This summer, YouTube golf brand Good Good ran a Callaway driver ad that quickly went viral for all the wrong reasons. The video showed a man shoving a woman for touching his club, and the blowback gutted the company. Now, almost two months later, LPGA Commissioner Craig Kessler is making the case for forgiveness.
LPGA Head Urges Golf World to Move Past Controversy
On Tuesday, Kessler argued against permanent punishment for the budding company.
"The fact that someone thought that was a good idea, and it came to life, just shows you that while society has made enormous progress, we have a very, very long way to go," Kessler admitted at the Front Office Sports Tuned In Summit.
Still, the LPGA Tour leader thinks that by taking accountability for its bad judgement, the brand should get a second chance.
"Good people make mistakes," he continued. "We have to leave room in society for someone to say, 'I made a massive mistake. Please forgive me. Here's what I learned, and it won't happen again.'"
To illustrate his point, Kessler referenced his own public stumble — canceling the final round of an LPGA Tour season opener in February over freezing temperatures. It was a call he later apologized for after overruling his staff.
"They were right, and I was wrong," he said. "Should I have lost my job for making a mistake?"
His remarks come during a period of transition for the LPGA Tour, which recently saw CMO Chad Coleman depart after less than a year on the job. With the sport seeing massive growth over the past few seasons, both brands and the governing execs should expect more scrutiny from fans and media experts.
The LPGA Tour is making plans in 2027, rolling out a season framework that features a more efficient schedule, new venues, and a record $147 million in prize money.
The season spans 33 events, with a streamlined calendar meant to reduce fatigue and facilitate more prestigious competition.
“We’ve made meaningful strides in how our athletes move around the world, what venues they play, and how much they play for,” said Commissioner Craig Kessler.
Golfers will tee off across 11 countries and 13 US states next season. The 2027 schedule includes two Asian swings and one European swing.
The boost extends beyond the majors. More than $94 million is allotted for non-major tournaments — up nearly $12 million. Meanwhile, 20 events will offer player benefits like housing and travel assistance.
The LPGA is heading to Hong Kong for the first time in over 50 years. On Tuesday, the tour announced the Futu Ladies World Championship, a new event is set for March 2027 at The Clearwater Bay Golf & Country Club.
LPGA Tournament and Purse Details
The tournament will feature a 78-player field competing for a $3.4 million purse, the largest of any LPGA event in the tour's Asia swing. Futu Holdings Limited, the fintech company behind the trading platform Moomoo, is backing the event as title sponsor.
Meanwhile, the course addition reshapes the LPGA schedule's spring Asia swing, which already includes stops in Thailand and Singapore. Commissioner Craig Kessler called Clearwater Bay "a championship-caliber course" and praised Hong Kong as "a market ready for the tour."
"Our fans across Asia have always been some of the most passionate in the world," Kessler said. "We couldn't be more excited to bring the tour to Hong Kong."
The coastal venue, often compared to Pebble Beach, will broadcast the event to roughly 130 countries.
Still, the new stop also coincides with a shift away from mainland China. The Blue Bay LPGA on Hainan Island, which has been plagued by repeated cancellations since 2019, appears to have fallen off the 2027 LPGA Tour schedule.
A celebrated LPGA event is making a comeback, as the Corning Classic returns to the schedule in 2027 after the Western New York tournament's 18-year hiatus.
Now known simply as "The Classic," the event leaps from a popular small-market stop to a heavyweight, boosting its purse to $5 million to rank among the highest on the LPGA Tour schedule outside of majors. It additionally marks a massive jump from the $1.5 million paid to 2009 winner Yani Tseng.
The revival lands as its title sponsor celebrates its 175th anniversary in Corning, a small town some two hours outside of Buffalo.
"The return of The Classic brings together the LPGA's history and its future," commented LPGA commissioner Craig Kessler.
"As we continue shaping the next chapter of our Tour, we're building on the qualities that have defined the LPGA for decades — incredible championships, committed partners, passionate communities and unforgettable experiences for our athletes."
The tournament showcases a storied history. Nine of its past champions are enshrined in the World Golf Hall of Fame, including Joanne Carner, Pat Bradley, Juli Inkster, and Annika Sorenstam.
"Community support was always at the heart of what made this tournament so enjoyable to play," Sorenstam said.
"I know that the latest generation of players are going to love the event just as much as we all did."
The Corning Classic tees off in May 2027.
The LPGA Portland Classic will welcome four amateur champions to the golf course this year. The move marks a first for the LPGA schedule highlight.
