‘I’d Like to Help’: Lydia Ko Responds to LPGA’s Desperate Hours With a Reassuring Message
After three and a half years at the helm of the LPGA Tour, commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan made a surprise announcement on December 1 sending shockwaves across the whole community. Effective January 9, 2025, Samaan will be stepping down just three weeks before the LPGA begins its 75th season. What does that mean for the organization? Well, a lot of things that has even left Lydia Ko thinking. But she’s not ready to give up just yet…
But before we get to the meat of the story, Samaan dropped the shocker in an official statement on December 1. The release didn’t mention a specific reason for the resignation, except that she wants to spend time with her family.
“With the LPGA positioned for continued growth, it’s time for me to have more time to cheer on our three amazing children as they live their dreams while I continue to pursue my passion for building leaders, uniting communities and creating value through sports, particularly women’s sports,” it read.
Notably, she served the third-shortest stint among nine LPGA commissioners dating to 1975, behind only Jim Ritts (1996-99) and Bill Blue (1988-90). Liz Moore, the chief legal and technology officer, will be interim commissioner.
Having said that, the Tour faces a period of uncertainty.
But Ko, the face of the LPGA Tour, is not shying away from the challenge and has made it clear that she’s ready to step up and help guide the Tour through this. On December 12, the 27-year-old appeared for a pre-tournament press conference for Grant Thornton Invitational with Jason Day, where she was asked by a reporter:
Do you believe Lydia Ko can lead the LPGA Tour to greater heights amidst the current turmoil?
Absolutely, she’s the right leader
No, it’s too big a challenge
She needs more support
Only time will tell
“Lydia, since we saw you at the CME Group Tour Championship, the LPGA announced that Commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan will step down next month.
Can we just get your reaction to that news?”
To this, Ko began: “It’s never easy seeing somebody that you’ve worked with and seen a lot step down. I feel like she had one of the hardest roles, jobs in the whole entire world, not only just in sports.”
“She was following also another great commissioner. In ways it’s hard to follow the steps of somebody that a lot of people thought made a huge difference in women’s golf. Mollie’s been great, I feel like we’ve had a good relationship outside of just her being the commissioner and me playing on the LPGA.
As much as we’re sad to see her go, we’ve had a lot of growth on the LPGA these last few years. I truly believe that there’s going to be more growth in the years to come. I’m excited to meet whoever the next commissioner is going to be. For now Liz is going to be the interim commissioner. Just keep growing.”
Ko, then made, a promising remark: “And this is kind of the second half of, you know, chapter of my golf career, so as much as while I’m playing on Tour, I would continuously like to help and see it grow for the future generations. I think it’s an exciting time.With any loss, there’s wins. So it’s hard, but I wish
Mollie all the best in everything that’s coming ahead for her, too.”
Well, it’s no secret that Samaan’s leadership had its high points. Prize funds have skyrocketed—up over 90% since 2021—and the top 100 players are finally seeing average earnings cross the $1 million mark in 2024, from just $570,000 in 2021. The CME Group Tour Championship’s purse alone jumped from $7 million in 2023 to $11 million this year.
But not everyone sees it that way. Brittany Lincicome, who’s nearing retirement, hinted at discontent among players. “There have been rumors of negative stuff the players felt Mollie wasn’t doing,” she said in an earlier interview.
However, she also backed Samaan, saying, “At the end of the day, you’re never going to please 144 women…We could always say, ‘What if she would’ve done this or that?’ But, again, we have new events on the schedule, playing for $131 million, which is up. We are moving in the right direction. The majors are all stepping up, we’re playing for more money. I feel like we were still going in the right direction, even with maybe missing the mark with Nelly or having Caitlin Clark out last week at Pelican.”
“I thought she was putting her heart and soul into it and cared about the LPGA Tour and cared about us, but there were a couple of things that players wanted her to work on. She was only there, what, three years? Maybe she needed more time, but we are moving forward, and the LPGA is in a great spot with so many new events,” she said in an interview with Golf Channel earlier this month. But what is this discontent that Lincicome is talking about? Well…
While players like Ko recognize Samaan’s contributions, others feel the tour has struggled to fully capitalize on its recent momentum. Yes, the progress is there, but has it been enough?
Where did Samaan’s reign fall short in the LPGA Tour?
Looking back, there’s always room to ask what could have been or what should have been done. Mollie Marcoux Samaan’s leadership undoubtedly contributed to the LPGA’s progress, but it wasn’t without its missteps. Yes, prize money surged to a record $131 million, and new events were added to the calendar.
But frustrations lingered. While players appreciated Samaan’s dedication, the couple of things Lincicome referred to weren’t minor. They included advancing gender equality in pay, strengthening the merger with the Ladies European Tour for global expansion, and addressing concerns about the LPGA’s ties with Golf Saudi—issues that remain unresolved.
There were other stumbles, too. Solheim Cup left fans stranded in parking lots leading them to miss the opening ceremonial tee shots, for which LPGA faced criticism over a lack of transparency and poor communication with players. The loss of Cognizant as the title sponsor of the LPGA Founders Cup was yet another setback under her tenure.
Still, there were bright spots. The tour continues to grow, with new events like the Black Desert Championship coming in 2025 and a return to Mexico for the first time since 2017. The majors will see record-breaking prize money of $47 million next season, spread across three fresh venues.
With Samaan stepping down, all eyes are now on who will take the reins and whether they can address the gaps left behind. Only time will tell. In the meantime, Liz Moore will serve as the interim commissioner, but it’s reassuring to see players like Lydia Ko ready to step up and help.
As Ko said, “With any loss, theres’s wins.” Maybe this is the start of something bigger for the LPGA. What do you think? Let us know in the comments!
