Until this season, the LPGA faced a significant broadcasting issue. Fans had to wonder and switch channels to find out where to watch even major championships. But just a year and a half into his role, LPGA commissioner Craig Kessler made a very impactful decision to ensure all rounds of every event are broadcast. However, the situation hasn’t improved much. This has led golf analysts like Brendan Porath and Sports Business Journal writer Josh Carpenter to think that the LPGA may have a television problem that cameras, graphics, and expanded coverage cannot fix.

Despite investing more in its broadcasts, the tour still struggles to turn compelling golf into consistently strong U.S. audiences. The recent Solheim Cup brought that tension into sharp focus. The Golf Channel numbers show the 2026 Solheim Cup Sunday drew only 170,000 viewers. Carpenter acknowledged the number would likely be much higher because this year’s event was not in the USA.

Speaking on Fried Egg Golf and The Shotgun Start podcast, he said the league needs to do something drastic to get more casual golf fans to watch LPGA events live.

“I think, and I’m just speculating again, like I think if you want to really, not I don’t want to say the only way you could really grow the LPGA is just go crazy with some stuff. Like start playing Saturday or Sunday to, you know, Monday to Wednesday or something. That way, you know, maybe if you’re finishing in the middle of the week, you at least can own that day rather than be the third fiddle on Golf Channel or something like that to try and find a window that suits you,” Josh Carpenter said.

The LPGA is usually fighting for attention after major men’s golf events. Football and other major sports also sometimes compete for the strongest television windows. The product may be good, but the audience has already decided where to spend its weekend. Therefore, Josh Carpenter says a random person who isn’t a dedicated LPGA fan wouldn’t watch its events just because the league has improved broadcasting quality and timing. Right now, that upgrade benefits only regular fans, but it does little to bring in new ones.

Carpenter also noted an issue with the current schedule. The 2026 schedule features 33 events across multiple countries. There’s no denying that it does a lot for the game of golf worldwide. It is also important because many LPGA elites come from South Korea, Japan, and other parts of the world.

However, this makes U.S. television coverage difficult. Time-zone differences can push live broadcasts into overnight or early-morning hours. This makes it harder for casual American viewers to develop a weekly viewing habit.

But the Sports Business Journal writer also acknowledged that Craig Kessler is planning some schedule changes. He expects the changes to arrive within a couple of years.

The LPGA’s recent television performance also suggests the problem isn’t a lack of audience interest in women’s golf. The 2026 U.S. Women’s Open at Riviera, won by Nelly Korda, averaged about 1.3 million viewers during Sunday coverage across NBC and Peacock. It peaked at 2.2 million during the final 15 minutes. Sunday viewership rose 78% from the previous year.

The Standard Portland Classic also delivered a stronger-than-usual Golf Channel audience. It averaged 241,000 viewers over four days, up from 114,000 the previous year. This shows that when the LPGA has a recognizable star, meaningful stakes, a strong storyline, and favorable television exposure, viewers can show up in significant numbers. However, the challenge is making that audience response more consistent.

Both Josh Carpenter and Brendan Porath acknowledged WTGL as a path. The league will feature five teams of LPGA players, with its inaugural season scheduled to air across ESPN platforms, ABC, and ION. Its shorter team format could appeal to viewers who may not have the time or interest to follow a traditional four-day tournament. This could also bring some PGA Tour fans to the LPGA.

However, Carpenter also backed Nelly Korda’s view that the tech league missed out on having a mixed team. Korda had said that instead of creating a separate league, both men and women should have played TGL on a mixed team. But he also acknowledged that TGL had its own issues, and it would have been challenging for the league to change how it operates and bring in women golfers.

The LPGA has demonstrated that its biggest events can attract substantial audiences, particularly when stars, stakes, and television exposure align. Carpenter’s criticism points toward the missing piece. He says that the tour needs to rethink how its calendar and media strategy work together. If the LPGA keeps competing for leftover attention, even significant production investments may have limited impact.