Liz Moore has taken her first major step as the Interim Commissioner of the LPGA Tour! The departure of Mollie Marcoux Samaan came as a shock to the LPGA Tour and the golf community. She truly pushed the LPGA Tour to new heights. Now, stars like Nelly Korda, Lydia Ko, and Co. continue to benefit from it. Even though she left, she has empowered everyone in the office and on the field to continue the Tour’s success.

A couple of days ago, Lydia Ko and others were in the headlines. They were heavily involved in dealing with the LPGA Tour’s slow play issue. Partnering with the stand-in Commissioner Moore, they announced that a new slow-play policy will take effect. It will be applied from March 27, 2025, during the Ford Championship. This will help regulate the slow players and keep the action on the field. A major initiative to curb the age-old problem of pace. And now, Liz Moore has taken another major step to improve the LPGA Tour.

Front Office Sports announced that Moore and the LPGA Tour filed a complaint in the federal court against JoongAng Ilbo Co., Ltd, the parent company of JTBC, the broadcasting company. They are the South Korean broadcast partners of the Tour and the sponsors of the Fir Hills Seri Pak Championship. Unfortunately, JTBC has failed to fulfill its contractual obligations and make timely payments. This has been the case since the 2024 edition of the tournament was concluded. The lawsuit comes after the LPGA Tour canceled the event entirely in January 2025. In a statement released by the Tour’s spokesperson, they said “due to the event underwriter failing to fulfill any portion of its payment obligations to the LPGA Tour for the 2024 and 2025 events.” Also to keep in mind, JTBC is the underwriter.

On Tuesday, GolfWeek also reported that Liz Moore sent a memo to the LPGA Tour stars. She wanted to explain why they canceled the event. Moore said that the Tour took the step “to enforce a guarantee agreement with a JTBC affiliate to recover the unpaid amounts.” Yes, that does mean that Nelly Korda won’t be able to defend her 2024 Fir Hills Seri Pak Championship title. However, it is still beneficial for women’s golf as a whole.

What does this mean for the LPGA Tour and its availability in South Korea? Let’s find out.

Will the LPGA Tour stop broadcasting in South Korea?

The LPGA Tour features stars from all around the globe. Fans get to see their favorite national players feature in the Tour events throughout the year. Apart from the USA, some of the biggest players in women’s golf come from East Asia, especially South Korea. This includes Jin Young Ko, Haeran Ryu, and Amy Yang, who are in the top 15 of the highest-ranked golfers in the world. Hence, the country is an important domain for the Tour and its success in the future.

But their fans might face the dread of their local broadcast company if JTBC fails to make the payments.  As Moore suggested in her statement, “For now, we are not terminating our agreements and will continue honoring our obligations to avoid disruptions in tournament coverage in Korea”. While it may seem like great news, she also added, “However, if JTBC fails to meet its broadcast commitments, we are prepared to implement alternative solutions”. This shows that the Interim Commissioner will not comply with organizations that don’t comply with the terms of their contracts. JTBC’s actions also come as a big hiccup because they have been in partnership with the Tour since 2009. Hence, this was not an anticipated case.

It seems that Liz Moore and the LPGA Tour stars are shaking up the league in anticipation of the new full-time Commissioner. But that might make the Tour lose fans in South Korea. Hopefully, Moore has a backup plan available to switch to a new media partner if JTBC continues to resist. In fact, the broadcast company’s rivals in South Korea might already be communicating with the Interim Commissioner to formulate a possible deal with them in the future.

Do you think Liz Moore has taken the right step to force JTBC to make payments? Share your views in the comments section.