The LPGA Tour is certainly growing with every passing event. Stars like Nelly Korda, Charley Hull, Lexi Thompson, & others have become global icons representing the Tour in various avenues. The events are also getting great TV ratings that seem to be improving consistently. However, there are still a few things where the LPGA Tour is still lacking, and retired star Michelle Wie West reflected on them.

West joined Kira Dixon & Mel Reid for the Quiet Please! podcast recently. During their conversation, she was asked about how big tournaments, like the TOTO Japan Classic, are determined by a par-3 hole, as Nasa Hataoka took the title a few days ago in the playoffs. West told Dixon, “It’s crazy. I feel like the Tour has had some bad weather. It happened in Arkansas; now out here, it’s one of those things you cannot control.”

The weather ruined the action for the final day of the TOTO Japan Classic. The tournament had to be cut short to 54 holes, and the leaders after three days were made to battle it out in the playoffs to determine a champion. That’s when Nasa Hataoka beat Yuna Araki to win the title on home soil. Speaking of the Arkansas event, the conditions at the Pinnacle Country Club were even worse. Most of the tournament was washed off and hence it was cancelled nearly entirely. But that is not the only problem the LPGA Tour has, according to West. And he had a conversation with the LPGA Tour commissioner, Craig Kessler, about it.

“I spent a lot of time talking to Craig, our new commissioner. I really appreciate how much he believes in the Tour, but he also knows where we’re lacking and where we can get better. It’s the belief and optimism of knowing how good the product is, but also knowing logically and realistically where we’re lacking. I appreciate that.” After their interactions, West has realized that Kessler understands what the core problems with the LPGA Tour are. And here’s what he revealed.

“Our broadcast needs a lot of work. When you compare the PGA Tour broadcast to our broadcast, the production value is not even comparable. It comes down to the number of cameras on site. The production, the amount of money that is being put in for not being on tape delay, being on better windows… It’s tough; there’s only enough daylight. They’re playing on the same days. Our broadcast needs to be better. Our statistics… The caddies are still writing down on scorecards. We don’t have a ShotLink.”

The broadcast quality of the LPGA Tour has suffered as it doesn’t attract as good TV ratings as the PGA Tour. Recently, The Annika’s broadcast was cut short to just 2 hours as the Golf Channel switched to a PGA Tour event. Hence, their broadcast partners don’t invest in integrating high-end technology and providing a lot of intriguing data about the events and the stars. That, in turn, makes it difficult for the fans to stay connected to the LPGA Tour events when their favorite stars are not playing.

The inclusion of ShotLink, the technology that utilizes player data to provide interesting facts about them throughout the live broadcast, will certainly make LPGA Tour events more intriguing. And the trio in the podcast suggested that a sponsor should just provide such technologies to help improve the LPGA Tour. Until then, all Craig Kessler & his team can do is wait for the Tour to grow slowly so they can integrate it themselves. But West still credited Kessler for everything he has done so far.

“The USGA did a really good job this year as well [of] having the app. If you wanted to watch all of Nelly Korda’s shots during the round, you just watch it. People have a hard time with attention span at just watching the broadcast now. Craig is trying to think very creatively about that. If our broadcast is better, it opens up a lot of doors.”

Despite all the drawbacks, the integration and improvement of technology in collaboration with the LPGA Tour has certainly helped improve the quality of women’s golf events. As West mentioned, fans experienced that during the 2025 U.S. Women’s Open as they enjoyed using the app to watch all the strokes of their favorite stars. West believes that if Craig Kessler continues to think creatively, like he did here, and the broadcast gets better, then the LPGA Tour will certainly find a lot more success.

Despite all the drawbacks, Craig Kessler & the LPGA Tour have seen a lot of progress recently. The new commissioner has been able to strike some new deals for them that will help the Tour in the long run. Let’s see what he has worked on so far.

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Craig Kessler brings good news for Nelly Korda & Co.

Over the last year, the LPGA Tour has seen a lot of progress in terms of its TV ratings. That has helped them attract some great sponsorship deals. However, they weren’t finalized until Craig Kessler took the seat. The new LPGA Tour commissioner negotiated a contract with a $26 billion insurance firm, FM, back in August 2025. They will continue to sponsor the FM Championship.

Then, just a few weeks ago, Kessler & Co. made another major announcement. After shaking hands with the PIF, they confirmed that they will also co-host an event with the Ladies European Tour sponsored by LIV Golf’s investors in 2026. The Aramco Championship was added to the next season’s schedule with a purse of $4 million. The LPGA Tour has seen so much progress already. Nelly Korda & Co. can certainly trust Craig Kessler to take it in the right direction and lead it to success.