TARZANA, Calif. — LPGA Tour commissioner Craig Kessler has been on the West Coast swing just like the players, participating in pro-ams and tournament parties. He’s talking with golfers and sponsors in his first time at tournaments in Arizona, the Bay Area, Nevada and Los Angeles since taking the helm last May.
In the LPGA’s recent off week, Kessler went to Georgia for the Augusta National Women’s Amateur final round and then the Masters. He was pleased with the feedback he received on the changes he’s overseen on the tour.
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“I thought the week was a home run and exceeded my expectations in so many ways,” Kessler said about his trip to Augusta in an interview on Thursday. “I’ll give you a few examples. First, it was so wonderful to be around people in golf who recognize the progress the LPGA is making. What a motivating thing to be a part of.
“Second, we had meetings with current partners and perspective partners; and coming out of those conversations, you could feel the pride from our current partners. They’re excited to be a part of what we’re doing. And for prospects, there were a handful who said, ‘Man, the LPGA seems to be making a lot of positive noise, and we want to be a part of it.’
“Finally, I would just say that having spent my last decade of my career in golf, the chance to see old friends and connect throughout the week. It’s just a very happy, happy week.”
Kessler followed Augusta with a trip to Los Angeles for this week’s JM Eagle LA Championship. He’s now back at his home base in Texas, where next week’s first major of the year resides. That too, has changed, as the Chevron Championship is at Memorial Park in Houston for the first time, which is where the PGA Tour played a few weeks ago for the Texas Children’s Houston Open.
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Asked how he’d assess the job he’s done since taking over the tour last July, Kessler said: “I’m thrilled with the progress our team is making,” Kessler said.
He names what he sees as tangible advances: live TV for every round for the first time in tour history; enhanced broadcast features, including shot tracing; some scheduling improvements, with more still to come; and the hiring of three new people into executive positions.
“I want to give you a proof point that gets me so fired up. A year ago [before Kessler arrived], when we tried to do media and get our players to buy in, we had to beg to get 15 or so players fired up to do it. The past couple of weeks, we had 115 players each give us an hour of their time to do content. This includes our biggest stars from around the world. That signals to us that our players are fully bought in and are ready to do their part to take this tour to the next level.”
One of the tour’s bright young stars, rookie Natasha Oon, has met and interacted with Kessler a few times. She was surprised when he told her he watched her entire press conference—the first one that went viral while talking about her sesamoid fracture. She is fun, energetic and exactly what the tour is looking for when they market stars. (Oon certainly helped her own visibility by opening with a xxx in L.A.)
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“This guy could run for president and I wouldn’t be surprised,” Oon said. “The way he talks and holds himself, it’s kind of cool to see. I think he’s doing great things for the tour, and every time he sees me, it’s always been a really cool time because he greets you, and he hypes you up. He’s such a supportive presence.
“He’s got so much to do, but he always finds time to say hi and makes you feel like you’re a star. And everyone’s a star. He’s doing so many changes, but it’s good changes, and there’s good intentions behind it.”
The broadcast enhancements debuted at the Ford Championship in March. During that tournament, Lydia Ko was tearing up Whirlwind Golf Club and had a chance to shoot 59, but most fans didn’t know it until after her round because the LPGA team was slow to get the word out on social media. It was a clear missed opportunity.
Maybe a lesson was learned. On Thursday, Chizzy Iwai lit up El Caballero Country Club by shooting seven under over seven holes while scoring 29 on the front nine. The LPGA panels posted plenty as Iwai eventually tied the course record with a 63.
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Kessler, who was the COO at TopGolf, learned valuable advice from former CEO Ken May about always being “in the field.” He said it’s a reminder of why he does what he does, whether he’s playing in the pro-am or working the driving range. He was there with Walter Wang (the chairman and CEO of JM Eagle) and Shirley Wang (CEO of Plastrpo) for the poplar VIP party in L.A. on Wednesday. It’s no secret that it’s one of the best-attended parties on tour and there was $75,000 in gifts and prizes.
Kessler told golfer Aditi Ashok that she had to tell a dad joke to get a gift card. She used this one: “How does a crab get to and from school each day?
“A sidewalk.”
Kessler loved it. “She killed it,” he said.
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With the LPGA hosting its first major of the year at a new venue next week, there’s no doubt the tour would love to make a splash. Seven tournaments have been played so far, and the winners have been most high-profile, including World Nos. 1 and 2 Jeeno Thitikul and Nelly Korda. The LPGA had a 2025 that featured parity, but no one dominated, with 26 players being winners in the first 25 events. There is already a repeat champion this year—World No. 3 Hyo Joo Kim.
“I think the biggest opportunity and the biggest challenge in front of us right now is prioritization,” Kessler said. “There’s so much to do. There are so many people who have raised their hands to get involved in support, and we are one of the most leanly staffed organizations I’ve ever been a part of, and making sure the team stays laser focused, is a very important part of the job.”
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