The LPGA’s TV presence will take a major step forward in 2026: For the first time in the tour’s history, coverage of every round of every tournament will be broadcast live.
That feat just now being accomplished may be a little shocking to some fans, given the plethora of live sports available today. But the LPGA has dealt with coverage problems ever since Golf Channel began televising the tour in 1995.
Each season, including the 2025 campaign, has included several tournaments that did not air live coverage of at least one round on linear TV, with network partners only showing tape-delayed coverage—a nuisance most major sports leagues abandoned years ago.
Last year, the third round of the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship was shown on tape delay on Golf Channel. So was the majority of the 2024 Cognizant Founders Cup, when then–world No. 1 Nelly Korda was vying for a record sixth consecutive win on tour (Rose Zhang ultimately won).
The LPGA’s media rights are tied to the PGA Tour’s through 2030, with the women’s tour primarily airing on Golf Channel, but getting some broadcast TV coverage on NBC and CBS.
Making women’s golf more visible is a top priority for new LPGA commissioner Craig Kessler.
“For so many sports, it’s easy to know when to turn on the TV or click open an app and find the players you want to see at predictable times. It’s really, really hard to do that today with women’s golf,” Kessler told Front Office Sports in May when he was hired.
More Cameras, More Action
As part of the LPGA’s revamped coverage strategy, select weekend rounds will air live on CNBC, a fellow Versant-owned sister network of Golf Channel.
There will also be a 50% increase in the total number of cameras used to capture on-course action, compared to the 2025 season, in addition to more slow-motion cameras, drones, and microphones.
The broadcast enhancements, announced Tuesday ahead of this week’s CME Group Tour Championship, are happening in part due to a new deal with insurance company FM, which sponsors the LPGA’s FM Championship and has become an official partner of the tour. The LPGA’s deal with Trackman is also expanding, which will quadruple the LPGA’s shot-tracing capabilities.
