and we have a much stronger, I think, foundation for the organization beyond just playing for more money and what kind of direct impact it has on us on a day-to-day basis. I think having those kinds of things is really important for us going forward.
“I’m excited about the future. And I truly believe Craig will take our tour to the next step, and I’m excited to be a part of that.”
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