After three and a half years as LPGA Commissioner, Mollie Marcoux Samaan is stepping down ahead of schedule, with her contract initially set to run through summer 2026. While she cited a desire to spend more time with her three children as the reason, it appears her position had become tenuous, raising questions about whether she was still the right fit for the role.
Marcoux Samaan took over as LPGA Commissioner in 2021, succeeding Mike Whan at a time when women’s sports were soaring. Female athletes were gaining unprecedented recognition, and companies were increasingly eager to invest in sponsorships. Riding the crest of this wave, the LPGA capitalised on the momentum, with women’s golf benefitting from the ripple effect of successful marketing strategies across other women’s sports.
Mollie Marcoux Samaan with Atthaya Thitikul, winner of the 2024 CME Group Tour Championship
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Average earnings for the top 100 players surged from just over $570,000 in 2021 to more than $1 million in 2024. Just last month at the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship, Atthaya Thitikul claimed the historic $4 million winner’s check from a prize fund of $11, the largest in women’s golf.
While Marcoux Samaan’s leadership coincided with a period of remarkable growth for the LPGA, it’s important to recognise that this outcome was likely inevitable given the transformative era for women’s sports. The real question is whether she did enough to capitalise on this momentum, driving further growth and elevating the LPGA and its players to their fullest potential.
The 2025 tournament schedule includes 33 official events, matching this year’s total, and while the $131 million prize fund is the largest in the Tour’s 75-year history, the increase is a modest $3.6 million. More concerning, however, is the departure of Cognizant, the title sponsor of the tour’s Founders Cup, and the discontinuation of the Jamie Farr Toledo Classic, a fixture since 1984.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Earlier this year, the LPGA enlisted a creative agency and media company to enhance content creation and brand development, aiming to elevate its top athletes into bigger stars. World No. 1 Nelly Korda presented a golden opportunity by equalling the record of five consecutive titles, including her second Major, yet the impact has fallen short of a Caitlin Clark-level phenomenon.
To be fair, building such momentum requires collaboration – perhaps Korda herself could…
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