Days After Making $100M Announcement, LPGA Tour at Risk of Suffering Massive Setback

LPGA has been associated with the CME Group since 2011. The CME Group Tour Championship began its pro-am event 15 years ago. The group’s association with the LPGA was seeded by notes that the CEO of CME Group, Terry Duffy, received from clients who were overwhelmed after playing with established LPGA stars. Therefore, they officially sponsored the women’s golf tour’s season-ending event at the Ritz-Carlton’s Tiburon Golf Club.

This week, Duffy will be handing over the biggest check the LPGA has ever provided to its champions, outside of the majors. In the history of women’s games, $2 million is the highest amount to be paid to a winner. However, the total purse set for the event is a whopping $7 million. However, recent incidents have begun to crack the relationship between the LPGA and CME.

Why is LPGA in danger of losing a sponsor?

CME hosted a dinner after the conference on Tuesday. However, the event turned into an embarrassment for the LPGA tour. The firm invited several players to the feast, but they failed to attend the event. When Duffy asked to switch on the house lights to applaud the players, he was shocked to see that no one had turned up for the event.

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Two days after the event, Duffy said it was an embarrassing moment for him and his enormous company. However, he wasn’t upset because of the players, but he was holding the people at the helm accountable. “I am exceptionally disappointed with the leadership of the LPGA. They better get their act together because they’re going to lose people like me over stuff like this,” said Duffy. According to him, if they continue this, the circuit’s future will be challenging.

For those who need to learn the importance of the CME, it hosted its first event in 2011. The purse was $1.5 million then. However, the winner of the event received $500,000. CME introduced a $1 million bonus to the Race to the CME Globe three years later. Subsequently, in 2018, they announced a winner’s takeaway of $1.5 million. Therefore, it would be a significant loss for LPGA if CME left their side.

How did the women’s golf circuit react?

Mollie Marcoux Samaan became a crucial part of the LPGA when she became the commissioner of the LPGA 18 months ago. She was also present at the venue where the players skipped the dinner party. According to her, she was pretty upset with what happened, as CME Group and Terry Duffy are the biggest supporters of LPGA. 

As the leader of the LPGA tour, Marcoux took full responsibility. She said, as the head of the organization, it is solely her responsibility to keep a check on everyone. Therefore, no such embarrassing incidents will occur in the future.

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