Over the years, the LPGA has faced growing scrutiny over the lack of TV coverage and an increasingly strained relationship with its broadcast partners. At the 2025 Evian Championship, Charley Hull pointed it out bluntly — “The quality of LPGA tournament broadcasts needs to get a lot better.” While critiques have come from both inside and outside the tour, some players are now stepping up to defend the organization and the newly-appointed Commissioner, Craig Kessler.

Speaking at a press conference at the FM Championship in Boston, LPGA star Megan Khang voiced strong support for the LPGA’s leadership and vision, specifically praising Commissioner Kessler’s early efforts and emphasizing the tour’s strengths beyond what’s seen on screen. “You know, I think the LPGA does a great job of like, interacting with the younger generations. And you know, with obviously our new commissioner, Craig Kessler, coming in, it’s very exciting to see what he has planned for the LPGA. I know he’s got great plans for us and us a tour, we definitely trust him and the direction he’s going in,” Khang began.

Khang praised Kessler’s leadership and vision, calling his arrival ‘very exciting’ for the tour. She expressed full confidence in his direction, saying the players ‘definitely trust him’ and his plans for the LPGA’s future. While she voiced her full support for Kessler, she acknowledged the frustrations surrounding limited broadcast visibility and also pointed to the in-person fan experience as a differentiator for the LPGA.

“I think the best way to kind of get the tour the exposure is you’ve got to come kind of see it firsthand. And I think we do such a great job in person interactions. I think sometimes we’re not as fortunate to get some of the coverage that I think we deserve,” Khang continued. Despite the positive outlook from Khang, there is no denying that players like Nelly Korda have been criticised in the past for not doing enough. “They need to do more walk-and-talks. They need to do more live runs. And I’m talking about the top players,” Meg Adkins from Fried Egg Golf pointed out last month.

While the effort has to come from both players and fans, Megan Khang encouraged fans to come out and support them and ensured that they would not leave disappointed. “But, you know, if you come out, you come to an LPGA Tour event, you’re gonna get the girls signing autographs till the last one’s done. You’re gonna get, you know, some interactions with the fans, you know, having a good banter here and there. And you know, it means a lot to us that you guys all come out,” Khang continued.

“So, if you haven’t been to an LPGA event, definitely come. It’s definitely worth it, I promise. If it’s not, I’ll have words with that player that caused it,” she added with a laugh. While players like Khang are optimistic about the tour’s direction, Commissioner Craig Kessler has also been candid about the challenges ahead—particularly around the LPGA’s lack of consistent visibility.

Craig Kessler acknowledged the LPGA’s lack of visibility

Commissioner Craig Kessler, who was officially named to the role earlier in May, has acknowledged the challenges and vowed to make women’s golf more accessible to fans. “For so many sports, it’s easy to know when to turn on the TV or click open an app and find the players you want to see at predictable times. It’s really, really hard to do that today with women’s golf,” Kessler told Front Office Sports shortly after his appointment. “The more we can do that and build a fan base that knows where to find the action and can go from watching the action to rooting for it, that’s when women’s golf will be fully maximized,” he added. The LPGA even made some major changes ahead of the FM Championship this week, after facing issues during several events this year.

Kessler noted that the LPGA’s media rights are currently bundled with the PGA Tour’s through 2030—a deal that keeps most coverage on Golf Channel, with only limited airtime on NBC and CBS. Still, Kessler said he plans to lean on relationships built during his time as the PGA of America’s COO and earlier as a TopGolf executive to increase the LPGA’s broadcast presence. With the criticism intensifying, having players’ support, like Megan Khang, offers Kessler a crucial vote of confidence as he works to reshape the tour’s visibility. Her endorsement reflects a broader hope within the LPGA that stronger leadership and deeper fan engagement can finally close the viewership gap.