Despite recent growth, the LPGA Tour has often experienced lower viewership than its men’s golf counterpart. The golf community has always preferred watching the likes of Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, and Tiger Woods on the course than any LPGA Tour star. Even famous athletes who have crossed over to golf for Pro-Am events have received a lot more attention than the best women golfers. A great example of this was observed at the Annika driven by Gainbridge at Pelican. Despite the efforts of Nelly Korda, it was Caitlin Clark who stole the show at the event.

The WNBA superstar was featured alongside Korda & Annika Sörenstam in the Pro-Am tournament on Wednesday, November 13, 2024. During Clark’s appearance, the event managed to get a lot more viewers than it did in the final round the following Sunday. This reflects the lack of popularity and exposure for the LPGA Tour, which has become a major cause of concern. In an exclusive interview with Andrew Whitelaw of EssentiallySports, Lauren Coughlin shared her plea towards the new LPGA Tour commissioner set to replace Mollie Marcoux.

During the EssentiallySports exclusive interview, Whitelaw asked Coughlin “We’re going to see a new commissioner for the LPGA (Tour). Is there any goals you would like to see fulfilled?” After a brief moment of thought, the LPGA Tour player revealed that higher purse value will definitely be more encouraging for the golfers. She also stated, “I think getting on TV more is a huge thing for us”. Coughlin elaborated “If there is some way that they can get us more on TV. Whether it is, you know, starting to pay for us to be on YouTube”.

Explaining her reasoning behind the statement in the exclusive interview with EssentiallySports, Coughlin stated, “YouTube golf is taking off huge. At least in the US, I know it is. That’s where people are starting to go and watch a lot of their golf”. The American golfer believes the players will get a lot of exposure if they represent the LPGA Tour on YouTube. Coughlin further added, “Getting our personalities out there as well is just such a big way to grow our fans. It’s sad because a lot of people don’t get to watch us on TV because of how few times we actually get put on”. The LPGA Tour player doesn’t seem pleased with the broadcaster’s preference for men’s golf. But she may have a point about the LPGA Tour promoting its golfers on YouTube.

Other top golfers have also achieved a lot of fame in the YouTube golf space. Let’s take a quick glance at their efforts and understand if LPGA Tour golfers can also replicate their success.

What the new LPGA Tour commissioner can learn from Bryson DeChambeau & co.?

Stars from the PGA Tour and LIV Golf have had some successful YouTube projects. Bryson DeChambeau is the best example of a professional golfer who has made it big on the video-sharing website. The Crushers GC captain has built his own brand on YouTube thanks to the amazing names he has been able to attract. For instance, DeChambeau’s ‘Break 50’ video with Donald Trump turned into a major hit with fans from all around the world tuning in to watch the 47th POTUS explore the golf course. The amazing conversations between the two and some excellent strokeplay drove the success of the video.

More recently, Tiger Woods & Rory McIlroy also joined Grant Horvat’s YouTube channel. Their appearances gained 1.8 million and 945k viewers respectively for the content creator. Horvat also teased a collab with Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson a few hours ago. It received a lot of love and laughter from the fans as they particularly enjoyed the joke Mickelson and Horvat played at the expense of Johnson. The new LPGA Tour commissioner replacing Mollie Marcoux should definitely learn from this. Especially, when one of their stars also thinks it is a great idea.

Do you agree with Lauren Coughlin’s advice for the incoming LPGA Tour commissioner? Share your views in the comments section.