Nichols: At what feels like a tipping point for the LPGA, a closer look at the rocky tenure of commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan
BELLEAIR, Fla. – In October 2021, Caitlin Clark sent a direct message to the LPGA’s Twitter account asking for one of its cotton-candy logoed hoodies designed by Michelle Wie West.
“Think you could hook me up w the best sweatshirt ever made?!!!” Clark asked. “Huge fan.”
Tour officials didn’t actually see the message until Clark made her debut in an LPGA pro-am, and they scrambled to present her with the hoodie Wednesday morning on the first tee at Pelican Golf Club.
In creating the WNBA-like hoodie, which raised awareness for the tour and money for charity, Wie West said “We’re often hidden; we’re often left out; we’re often not covered.”
That it took three years for the tour to even notice Clark’s request is a terribly on-brand whiff.
Rarely is the LPGA at the forefront of anything, including the current surge in women’s sports.
Yes, purses on the LPGA are at an all-time high. Major championship prize funds alone have more than doubled since 2021 to nearly $48 million. Total prize money in 2024 topped $125 million, up more than 80 percent since 2021.
It might be tempting to underline those numbers and deem LPGA commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan’s tenure thus far a success. The sport, after all, seems to center around money these days.
Except that’s not the whole story. Far from it, in fact.
Coming off the dreadfully public transportation disaster at the Solheim Cup, which quickly escalated into a crisis-management catastrophe, it’s appropriate on the eve of the LPGA’s season-ender to dig a little deeper and attempt to answer a simple question: After more than three years at the helm, how is she doing?
First, it was always going to be hard to replace Mike Whan, a master communicator. The current USGA CEO, Whan announced his decision to step down as LPGA commissioner in January 2021 after a successful 11-year stint. Hired in May 2021 as the tour’s ninth commissioner, Marcoux Samaan didn’t actually get to work in her new role until August, and the first thing on her 100-day agenda was to listen and learn.
The former Princeton athletic director got off to a painfully slow start.
Failure to breakthrough to the mainstream
At the 2023 CME Group Tour Championship, Marcoux Samaan called this a period of transformational growth for women’s golf. And yet, there’s little evidence that the LPGA has broken through into the mainstream at a time when female athletes are experiencing an unprecedented amount of exposure.
Even when World No. 1 Nelly Korda got off to an historic start to the 2024 season, her fame didn’t exactly explode. Domestically, the tour still lacks a bona fide household name.
There are bright spots, to be sure. Such as next week’s $4 million winner’s check, the largest prize in women’s sports history. Marcoux Samaan and CME Group Chairman and CEO Terry Duffy endured a rocky time two years ago when a long list of LPGA players no-showed an important dinner. An embarrassed Duffy blamed leadership, telling Golfweek he was “exceptionally disappointed.”
One year later, however, Duffy signed a contract extension and poured more money into the season-ending event. Duffy and the tour worked it out, but the black eye said much about Marcoux Samaan’s ability to relate to the game’s power players.
Players appreciate the focus on missed-cut money, free hotels and an increased health insurance stipend. But there’s a common refrain among many in and around the tour that they can’t articulate Marcoux Samaan’s overall vision. And when it comes to big-picture issues – such as the tour’s Gender Policy or its dealings with Golf Saudi and the potential of an LET merger – the tour lacks transparency and is slow to act.
Annika Sorenstam talks with Mollie Marcoux Samaan, commissioner of the LPGA, during a pro-am ahead of the 2024 The Annika driven by Gainbridge at Pelican in Belleair, Florida. (Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)
When there weren’t enough buses on Friday morning to transport fans at the Solheim Cup, resulting in wait times of more than two hours, the tour’s communication with the public and media was virtually non-existent for most of the day. It wasn’t until late Friday evening that the tour publicly addressed the issue with a plan (that was quickly deleted and replaced with a scaled-down statement). The commissioner didn’t take questions until the following morning.
What started out as a bus shortage turned into a crisis of leadership.
Promise of growth not being achieved
It’s not that the LPGA is struggling to stay afloat – which has been the case in the past – it’s that the tour’s not experiencing the transformational growth Marcoux Samaan preached.
The departure of Cognizant, a Fortune 100 company that was bullish on the LPGA from the start – signaled a red flag. The hope was that Cognizant’s leadership would sing the LPGA’s praises to other blue-chip companies and lead to organic growth.
Instead, they’re out after title-sponsoring four editions of the event, leaving the tour scrambling to back its own Founders Cup as the LPGA celebrates 75 years.
In addition, stops that have been on tour for decades in Portland and Toledo have been on life support now for several seasons. For reference, the inaugural Portland Ladies Classic dates back to 1972. The Toledo stop began in 1984.
As the LPGA looks to add to the number of events it owns and operates, it has become increasingly clear that the tour lacks the resources needed to make what it currently runs – such as the Solheim Cup and Founders Cup – a success. The tour has invested heavily in boosting its staff in recent years.
A demanding job that requires strong relationships
There’s no question that leading the LPGA is one of the most difficult and demanding jobs in sports. There’s no time to relax. It’s a constant turnover of sponsors, staff and talent. Just as one win goes up on the board, a fire breaks out somewhere else.
It takes help to be successful at this job, which requires strong relationships. And that’s probably where Marcoux Samaan, whose contract expires in the summer of 2026, currently struggles the most. She hasn’t won over enough key people in the event business, the player body, the press or inside her own headquarters. There’s a profound lack of confidence and inspiration among those in her charge.
How much opportunity is being left on the table?
It’s a question that can’t be escaped.
