For many fans of the LPGA Tour, TV coverage is the biggest frustration with the overall product. Parity has never been stronger, the superstars are marketable, the in-person experience is terrific and fan friendly, but the broadcasts lag behind.
New LPGA Tour commissioner Craig Kessler recognized this from the minute he was hired, and made it one of his biggest priorities for improvement.
Now, that has come to fruition, as the LPGA Tour has teamed with commercial property insurer FM to “transform the television footprint of the Tour’s North American events.”
With this new deal, FM is set to become an official partner of the LPGA, but the company isn’t new to the sport. It has been the title sponsor of the FM Championship in Boston for the last two years, which has the largest purse of any standard Tour stop. It also sponsors stars Megan Khang and Lottie Woad.
The most significant development from this new partnership is that for the first time ever, every round of every event will be shown live, including some weekend rounds finding a home on CNBC. It isn’t clear if this includes streaming, but Tom Knapp, the EVP and general manager of Golf Channel specifically said every event will be televised in his statement.
In addition, the presentation of broadcasts should improve too, as there will be a 50% increase in the total number of cameras as compared to 2025. There will also be drone coverage and increased trackman use for more shot tracing.
Undoubtedly, it is absolutely a new era in broadcasting the LPGA Tour.
