🏌️♀️ Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA)
“From 13 trailblazing founders to a global network where every woman in golf belongs.”
Background & Founding
The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) was founded in 1950 — one of the earliest and longest-standing professional women’s sports organisations in the world.
It began at Rolling Hills Country Club, Wichita, Kansas, when thirteen pioneering women came together to create an organisation that would allow women to play professionally, organise tournaments, and build visibility for female athletes at a time when few opportunities existed.
The Founding 13
These women were not only competitors but also visionaries — handling tour schedules, administration, and promotion themselves.
Founders:
Alice Bauer • Patty Berg • Bettye Danoff • Helen Dettweiler • Marlene Hagge • Helen Hicks • Opal Hill • Betty Jameson • Sally Sessions • Marilynn Smith • Shirley Spork • Louise Suggs • Babe Zaharias
Patty Berg served as the LPGA’s first president. Their courage and initiative laid the foundation for what would become a worldwide community of professional and amateur women golfers.
The Founders film is embedded from YouTube. It is free to watch, here or on YouTube.
Growth & Evolution
From humble beginnings with just a handful of tournaments, the LPGA grew into a global organisation that now includes:
- Over 30 annual events across five continents
- Members from more than 60 countries
- The LPGA Professionals division (founded in 1959) supporting teaching and coaching careers
- The LPGA–USGA Girls Golf Program, now serving over 90,000 young players annually
- The LPGA Amateurs, connecting recreational and businesswomen golfers around the world
By its 75th anniversary in 2025, the LPGA had become a symbol of professional excellence, equity, and belonging in women’s sport.
Organisational Milestones
| Year | Milestone |
| 1944–1949 | Precursor: the Women’s Professional Golf Association (WPGA) founded by Ellen Griffin, Betty Hicks & Hope Seignious. |
| 1950 | LPGA officially chartered. |
| 1959 | LPGA Teaching & Club Professionals Division established. |
| 1963 | First televised LPGA tournaments. |
| 1975 | First full-time commissioner appointed (Ray Volpe). |
| 1990s | Expansion into international markets and major sponsorship growth. |
| 2000s | Rebranding and modernisation. |
| 2010–2021 | Mike Whan leads transformational growth; LPGA merges with EWGA and allies with LET. |
| 2025 | LPGA celebrates its 75th anniversary; Craig Kessler appointed as commissioner. |
LPGA Commissioners (1975 → Present)
| Commissioner | Tenure | Key Achievements / Notes |
| Ray Volpe | 1975 – 1982 | First full-time commissioner; professionalised structure, built TV partnerships. |
| John Laupheimer | 1982 – 1988 | Expanded sponsorship and business stability. |
| William Blue | 1988 – 1990 | Short tenure; continued professional development. |
| Charles Mechem Jr. | 1990 – 1995 | Guided LPGA through economic challenges; improved corporate relations. |
| Jim Ritts | 1996 – 1999 | Introduced early digital marketing and TV partnerships. |
| Ty Votaw | 1999 – 2005 | Modernised LPGA’s brand; grew international events. |
| Carolyn Bivens | 2005 – 2009 | First female commissioner; focused on media and digital rights. |
| Mike Whan | 2010 – 2021 | Rebuilt LPGA into a global powerhouse; expanded tour schedule, prize purses, media, and membership. Integrated EWGA into LPGA Amateurs and established LPGA–LET alliance. |
| Mollie Marcoux Samaan | 2021 – 2025 | Strengthened global relationships; led LPGA through 75th anniversary. |
| Craig Kessler | 2025 – present | Guiding LPGA’s next digital, global, and equity-focused era. |
The Mike Whan Era (2010 – 2021)
When Mike Whan took over as the LPGA’s eighth commissioner in 2010, the organisation faced shrinking schedules and declining sponsorship.
Over the next decade, he transformed it into one of the world’s most admired professional tours — not just in golf, but in all of women’s sport.
Transformational Achievements
- Tournament & Purse Growth: Expanded the schedule from 24 to 34+ events and lifted total prize money from $41 million to over $70 million.
- Global Reach: Established events and partnerships across Asia, Europe, and Australia, turning the LPGA into a truly international tour.
