The LPGA has spent years building elite talent without the broadcast infrastructure to match it. Nelly Korda’s five consecutive wins in 2024 barely registered on mainstream television. Thursday’s events at Sharon Heights indicated a potential resolution to that gap. And fans are thrilled!

Golf Channel’s Lisa Cornwell, who has been openly critical of LPGA broadcasts in the past, flipped her stance entirely on X, writing that the drone shots were excellent, the music and audio marked a big step up, and the three-person booth with Karen Stupples was a bonus. She also pointed to the golf course itself as the biggest upgrade, calling it the stage the LPGA deserves.

Cornwell’s reaction was even more important because she has a history of pushing for better LPGA coverage. She has said before that broadcasts should include more coverage of the tour and its players.

Ahead of this season, the LPGA announced a partnership with production company FM to modernize its broadcast. The Founders Cup was the first domestic event where those upgrades could fully activate, as the tour’s previous four events included a three-event Asia swing following the season-opening Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions. The 2026 season also marked the first time in the LPGA’s 75-year history that every round of every tournament received televised coverage.

The upgrades included more cameras and different angles, with World No. 2 Nelly Korda receiving two simultaneous camera angles while putting on the 10th green at Sharon Heights Golf and Country Club in Menlo Park, California, the kind of treatment typically reserved for PGA Tour telecasts. Drones captured sweeping shots of the course layout and its scenic location near Interstate 280.

Moreover, shot tracing covered Korda, Yealimi Noh, and Brooke Matthews, and additional microphones picked up a conversation between Grace Lee and a rules official. A video package introduced Japanese star Chizzy Iwai in both Japanese and English, while a Korda graphic listed her coffee order, favorite hobby, and superstitions.

Karen Stupples interviewed defending champion Noh after a birdie on No. 10, while Kay Cockerill spoke with Stanford alumna Andrea Lee, as Meg Mallon joined Grant Boone and Morgan Pressel in the booth.

But there is still room left for improvement. Coverage was delayed 12 minutes because the Golf Channel stayed on to cover Jordan Spieth finishing his round at the PGA Tour’s Valspar Championship.

The Iwai graphic appeared to be used just once in the three-hour window. Well, that made observers note that while shot tracing and player graphics were promising, there simply was not enough of either.

LPGA Chief Marketing Officer Chad Coleman acknowledged the direction, saying the goal is deeper storytelling, more shot tracing, green visualizations, and stronger athlete integration throughout broadcasts.

Golf fans and analysts flooded social media after the Founders Cup broadcast for the new system, with many crediting the leadership, too.

Fans online echo the same praise

“I could definitely tell a difference in the broadcast. Assume it will only get better. Really liked the drone use. Helped to have such a picturesque, interesting course and strong crowds! What a difference that makes! Also, a big fan of three people in the booth. Paige earlier in the year, and now Stups. It’s tough to go against March Madness. Would be great to figure out a way to get a marquee full-field event earlier in the year. Overall, a big win for Kessler,” Beth Ann Nichols wrote on X.

Well, one of the first things Craig Kessler did after taking office in July 2025 was to ensure a deal with NBC and the Golf Channel so every tournament is shown live. Then he got a multimillion-dollar investment from FM Global to change the production model, adding 50% more cameras and drones, tripling the number of microphones, and letting players and caddies walk and talk live.

“Finally… they deserve the best.. leadership has been failing them for years,” Carsley wrote.

Despite consistently featuring elite-level talent, the LPGA had gone decades without full televised coverage of every round. It was a gap that closed this season for the first time in the tour’s 75-year history.

“LPGA’s new and improved broadcast was a huge win this week. Drone shots, more tracers, pre-produced packages, etc. Add in an awesome golf course, and this week is what the LPGA should be week in and week out. As we head toward the first major. Excited to see how it grows,” wrote Josh Schrock.

His calls for tracers and pre-produced packages match Coleman’s FM partnership’s core deliverables, suggesting the upgrades were successful.

“More to come!!” reacted Justin Ray.

Thursday’s broadcast was technically the first full domestic deployment of the new production setup, meaning what viewers saw was a starting point, not a ceiling.

“Sharon Heights was a great one to see!” was another reaction.

Throughout the broadcast, the Menlo Park, California, course was praised for its scenic layout near Interstate 280, which gave drone cameras premium visuals.

The overall tone from the fans matched that of the media. The Founders Cup broadcast was a genuine step forward, and most want to see it become the standard rather than the exception.