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One American journalist. That’s how many media members showed up to cover the LPGA’s International Crown in South Korea—a team event featuring the world’s best players, including Lydia Ko and Team USA. While players like Angel Yin returned to the range hours after competition to hang out with kids, the LPGA Tour faced a brutal reality: even with passionate, engaged players, nobody’s paying attention. The contrast couldn’t be starker. Players are doing everything right to grow women’s golf. Meanwhile, the tour keeps shooting itself in the foot. Beth Ann Nichols stood alone as the sole American reporter at the 2025 International Crown. No European media made the trip either. Just Nichols, some Japanese outlets, and the Korean press covered the $2 million event at New Korea Country Club from October 23-26. ADVERTISEMENT Article continues below this ad Back on the range, Angel Yin was creating magic. She finished her media obligations, then immediately asked, “Where are the kids?” Off she went to spend more time with young fans at clinics. Hours after her matches ended, she was still there. Teaching. Inspiring. Connecting. ADVERTISEMENT Article continues below this ad “Where are the kids?” — Angel Yin Lauren Coughlin called making Team USA one of her top priorities for 2025. Lydia Ko described the experience as “one of the most fun events I play all year.” Ko’s participation marked a significant milestone as she finally got her shot at International Crown glory, leading the all-new World Team alongside Charley Hull. “There’s really nothing like playing for your country with your friends.” — Lydia Ko Read Top Stories First From EssentiallySports Click here and check box next to EssentiallySports Team USA connected with military personnel from Camp Casey. Troops attended matches from the first tee to the final green. Players posed for photos. They ran skills clinics for service members and their families. ADVERTISEMENT Article continues below this ad But inside the media center? Five officials sat in a circle, struggling to explain their own tournament’s scoring system. The format confused everyone—even Korean fans in the stands tried to do math to figure out the team standings. Third-round broadcasts required real-time scoreboard corrections. The tour had crafted something so complicated that officials couldn’t track it themselves. LPGA’s scheduling problem compounds accessibility issues The accessibility problem runs deeper than confusing formats. The LPGA chose to compete directly against the most significant sports events of the month of October. The World Series. College football’s peak season. Major American sports dominated headlines during International Crown week. Beth Ann Nichols identified this as potentially more challenging than format changes for new Commissioner Craig Kessler. How do you optimize a schedule when you’re buried under American sports titans? The event is scheduled to return to the United States in 2027. That presents another challenge—finding the right timing when media and players are already positioned domestically. “The calendar just keeps coming up again and again in the schedule.” — Beth Ann Nichols. The LPGA has sponsorship commitment through 2031. That’s a great runway to experiment on. To simplify. To get scheduling right. Yet players like Yin and Ko continue to spread positive word about events, while the tour undermines their grassroots momentum with poor organizational decisions. The women of the LPGA are building something special through direct engagement. They’re accessible. They’re dedicated. They are committed to growing the game from the ground up. Now the tour just needs to match that energy with smart formats and strategic scheduling that actually lets people watch.
