In the LPGA boss’ plan to transform the tournament, 1 goal stands above the rest

NAPLES, Fla. – Craig Kessler and the LPGA love YOUR attention

The new commissioner realizes his tournament will have to innovate to capture and retain the eyeballs it wants. It’s a monumental task, to be sure. But Kessler, just 120 days into her run at the helm of the LPGA, has a vision and a plan to get her league to a place where it’s competing and winning the war against, well, everyone and everything else that’s fighting for your time.

“We compete in the attention economy,” Kessler said Wednesday at Tiburon Golf Club before the CME Group Tour Championship. “It’s not just against other sports. Should I put on Netflix? Should I go out to dinner? Should I hang out with friends? Should I play in the backyard? Should I go play a round of golf? Anything that has the potential to get a fan’s attention, we’re competing against that, so every job is interesting and different in our mind. the way we can.”

The obvious next question is: How does the LPGA accomplish this?

Kessler played the harp his four pillars of strength since being named commissioner in May: confidence, visibility, fans and a secure financial future. In four months, Kessler has already delivered one groundbreaking deal to transform the LPGA’s television productbrought Saudi Golf as sponsor for a new tournament with a purse of 4 million dollars and began to rework the schedule to maximize the tour’s ability to grab and hold attention in the United States and globally.

On Wednesday, Kessler offered an under-the-hood look at how the LPGA thinks about long-term growth and success. It starts with an improved transmission. Thanks to a new partnership with FM, Golf Channel and Trackman, every round of every LPGA tournament will go live next year. The broadcast will feature the latest technology, 50% more cameras, 30% more microphones, drones and more photo tracking than ever before. Kessler’s success story begins with improving the product, which leads to more fans, growth and money.

It sounds simple. The truth is more complicated.

Streamlining the tournament is just Step 1 in Kessler’s plan to win the long-term battle for attention. He knows that can’t be achieved just by being on the Golf Channel every week. This is a great start, but bigger and bolder things are needed to get the flywheel turning. Under his leadership, the LPGA will try anything and everything to stand out, capture new fans and generate interest off the ropes.

“That’s part of the magic that we’re going to spend a lot of time talking about in the coming weeks and months,” Kessler said. “One thing I will tell you is that we’re going to have an appetite to take risks and try things. Not all of them are going to work, but when they do and they stick, then we throw gasoline on the fire and continue to double down on those areas.”

Kessler pointed to last week’s Annika, where WNBA star Caitlin Clark returned for her second pro-am appearance and saw Kai Trump make her LPGA debut as a sponsor’s invite, as the LPGA will pick up and try to leverage. But Kessler was quick to point that out last week’s buzz about Clark and Trump it’s also the kind of trap the tournament can’t fall into. He wants the LPGA to be held by several players, not just one big name and not just back-to-back celebrity appearances.

“So our job is to find the right set of well-balanced and balanced stories to tell so that our fans are excited week after week,” Kessler said. “If we’re relying on one person, whether it’s a star or a celebrity, to carry the weight of the tournament on our backs, I think we’ve missed the boat. What this past week proved is that there is so much magic happening on the LPGA and we have to give it our all.”

However, this attractive attack that the LPGA plans to implement requires something. Yes, the tournament will have to show smarts and be willing to take risks. But she also needs her best players to become stars who are eager to put themselves out there to help lift the Tournament. Kessler and the LPGA know that marketability and results on the course may not always intersect, but when they do, these are the players the LPGA must throw its weight behind to push into the larger sports and cultural conversation.

“That’s how we think about stars on the LPGA,” Kessler said. “Think of a three-circle Venn diagram. You have the best players, you have the most marketable players and you have the ones who are actually willing to lean in and do the work. It’s the group of players at the center of that Venn diagram that we’re going to invest our resources in order to create global superstars and create that player-fan connection.”

Once again, nothing is as simple as it sounds. To achieve this, the LPGA faces a question it must answer in order to turn an academic vision into concrete reality.

This LPGA season has seen just two repeat winners in World No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul and Rookie of the Year winner Miyu Yamashita. There have been 29 unique winners. Nelly Korda, who won seven times in 2024, is winless. Charley Hull and Lydia Ko have each won one. The LPGA has depth and parity. But if you want to gain attention and penetrate a larger audience, star power is the natural answer.

But for Kessler, star power isn’t just about hoisting trophies and dominating for 72 holes. This is important. But skip the course. This plan needs to work.

“There are no silver bullets to create stars, and that’s where you need an ecosystem,” Kessler said. “There are so many examples we could cite, whether it’s what Nelly did going to the Met Gala or with Sports Illustratedor Charley going to a state banquet in the UK or some of the latest things she’s been up to on social media. I can take you through a variety of players and the things they’ve done to emerge in the culture, not just within the ropes. Those things make the difference.

“We’ve done a massive amount of work for our fans. What the fans want and what they want to see more of. And one of the comments we’re getting is that they want to see our LPGA athletes and stars show off the ropes. It’s our job to help make that happen.”

Getting players to buy into his vision and plan takes faith. You will remember that this is the first pillar. For Kessler, it’s about being in constant communication with his players. He has flown to their home bases for lunch and rounds of golf. He constantly texts and calls his players. He wants them to know that he has a plan and that, if they trust him and his vision, the LPGA can reach new heights.

So far, Kessler has managed to strengthen that first pillar. Lyida Ko praised his leadership at Tuesday’s press conference. Minjee Lee offered similar praise.

Last week at Annika, Kessler held a players meeting in which he told his members what is required of them to go where everyone predicts.

“They asked again what can we do? And we said, here’s what you need to do. If we ask you to be a global superstar, support yourself. Show up culturally wherever you can. If we ask you to walk the walk and talk the talk, not just you, but your caddies, give it a try. We need you to do your part. And finally, I asked, who’s in that room? And actually bring all of us into the room.”

Kessler is building towards something. One moment. A place in the sports conversation that the LPGA has not occupied before. He sees how the WNBA and women’s soccer have made inroads and believes women’s golf can do the same.

But ask him what the destination is, and Craig Kessler can’t give you anything concrete. This is by design. Kessler understands the magnitude of the task at hand. The climb will be steep and the path will not be linear. Innovation and risk-taking will be key to giving women’s golf its moment.

“It’s one of those where you’ll know it when you see it and you’ll feel it,” Kessler said. “But guess what, even when we get there, we’re never going to be completely satisfied because this is an organization, as I mentioned, of constant improvement and the grass is always going to move.”

Has Kessler YOUR attention?

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