The LPGA has chosen Craig Kessler as its subsequent commissioner, turning to the PGA of America’s chief working officer to assist the 75-year-old league higher capitalize on the expansion in girls’s sports activities.
Kessler, 39, is the tenth commissioner in LPGA historical past, changing Mollie Marcoux Samaan, who stepped away after three-and-a-half years in January. He formally takes over on July 15.
“I do not assume that is a kind of alternatives the place we begin with 100 days of listening. It is time to explode out of the gates,” Kessler mentioned.
He mentioned the primary purpose could possibly be to create a tradition the place anybody wanting on the LPGA would say, “I’ve to be a part of that.”
Kessler, a Georgetown graduate with an MBA from Harvard Enterprise College, had been with the PGA of America for simply over two years and was a candidate to grow to be the CEO till the group needed a golf skilled within the position and employed Derek Sprague.
“We got down to discover a transformational chief with a deep appreciation for the LPGA’s legacy and a transparent imaginative and prescient of what is doable for our future,” mentioned John Veihmeyer, the chairman of KPMG who chairs the LPGA’s board of administrators.
“Craig is an inspiring and fascinating chief, who brings a singular mixture of govt management expertise, deep relationships within the golf trade, and a real dedication to elevating girls and ladies by way of golf.”
Previous to his two years on the PGA of America, Kessler was CEO of Buff Metropolis Cleaning soap when it expanded from 100 to 260 shops, and he was COO of Topgolf. He additionally spent six years as an working accomplice in personal fairness, first with Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. and later with Windfall Fairness.
“This is not nearly main a sports activities group. It is about redefining what’s doable,” Kessler mentioned. “This position is deeply private to me, not simply as an expert alternative however as an opportunity to make a distinction on this planet and create new alternatives for others.”
Liz Moore, the chief authorized and expertise officer, will keep in her position as interim commissioner till July 15.
The LPGA celebrates its seventy fifth anniversary this yr, and has operated independently from the PGA Tour. The whole prize fund this yr is approaching $130 million as girls are getting extra company assist.
Girls’s sports activities throughout the panorama has seen a spike in cash and curiosity, although the LPGA has lagged behind in getting consideration regardless of story traces like Nelly Korda profitable 5 straight tournaments final yr and Lydia Ko profitable the Olympic gold medal to qualify for the LPGA Corridor of Fame, adopted by her victory within the Girls’s British Open.
