LPGA’s massive TV makeover sends winning message: ‘Get more attention’

NAPLES, Fla. – This week’s CME Tour Championship champion will take home a $4 million check, but that player could be the second winner this week behind new commissioner Craig Kessler – and the league he now oversees.

Kessler has only been on the job for four months, but he’s already shown that he understands where the LPGA needs to grow — and that he’s willing and able to make the necessary moves to push the Tour in that direction. The LPGA has already announced a new tournament in partnership with Saudi Golf. Announced the relocation of the Chevron Championship to improve the event experience. And on Tuesday, the tournament announced an innovative new partnership with FM, Golf Channel and Trackman to enhance and elevate the telecast in 2026. The investment from FM will make every round of every tournament broadcast live in the United States. Streams will come with 50% more cameras, drone footage and improved photo tracking 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 it is to the present and future of their tournament.

“TV partnership is everything really,” three-time major winner Minjee Lee said on Tuesday. “Basically, we’re entertainers, so if we don’t have TV time, live TV time, or the slots are when a lot of people are watching TV, it’s hard to really build the tournament the way we want to build it. … I think getting more exposure as players, that’s everything for us, too. It’s really interesting to see how Craig is trying to see how short his time is to go. how we go.”

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 hopes this partnership will begin to put the women’s golf product on a similar footing to the men’s game.

“I 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’s what we’re always working towards.”

Hall of Famer Lydia Ko has seen the LPGA Tour struggle to raise its product for years. There are a number of reasons why the LPGA has not penetrated a larger sports audience, but visibility and television coverage play large roles in the rise of the players and the sport. Kessler’s move is one Ko has hoped to see for a long time, and one she knows is a good fit for the talent on the tour. Making the tournament visible every week and making it easy to follow with ShotLink data could be a game changer for women’s golf.

“I think it’s what the players and the Tour deserve,” Ko said. “I believe it’s just going to bring more attention to some people who just had a hard time tracking things before. I think I’ve been in that position where I don’t play in a tournament and I want to look or see what happened or see some of the data, and it was an aspect that I felt like we could really improve on.

“So to see the growth in that and to see how much more coverage we’re going to get domestically and internationally, it’s a very exciting thing. I think there’s been a lot of exciting announcements these last couple of 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 had more time in that position.”

Added 2025 Evian Champion Grace Kim: “I think we need all the exposure we can get. I think sometimes, especially overseas, the times can’t match up, so being able to get that extra time on the air can definitely boost our views.

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 his first moves are big swings that show Kessler understands the task, and the broadcast change sent a clear message that Kessler has a plan and vision to lead the LPGA to its desired destination.

“I think the last couple of months have been a little fast-paced, and it’s been great to be a part of that and kind of see the growth from that perspective,” Ko said of Kessler’s early run as commissioner. “I think we’re growing as an organization and becoming — and having a much stronger foundation, I think, for the organization outside of just playing for more money and that kind of directly affects us every day. I think putting things like that in place is really important for us moving forward.

“I’m excited for what’s next. And I really believe that Craig is going to take our tournament to that next step, and I’m excited to be a part of it.”

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