LPGA commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan unexpectedly steps down

LPGA Commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan is stepping down from her role in January, following an up-and-down year in women’s pro golf. 

Marcoux Samaan’s unexpected departure comes in the wake of the 2024 season, which saw purses rise to a record level and Nelly Korda’s ascent to global stardom but also moments of angst among the membership and a logistics debacle at the Solheim Cup in September.

In the interim, Marcoux Samaan will be replaced by Liz Moore, the LPGA’s chief legal officer. 

“I thank Chairman John Veihmeyer and the rest of the LPGA Board for trusting me to serve as the ninth Commissioner of the LPGA,” Marcoux Samaan said in a statement. “In this role, I’ve had the privilege of working alongside a remarkable community of athletes, teachers, partners, tournament operators, industry colleagues, media, fans, volunteers, and staff who share a deep commitment to growing the LPGA and using the organization’s unique platform to empower and advance women and girls. 

News

“I am proud of the unprecedented growth the LPGA has enjoyed since I began my tenure. The strategy we have built for growth and impact along with the infrastructure we have added to capitalize on the tremendous opportunity ahead will serve the LPGA well in the coming decades. With the LPGA positioned for continued growth, it’s time for me to have more time to cheer on our three amazing children as they live their dreams while I continue to pursue my passion for building leaders, uniting communities and creating value through sports, particularly women’s sports.”

Marcoux Samaan took over the post in May 2021 after serving as the athletic director at Princeton for nearly a decade. According to a press release from the LPGA, Marcoux Samaan “prioritized athlete well-being and performance by adding missed-cut stipends, domestic travel stipends, access to mental health and physical performance resources, and fully-subsidized healthcare insurance, benefits previously unavailable to LPGA athletes.” 

According to Golfweek, Marcoux Samaan’s contract ran through the 2026 season. She will step back in advance of the 2025 season, which has a total purse size of $131 million, a 90 percent increase from the year when she took the position. 

Despite her successes at the head of the organization, Marcoux Samaan’s final months were marked by hard questions that face the women’s game.

While the popularity of women’s sports at-large grew at a rapid rate in 2024, the LPGA did not see marked increases in television ratings. As Beth Ann Nichols reported for Golfweek, factions of the LPGA membership have been uncertain about Marcoux Samaan’s vision for the tour. During the last week of the season, CME Group CEO Terry Duffy talked openly about why his company sponsors the LPGA, adding that the third round broadcast coverage, which was on tape delay, was “bulls–t,” and that he was challenging Marcoux Samaan to do something about it.

There was also the Solheim Cup transportation debacle, which saw thousands of spectators waiting for hours at a shuttle bus lot for access to one of the biggest golf events on the calendar. Marcoux Samaan held an impromptu press conference following the issue, blaming “miscalculations” and insufficient planning on spectator transportation. 

“At the end of the day, I’m the leader of the organization and I have to own it,” she said. “We have a tournament team that runs all of this, but I’m sitting up here in front of you as the leader of the LPGA, and I need to own that.”

Marcoux Samaan will officially step down on Jan. 9, three weeks before the start of the 2025 season.