The LPGA Tour announced its new commissioner Thursday: Craig Kessler, the current Chief Operating Officer at the PGA of America. Kessler starts his new position on July 15, but in reality has already began to assume the role, and on Thursday afternoon conducted a virtual press conference with members of the golf media.
Why is the LPGA hiring a new commissioner? What was the Tour looking for? And what will Kessler bring as he takes the helm of the most powerful position in women’s golf? We were curious to hear all of that and more. What we received is a little window into the future — even as big questions remain.
The Hire: Craig Kessler
The LPGA began its official hiring process in January as outgoing commissioner Molly Marcoux Samaan’s term came to an end. Marcoux Samaan held the position for roughly three and a half years before stepping down unexpectedly in December, with two years remaining on her contract.
As was reported by Golfweek at the time, Marcoux Samaan did not have a majority positive rating among members of the LPGA, particularly as the league lagged behind other rapidly growing corners of the world of women’s sport. After a four-month process to find its 10th commissioner, Craig Kessler now steps in.
Kessler was raised in Southern California but has spent the last two-plus years as the Chief Operating Officer of the PGA of America and is based in Dallas. Previously, his other stop in the golf world was at TopGolf, where he was also COO. Those previous stints in significant golf positions have allowed him, as he said, to “meet virtually every major stakeholder within the golf landscape and build real authentic relationships with many of these folks.”
Kessler led the press conference with a distinct mindset, saying he wants to get the Tour to a place where “people look at what’s happening at the LPGA and they say to themselves, ‘Oh, my goodness. Something incredible is happening with the LPGA, and I have to be a part of it, whether it’s our players, whether it’s existing sponsors or prospective sponsors, fans.’”
How do you make that happen? Kessler outlined four “pillars” on which he has his sights.
Kessler’s Four Pillars
Kessler has four “building blocks” around which he believes lasting change can impact the LPGA Tour and bring it to new heights. Pillar No. 1 is trust. “Trust with our players … trust with our sponsors, trust with our fans, and trust with our team.”
It’s a simple idea that impacts everything. In recent years the Tour has, at times, struggled to live up to its end of the trust bargain, making sure sponsors get everything out of their sponsorship, making sure fans get everything out of the tickets they buy, etc.
Pillar No. 2 is visibility. To Kessler, that is, “making sure that the incredible stars the LPGA has who leave it on the course week-in and week-out are actually visible, and that goes beyond just the broadcasts.”
But a large majority of that does come down to the broadcasts, too. The LPGA is often left to pick up the scraps of weekend airtime on Golf Channel, often only when the PGA Tour and Champions Tour have cleared the way. Another major key to visibility is getting the biggest women’s golf events on network television. NBC has given more network TV time to women’s majors in recent years — particularly the U.S. Women’s Open, which will be played next week — but it still pales in comparison to the time devoted to men’s big events.
Pillar No. 3 is building fans. Kessler noted that plenty of people watch the LPGA, but he wants people rooting for members of the LPGA. It’s an important element of sports fanhood for every league, and even the PGA Tour. Tracking the tournament is one thing, but rooting hard for a specific player, based on their connection to a player, is what tour executives want more of.
Lastly, Pillar No. 4 is a financial future. This year marks the 75th anniversary of the LPGA’s existence, and Kessler believes one major piece of his job is building a financial stability and platform for the next 75 years. Coincidentally, one of the topics coursing through women’s sports as well as pro golf was foreign investment, particularly from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. Kessler was asked if he would be open to discussions with the Saudi PIF, which has invested plenty in the Ladies European Tour, to which he said, “Any organization that wants to elevate our athletes in the LPGA — I can’t wait to have a discussion with folks who are willing to do it.”
Kessler plans to have plenty of those questions around the globe in the coming months, being “wherever the job is,” meaning on Tour, in sponsor negotiations and in Daytona Beach, where the LPGA is headquartered, with his new team.
At this early point, there wasn’t much Kessler could speak to with specificity. Asked point blank how one might measure “watching” interest vs. “rooting” interest, he said that it will require a team effort to figure out all the measurements by which these pillars would be considered a success. Such is the case with any new leader of a governing body. Kessler will have more than one opportunity to dig in ahead of time; three women’s majors will take place between Thursday and his first official day in the commissioner’s chair. The U.S. Women’s Open at Erin Hills is just days away.
