The LPGA’s new commissioner makes a bold move

While there has been no retraction in an agreement between the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), PIF found a new global golf partner on Wednesday when the LPGA announced a groundbreaking new tour backed by Saudi Golf.

The Aramco Championship will be held on March 30-April 5, 2026, at Shadow Creek Golf Club in Las Vegas. The tournament, which boasts a purse of $4 million, is a co-sanctioned 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 going in building the global schedule for our tour,” LPGA Commissioner Craig Kessler. said in a press release. “We often talk about the journey, the courses and the purses – and this event checks every box: a spectacular West Coast setting, an iconic course and a purse that continues our momentum in raising the bar for our athletes. We also understand that partnerships like this – built on LET’s long-standing collaboration with Saudi Golf and athletes on a global scale – can help strengthen a game of athletes on a global scale.”

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The LET has partnered with Saudi Golf for several years, but this is the first time the LPGA has partnered with the entity. Talk of an LPGA-PIF partnership has been discussed for years, and that conversation grew when LIV Golf arrived on the men’s side of the game. However, the potential partnership has always been seen as controversial due to the human rights abuses Saudi Arabia has been accused of, particularly involving women. While the likes of Angela Stanford and Stacy Lewis have turned down a deal with Saudi Golf in the past, current stars Nelly Korda, Charley Hull, Lydia Ko and Lexi Thompson have competed in the PIF Series. Thompson won the 2022 event in New York.

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

Kessler, who was announced as The LPGA’s new commissioner in May, has been open to looking at any avenue to grow the women’s game by focusing on building what he calls the four pillars: confidence, visibility, fans and financial future. Kessler believes the deal with Saudi Golf will benefit them on several fronts. it told the Associated Press that he is “amazed” by the support for the deal and that the overwhelming feeling from players has been: “What took so long?”

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

In a groundbreaking and controversial move, Kessler already delivered something his predecessor wouldn’t and showed he’s willing to make changes to deliver on the change and growth he promised.