- LPGA–LET Strategic Alliance (2020): Partnered with the Ladies European Tour, stabilising and revitalising women’s golf in Europe while creating a unified, global LPGA network.
- EWGA Integration → LPGA Amateurs (2018): Welcomed the Executive Women’s Golf Association into the LPGA family, connecting thousands of recreational and businesswomen golfers to the professional game through the newly branded LPGA Amateurs.
- Grassroots Growth: Expanded LPGA–USGA Girls Golf from around 4,500 participants to more than 90,000 annually, promoting accessibility and mentorship.
- Media & Visibility: Quadrupled television coverage and developed a stronger digital presence.
- Culture & Identity: Introduced the “Drive On” campaign — symbolising resilience, unity, and belonging across every level of the LPGA community.
Mike Whan Legacy
By 2021, Whan had built a comprehensive LPGA ecosystem — uniting elite competition, teaching professionals, juniors, and amateurs under one inclusive network.
He left behind an organisation with global reach, financial stability, and a clear sense of purpose — that every woman, at every level of the game, could find her place within the LPGA family.
His tenure is widely regarded as the most transformative in LPGA history, establishing the modern structure that future commissioners would build upon.
Key Challenges & Going Forward
While the growth during Whan’s era was strong, the LPGA (and women’s professional golf) remain challenged by issues such as parity in prize money relative to men’s tours, continuing to expand media rights and sponsorships globally, building consistent global tournaments, and ensuring strong governance and operations. Whan himself noted in 2019 that he was “not done”. GolfDigest.com
Transition
In July 2021, Whan moved on to become the CEO of the United States Golf Association (USGA)
His departure marked the end of a significant era for the LPGA, passing the baton to Mollie Marcoux and beyond.
The Mollie Marcoux Samaan Years (2021 – 2025)
Appointed in May 2021 as the ninth Commissioner of the LPGA, Mollie Marcoux Samaan brought a calm, collaborative, and athlete-centred approach to leadership following Mike Whan’s transformational decade. A former Princeton athlete and athletics director, she understood the value of partnership, purpose, and people.
Under her stewardship, the LPGA strengthened its relationships with the PGA of America, USGA, and Ladies European Tour, reinforcing women’s golf as a unified global ecosystem. She focused on competitive balance, player welfare, and sponsorship stability during the post-pandemic period, ensuring the tour’s continued financial health and global momentum.
Marcoux Samaan also oversaw the LPGA’s 75th Anniversary in 2025, a landmark celebration that honoured the 13 founding members and showcased the LPGA’s evolution from a grassroots tour to a worldwide movement for women in golf. The anniversary season highlighted “Drive On — Together,” reaffirming the LPGA’s mission of belonging, opportunity, and empowerment for every woman in the game.
Her tenure is remembered as a period of stability, inclusion, and reflection — bridging the rapid growth of the Whan era with the digital, globally connected vision now being advanced under Craig Kessler.
Craig Kessler — The Next Chapter (2025 → )
Appointed as the 10th Commissioner of the LPGA in 2025, Craig Kessler brings deep expertise in sports media, global event management, and digital engagement.
Vision & Priorities
- Digital Transformation: Expanding live coverage, storytelling, and interactive fan experiences.
- Global Partnerships: Strengthening collaboration with the LET, JLPGA, and KLPGA.
- Equity & Inclusion: Championing prize parity, diversity in leadership, and sustainability.
- Pathways & Player Development: Building a seamless journey from junior girls’ golf → Epson Tour → LPGA Tour.
- Community & Belonging: Evolving the LPGA’s identity as a global family that connects women through golf, competition, and camaraderie.
Kessler’s leadership marks the LPGA’s next-generation evolution — advancing the international, inclusive vision first ignited by Whan and rooted in the spirit of the 13 founders.
Legacy & Significance
From Patty Berg and Babe Zaharias in 1950 to the modern champions and leaders of today, the LPGA represents 75 years of perseverance, innovation, and purpose.
It is the longest-running professional women’s sports organisation in history and remains a living testament to the belief that belonging, opportunity, and excellence are at the heart of women’s golf.
The LPGA’s story — past, present, and future — is that of a community built by women, for women, continually evolving to ensure that every generation of players can Drive On.