5 things we learned from the new LPGA commissioner’s first state-of-the-tour address

NAPLES, Fla. — Craig Kessler is four months into his new job as LPGA commissioner and already he’s done much to embolden the tour, players, TV partners, title sponsors and more.

There is still a plethora of work to be done, and Kessler addressed the good as well as the challenges that remain with the media Wednesday at the CME Globe Tour Championship.

Here are five things we learned from Kessler first state-of-the-tour session at Tiburón Golf Club:

Asia could host a major one day

The LPGA is a global tour—the 2026 schedule has events in 13 countries with two swings through Asia and one in Europe—and the international make-up of its membership reflects that as well. Japanese players won seven times on tour in 2025, the most by any country, and rising stars like Miyu Yamashita, Rio Takeda and twin sisters Chisato and Akie Iwai are important to the tour’s global growth. That’s why Kessler had a short but affirmative answer to the question of could a women’s major one day land in Asia.

“Absolutely,” he said.

When asked why, Kessler explained the dynamics he’s come to appreciate since taking the commissioner job in July. “I had my first opportunity to be a part of the Asia swing this fall,” he said. “I went to Korea for International Crown. What a remarkable event. My biggest takeaway is that the opportunity in Asia is massive. I mean, thousands of fans every day on the course following our athletes.

“You walk into a shopping mall and there's half a floor dedicated to golf lifestyle apparel brands, many of those dedicated just to women. So my biggest takeaway is that there's a massive opportunity, and now it's on us at the LPGA to figure out how to capitalize on that.”

The tricky part, however, with playing multiple weeks overseas, particularly in Asia, where the tournaments often have limited fields, is getting many of the top-ranked American players to make the trips. Nelly Korda has skipped the early season Asian swing in recent years (and missed the recent fall swing due to injury).

The question then becomes an issuing of timing and whether the events should all be lumped together in one swing?

“We should go where the opportunity is to highlight our amazing athletes, and if that's Asia, fantastic,” Kessler said. “Look, we have a lot of work to do behind the scenes to do our homework and do right by the organization, but as we've talked publicly about before, folks who are willing to have a conversation with us about elevating our incredible athletes and the organization, that's a conversation we want to have.”

The new Golf Saudi partnership could lead to more events

Earlier this month, Kessler and the tour announced a partnership with Golf Saudi, representing the LPGA’s first direct financial connection with Saudi’s Public Investment Fund. The result is the creation of the new Aramco Championship at Shadow Creek in Las Vegas, co-sanctioned with the Ladies European Tour and part of the LET’s five-event PIF Global Series.

The move came after several years contemplating an alliance with the PIF and whether or not the tour wanted to be connected to the country, given the numerous accusations of human-rights abuses there, many toward women.

In the wake of the announcement, Kessler was asked if he could see more PIF events like this, Kessler replied: “We've said this about all of our partners. When you start a partnership it's important to come out of the gates strong, and if you execute well it opens up the possibility for lots of amazing things to happen. It's no different here.”

Chevron searching for a course for 2026

There was one course listed as “to be determined” on the 2026 LPGA schedule that was released Wednesday, but it is a notable TBD. The Chevron Championship, the first major of the year, is without an official home venue, at least for now.

The tournament is scheduled for April 23-26 in the Houston area, having moved to the Lone Star State in 2023 after a 51-year run at Mission Hills in Palm Springs, Calif. Last week, Golfweek reported that the event would change venues, leaving The Club at Carlton Woods in The Woodlands, Texas, for Memorial Park, a municipal course in Houston that also hosts a PGA Tour event. The tour has not confirmed the course change with a source telling Golf Digest that negotiations are still ongoing.

“Let me start by saying how excited I am,” Kessler said. “We just released our schedule for next year and, again, we're thrilled with the progress and the first half. We're excited about many of the courses we'll be playing next year. And the Chevron is our first major of the year. It's absolutely critical. And what Ricki [Lasky, the LPGA chief business and operations officer] and the team, along with the Chevron team have been focused on, is making sure we maximize the impact of that major. Can we draw as many fans as we possibly can to it [in order] to create energy that majors and all of our tournaments deserve, and as soon as we have anything more formal to say on that of course we will.”

The LPGA is still looking for its breakthrough moment

Kessler has talked about the LPGA working toward a “breakthrough moment,” to take women’s golf to the next level. He’s done much with purses and sponsors and huge boosts in the television space, but he inherited a tour that still hasn’t captivated the attention of sports fans in a way the WNBA and NWSL have over the last few years.

So what is that breakthrough moment Kessler is looking for?

“Oh, 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'll never be totally satisfied because this is an organization, as I mentioned, of continuous improvement and the line, the bar will always move.”

Creating audiences outside the broadcast

Kessler, who has an MBA from Harvard Business School, has worked in different spaces, including the PGA of America, Topgolf, Buff City Soap, a global management consulting firm and more, so he gets creative and looks at outside-the-box solutions.

He’s already landed sponsors to cover the cost of huge television upgrades that include drones, live coverage of every round of every event, more interviews, microphones, slow-motion cameras and more.

“We had a monumental day [with broadcasting news on Tuesday] and we're now talking about what's next. Look, we're excited to implement everything that we talked about [Tuesday] and what I've experienced in the past is that oftentimes when you get into the implementation phase, that's what spurs new ideas,” Kessler said. “So let's see how it goes. Let's learn from our fans what's working and what's not, and then we can take a step back and re-evaluate.

“I also think if you look at other leagues, what they figured out how to do is create audience outside of the broadcast. Formula 1 is an example. You look at the power of the Monday highlight reel where millions and millions of people are tuning in to see what happened during Sunday's broadcast. That's an area where we haven't done a whole lot yet at the LPGA, but certainly represents enormous opportunity for us.”