Frustration Erupts As Nelly Korda & Co’s Legendary Moment Go Unnoticed, PGA Tour Model Gets Invoked By Fans

In 1950, the LPGA Tour was established after 13 women golfers gathered to put everything in and make a platform for women’s golf. Their hard work has made the LPGA Tour what it stands for today, and rightfully so. To honor the legacy of the 13 founding members and all those who came after them, the LPGA Tour has been playing the Cognizant Founders Cup since 2011. Every year, the event invites prominent figures from the golf world like Nancy Lopez, Annika Sorenstam, Morgan Pressel, and others. These golfing greats sit by the 18-hole green and greet the current stars on the LPGA Tour, giving them hugs and a few motivational words. This year, too that happened!

This year, the stage was adorned by Pat Bradley, Beth Daniel, Pressel, and a few more former players. The LPGA Tour posted a video of world no. 1 Nelly Korda, 15-time LPGA Tour Jin Young Ko, and 2-time major winner Minjee Lee meeting the pioneers at the 18th green podium after finishing the second round. The special moment shared between the current and former pros was not shown properly on the broadcast and yet the scenes found a special place in the fans’ hearts. However, it also opened them to a few disparities between the LPGA Tour, and the PGA Tour.

Ironically, for the Tours that represent the same sport, there’s a drastic difference between the two. The highest prize purse on the men’s circuit is the $25 million PLAYERS Championship (more than majors). Whereas, on the LPGA Tour, the highest prize purse for any non-major event is the $11 million season-ending CME Globe Tour Championship. The difference not only exists in the purse, but also in the TV deals, sponsors, and viewership! It can be said that the women’s circuit has always been less popular as compared to the PGA Tour, and fans are now demanding a change!

Seeing the special moments get ignored on the LPGA Tour when the PGA Tour gets more attention, the golf fans shared their frustration over the constant lack of coverage, made a special request, and asked the LPGA Tour to make more such traditions.

The golf world asks for more empowering traditions from the LPGA Tour

The LPGA Tour has always been plagued by low coverage, and the fans subsequently share their grievances about it. Last year, the spectators were expecting more from the Solheim Cup broadcast; however, the lack of proper streaming annoyed many. This fan compared the coverage of the PGA Tour events and the LPGA Tour to say how much better the men’s circuit broadcasts are. They said, “Cause coverage of the LPGA sucks I wish they would show more of their events like they do the PGA.” 

Currently, the LPGA Tour only has one partnership with the Golf Channel. Additionally, the LPGA Tour has made a deal with ESPN, which will broadcast only eight elevated events and its featured groups, which include the Cognizant Founders Cup. To say that the LPGA Tour is making strides is an understatement. The Tour has some of the best golfers and Nelly Korda’s five consecutive wins are a true testament to it. Hence, this user asked why is great broadcast not the norm on the LPGA Tour, “@lpga_tour why can’t we get more tournament coverage of the best women golfers in the world??” 

The Golf Channel shows the recorded version of the LPGA Tour events, which lasts only 3–4 hours. In such a short period, the channel, of course, couldn’t show everything that happened in the second round. They wondered, “@golfchannel why was this not shown live?” Another fan was extremely delighted by the unique tradition of the Founders Cup and praised it by saying, “What a wonderful tradition.”

The coverage of the LPGA Tour is still an issue, and the women’s circuit still has a long way to go before it can be on the same pedestal when inculcating sponsors and TV deals. This makes it harder for the locals to watch it through the local channel. This viewer hoped, “I wish more LPGA events would be broadcast on local TV channels.” 

The LPGA Tour has started to elevate the women’s circuit with larger purses and memorable traditions, and in a few years, the Tour might gain the attention it always deserved! Are you a fan of the LPGA Tour, and women’s golf too? Let us know it the comments below.