“The quality of LPGA tournament broadcasts needs to get a lot better,” Charley Hull said just a few months ago, summing up the frustration that continues to echo through the LPGA. Despite undeniable progress in prize money and popularity, players like Hull have repeatedly called out one nagging issue — visibility. And this week, as she announced her retirement, two-time major champion Stacy Lewis made it clear — those concerns weren’t just noise, but a part of a deeper issue.
During a press conference at the 2025 Walmart NW Arkansas Championship, Lewis was asked about the changes she’d like to see on the tour in the future, even though this would be her last tournament of her career. While she praised the improvements in the prize money, highlighting that the LPGA is “making a lot of strides” in that area, she also pointed out the glaring lack of media attention still holding the women’s game back. “I think going forward, I’d like to see more TV coverage, get our players more well-known outside of the world of golf,” Lewis said.
“You know, I’d like, you know, Nelly’s run last year. I wish she kind of would have gotten more recognition for that run she went on, which was pretty darn impressive. So, um, it’s really all about getting our players seen a little bit more and improving the experiences on site,” she added. Nelly Korda won five consecutive LPGA events in 2024, a historic streak that should have lit up headlines and pushed her into the mainstream sports conversation. But instead, it barely made a ripple outside of the golf world. Stacy Lewis is pointing out a critical disconnect that even when LPGA players deliver undeniably elite performances, the world often doesn’t notice, or worse, isn’t even given the chance to.
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Stacy Lewis knows what better visibility can do, not just for ticket sales or sponsors, but for the young girls watching from the sidelines. “I’ve got a little six-year-old myself that, you know, we got to get more kids out here, because that’s what produces the next generation of talent,” she shared. Without stronger visibility through more airtime and better on-site experiences, the next gen might never get the motivation they need.
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Lewis’ frustration mirrors the calls from Charley Hull and others who have constantly raised issues related to little airtime on major networks. Michelle Wie West echoed the same, stating, “I still think there’s a lot that needs to be done to give these girls what they deserve in terms of media attention and viewership on broadcast. The quality of LPGA tournament broadcasts needs to get a lot better.” Lydia Ko, too, highlighted that “we need more budget to have more cameramen, and then more airtime, and more network TV.”
But despite these constant concerns from players, LPGA Commissioner Craig Kessler feels that while the issue is urgent, the onus also lies on the players to make the effort if they want to see the changes.
Stacy Lewis’s comments come amid Craig Kessler’s push for player-driven change
While Commissioner Kessler recognizes the urgency and has previously highlighted the LPGA’s lack of visibility, he emphasized that the change will not come from a single magical solution. Instead, he highlighted that it’s going to take “lots of little things that are going to layer on top of one another.” One of the most important among them, he believes, is player-driven storytelling.
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Craig Kessler wants athletes to go beyond just competing — he wants them to share their journeys, their challenges, and their personalities to create deeper fan interactions. “The more players can lean in and tell their stories on social and generate fans — not just people who watch the LPGA, but people who root for the LPGA — the better off we’ll be,” Kessler said in July on the Inside the LPGA podcast. While it’s an issue that he places utmost importance on, he highlighted that only players “can inspire in ways nobody else can.” And that would help in aiding the change everyone wants to see.
Craig Kessler also urged sponsors and media partners to come together and called for more equitable marketing efforts, so that the female players get as much recognition as the men. “Anytime there’s a commercial on TV that showcases PGA Tour players, great — but let’s see LPGA Tour players right next to them,” he added. His vision is one where fans don’t have to search endlessly to find women’s golf on TV or streaming apps. Instead, he wants the LPGA to be easily accessible, predictable, and part of the everyday sports conversation.