When Craig Kessler, the new LPGA commissioner, was hired, he laid out his four pillars for success. He reinforced one of them on Tuesday.
Kessler’s second pillar was “visibility,” which he said goes “beyond” the LPGA’s television broadcast. However, the broadcast was always the most important part of the ‘visibility’ pillar. The LPGA often only gets the weekend airtime on Golf Channel that isn’t sucked up by the PGA Tour and PGA Tour Champions.
But the LPGA’s television reality will look very different in 2026.
Thanks to a partnership with FM, Golf Channel and Trackman announced Tuesday ahead of the CME Group Tour Championship, the visibility of LPGA broadcasts will increase significantly next year. Sponsoring a tour event with the largest non-major purse, FM’s investment will make it an official LPGA partner and bring new technology, equipment and content to the broadcast, transforming and improving women’s golf coverage by ensuring every tournament and every round is visible.
Beginning in 2026, every tournament and round will be broadcast live in the United States for the first time since Golf Channel began broadcasting in 1995. Some weekend rounds will be broadcast on CNBC, but every round of every tournament will be broadcast live.
“2026 will be a great year for LPGA Tour viewers as we will televise every LPGA Tour event and coverage of every round will be live across the country, which is a direct result of Golf Channel and CNBC both being part of the VERSANT portfolio,” said Tom Knapp, executive vice president and general manager of Golf Channel, in a press release. “Additionally, we have worked with the LPGA Tour and our partners at FM and Trackman to enhance our production and add more technology to our broadcasts, while continuing to be the proud home of the LPGA Tour and spotlighting the best women’s golfers in the world every week.”
As part of FM’s investment, state-of-the-art broadcast technology, often only used for major championship weeks, will make its way into weekly LPGA broadcasts.
From the 2025 season, the number of cameras will increase by 50%. There will also be slow-motion cameras, drone footage and three times as many microphones to give fans better access to the players’ emotions and thought processes during the round. There will also be an “increased focus” on athlete content, such as walk-and-talks with caddies and players during rounds. The new partnership with Trackman will quadruple the LPGA’s shot tracking capabilities beginning with the 2025 season.
“The commitments from FM, Trackman and Golf Channel are a game-changer for our athletes, our fans, our partners and our Tour,” Kessler said in a statement. “Starting in 2026, fans will immediately see and feel the difference: more cameras, better technology, richer stories and more ways to fully appreciate the incredible skills of our players live. We are grateful for the shared vision and investment from FM, Trackman and Golf Channel. This is a big step forward for the women’s game, and it’s just the beginning. The next chapter for the LPGA will be something special.”
Kessler is off to a flying start as the new head man of the LPGA. Earlier this month, Kessler and the LPGA announced a new tournament, supported by Golf Saudi, that will take place at Shadow Creek in Las Vegas as part of the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund’s (PIF) global five-tournament series. The tournament will be held from March 30 to April 5. Fans can now watch that, and every tournament, live.
Kessler wanted to strengthen and increase the visibility of his tour. This new deal achieves that goal on a large scale.
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