Winners of the US Women's Amateur, the Women's Amateur Championship, the Augusta National Women's Amateur, and the NCAA Division I individual title will each receive an exemption into the event.
The Standard Portland Classic is set for August 13-16 at Columbia Edgewater Country Club in Portland, OR. On the LPGA schedule, it now stands out as the only stop where all four amateur titleholders can compete together.
"We're proud to stand alongside the USGA, The R&A, Augusta National, and the NCAA in creating a clear pathway from amateur excellence to professional golf," LPGA commissioner Craig Kessler said. "This is about aligning around a shared commitment to the future of women’s golf."
How Elite Amateurs Qualify for LPGA Schedule Events
Those amateur winners already earn spots in major championships, but this initiative adds a regular-season proving ground.
In 2025, World Amateur Golf Ranking No. 1 Kiara Romero used a sponsor invite to finish T7. The result showed how ready top-ranked amateurs can be on an LPGA golf course.
With the new exemptions in place, the Portland Classic could deliver the most compelling amateur-pro matchup on the LPGA schedule.
LPGA stars will soon be hitting the virtual links, as the pro women's tour is teaming up with TMRW Sports to launch the all-new WTGL next winter.
The indoor team golf platform will build off the success of the second-year men's venture Tomorrow's Golf League (TGL) — a 2025 upstart co-founded by PGA stars Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy — which merges traditional golf with simulated play to provide avenues for offseason competition.
"I've seen how new formats can engage audiences while showcasing both athlete personality and performance, and WTGL brings that spirit of innovation to the women's game," said commissioner Craig Kessler in the LPGA's Tuesday press release. It creates another global stage for our athletes — one that helps fans connect more deeply with them and continues to elevate the visibility and growth of women's golf."
US fan favorite Lexi Thompson unveiled the news on ESPN's SportsCenter on Tuesday, promising a star-studded roster of LPGA standouts, with WTGL participants and teams dropping in the upcoming months.
"It just brings a whole different fan base to the game of golf," said the 2022 Women's PGA Championship runner-up. "[Fans can] see the personalities of the guys, and now the women. So, it's just amazing for the game of golf in general, but especially the women's side."
Just before the final event of the 2025 Tour, the LPGA raised the stakes for pro women's golf, announcing this week that the governing body is expanding both player paydays and live broadcast coverage for the 2026 season.
For the first time in the sport's history, the LPGA's upcoming 76th Tour will see every round of every tournament broadcast live in the US.
The Tour will also add 50% more camera equipment — including slow-motion and drone cameras — than used in this year's tournaments, with most 2026 LPGA action airing live on the Golf Channel or CNBC.
"For us to finally get our shot at having live TV and for people investing in our product out here has been amazing," US star and world No. 2 Nelly Korda said on Wednesday. "I can't wait to see where it's going to go."
Even more, next season's total prize money will reach $132 million across the Tour's 33 tournaments, a record-high sum after five major events raised their purses by a cumulative $3 million.
There will also be more financial commitment across the board, with 12 events on the 2026 LPGA Tour featuring elevated purses and more than 15 guaranteeing a minimum payout for all players — even those who miss the cut.
"I'm incredibly proud of what we've built, and even more excited about where we're headed," said LPGA commissioner Craig Kessler. "Coming off our 75th anniversary season, we wanted a calendar that gives our athletes great stages, better flow, and even more opportunity — and I think 2026 delivers that."
LPGA season wraps with this week's 2025 CME Group Tour Championship
Though the LPGA is already planning for its 2026 campaign, the final event of the 2025 Tour kicked off on Thursday, as this year's top 60 points-getters teed off in the CME Group Tour Championship.
Featuring 28 of the 29 event champions this year as well as every world Top 25 player, the 2025 Tour's grand finale will see the sport's best battling for the lion's share of the $11 million purse in Naples, Florida.
Leading the field is the aforementioned US standout Korda as well as 2024 CME Group Tour champion and world No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul and New Zealand's two-time winner No. 5 Lydia Ko.
An impressive eight LPGA rookies also made the cut to enter the elite end-of-season tournament, including Japan's No. 3 Miyu Yamashita and England's No. 10 Lottie Woad.
How to watch the 2025 CME Group Tour Championship
The 2025 LPGA Tour will finish with Sunday's final round at the CME Group Tour Championship.
While ESPN+ will stream featured groups throughout the four-day tournament, the first three rounds will air live on the Golf Channel before Sunday's finale shifts to NBC and Peacock.