Is having the top players on a tour enough? If we take the example of LIV Golf, it simply isn’t sufficient. Even after having some of the best golfers, the PIF-backed league has been failing to get decent viewership. For instance, back in September, we learned that only 89,000 people tuned in on the CW to watch Jon Rahm in the individual championships at LIV Golf Chicago. For golf leagues, getting viewership on every event throughout the calendar is important.

In contrast, the LPGA Tour has been doing a great job in terms of reaching out to the masses with the tournaments. Having some of the top names like Nelly Korda and Charley Hull, has positively impacted the league. Adding to that, American pro golfer Stacy Lewis shared her views on Nelly Korda’s responsibility for the Tour. During the Chevron Championship press conference, she stated:

“I think Nelly does have a responsibility… It’s saying yes. Continuing to play great golf though, is number 1. That’s what helps out tour the most… She also, I would say, to do as much extra stuff as you can for us.”

Now, in a new interview with NBC Golf, Mollie Marcoux, the former LPGA Commissioner shared her thoughts about the viewership of the LPGA Tour and reducing the burden from the World No.1’s shoulders. The journalist asked her, “Over the three years, you have the buy-in from your top players that they actually understand what they need to do to sell the product as much as what you need to do?”

Answering to which, the former commissioner said, “I think so. I mean, we talk about that a lot in our player meetings and the players are amazing. I am so impressed with what they do and how they handle themselves on and off the golf course. I think they’re doing a fantastic job. I do think it’s a team effort. I think everybody in the organization, from the staff to the leaders to the board to the players to our partners, all of us need to be aligned on where we’re going.”

“We are all committed to the growth of the LPGA, the growth of golf, the growth of women sports and it’s never one constituent’s job to do all of it. So I think we talked about it a lot in our player meetings, talked about it a lot with players individually. I think everyone has to be the part of the growth, we said many times and I do think they understand that.”

Many golf fans believe Nelly Korda is the face of the LPGA Tour, almost like how Caitlin Clark has been for the WNBA. But of course, Korda cannot be the only player trying to grow the sport. It needs to be a team effort, exactly what Mollie Marcoux suggested.

Though it is a team effort to grow, players are key to success, according to her. However, the statement of the former commissioner is the reality, as the growth can be seen in the viewership stats of 2024 for the LPGA Tour.

How did the LPGA Tour perform with viewers’ engagement?

The LPGA Tour had been struggling with its viewership until recently. As per the report shared by LPGA, in 2020 there were 3.4 million plus viewers on TV, streaming, and OOH for the events. However, fast-forwarding to 2024, the year has been the greatest for the tour, but still far away from where they want to be.

During the LPGA pro-am in November 2024, Caitlin Clark, the WNBA rookie debuting at the golf course, saw a massive increase in viewership. The most shocking statistic that came out was the social media impression of just her presence. The event gathered 34 million impressions by having Caitlin Clark, Nelly Korda, and Annika Sorenstam at the event.

Not only this, Nelly Korda’s fifth win resulted in peak viewership at 1.9 million viewers on NBC for the final round of the Chevron Championship in April.

Besides this, a professional’s social media presence can play a major role in increasing visibility for the league. For instance, Paige Spiranac has 4 million followers on Instagram. Other big names like Nelly Korda and Charley Hull have 1 million and 709k, respectively.

As per the former commissioner, the growth of the league is because of the entire team. But we do know that a golfer’s popularity as an individual can be a major influence. As a result, the Tour has turned into the fans’ favorite for the weekends. What are your thoughts on the viewership of the LPGA Tour? Do players have a crucial role in it? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.