By Alex Windsor 

The LPGA has some of the most talented golfers in the world. Professional golfers like Danielle Kang, Nanna Koerstz Madsen, and Celine Boutier regularly dominate the game and prove that LPGA golfers are a force to be reckoned with. However, the gender pay gap in golf remains one of the largest in all of sports. It’s a gap that boggles the mind, given the LPGA’s talent pool. 

Pay Discrepancy Mystery

The pay gap between LPGA and PGA players is a mystery to many. One report shows that despite female golfers being some of the highest-paid elite athletes in the world, their prize money for major competitions regularly falls behind male golfers by $1 million or more. For example, at the 2021 US Open, the top prize for male golfers was $2.5 million, compared to $1 million for female golfers. The report also found that the pay gap is widening and not getting better. 

Governing bodies from the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of Saint Andrews (R&A) are aware of the pay gap, and have stated they are working to close it. Although, what that entails, exactly, has remained to be seen. 

The Source of the Pay Gap

In debates about the existence of wide pay gaps in sports, many detractors often cite the commercial draw of male sports versus female sports as the reason for pay gaps. Still, in 2020, viewership of the LPGA rose a substantial 20%, compared to a paltry 4% for the PGA tour. This increase emboldens leadership to take grander steps toward closing the pay gap. Unfortunately, there are still hurdles in their way. 

Getting LPGA the same television coverage as PGA play is still a struggle. With a record number of viewers for the LPGA Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions on the Golf Channel, many were hopeful other channels would beef up their coverage of LPGA events. With the truth laid bare that LPGA events can be a huge draw, there stands to be no reason not to give the female golfers their proper dues. 

Golf leadership, such as newly appointed LPGA Tour Commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan, are working diligently to raise the profile of LPGA top players and make the various tours a bigger commercial draw. The LPGA recently revealed that they would broadcast ten tournaments in 2022, which brings them up to speed with coverage of PGA tour events. 

What Can Be Done?

About a decade ago, the LPGA tours were losing sponsors left and right. That problem seems to be turning a corner, and today’s tournaments have such high-profile sponsors as Epson, Rolex, and John Deere. Sponsorships are a huge part of elevating any sport, and the higher profile the sponsor is, the better payout competing athletes might receive. 

It was also a decade ago when then LPGA Tour Commissioner Mike Whan began adding events and working towards making LPGA events a vast, international enterprise. His hard work has made strides, but the pay gap still exists and continues to widen. It is also a rarity for the LPGA to have household names at the level of a Tiger Woods or Rory McIlroy. 

So, what steps do the LPGA Tour Commissioner and other golf leadership need to take to close the pay gap and get LPGA athletes the pay they deserve?

1. Go Beyond the Golf Channel

While the planned tournament schedule on the Golf Channel is laudable, it only draws viewers who have already purchased that premium channel. The LPGA needs the major networks, such as NBC, to give their tournaments as much coverage as they do for the PGA — especially given the stark proof that if you air it, people will watch. 

2. Market the LPGA with Online Sportsbooks

As we’ve seen with the NBA, NFL, NHL and other professional sports leagues, online apps like Draft Kings and FanDuel have become widely popular through marketing efforts and have garnered newfound interest from sports bettors all over the world. If the LPGA were to partner with the most popular golf apps as a way to bring more eyes to the tour, they might also see an increase in revenue. 

3. Bring Together the Best from Both Worlds

To bolster viewership and attendance for both PGA and LPGA tours, both organizations should combine forces and host a Ryder Cup-style tournament that showcases the talent from both sides. The best from the PGA and LPGA could then even team up and compete against the best players from Europe. 

4. Mentor Female Golfers 

Closing the pay gap will take cultivating high-profile players. There are many Asian golfers in top positions because of their supportive golf federations. Countries outside the United States foster golf skills in females, pair them with mentors, and give people opportunities to travel and learn the craft. These federations put them on the fast track to being at the top of their game. The more high-profile female golfers, the easier it will be to justify amplifying the conversation about the gender pay gap.

5. Tell Stories & Entertain

Sports fans still love stories. They like to hear about an underdog succeeding against all odds, and they love to get to know players intimately. Getting LPGA players their due pay will take a dash of crafty PR and marketing expertise. 

With a new LPGA Tour Commissioner in place, the sport is entering a moment ripe for change. If the new Commissioner Samaan makes closing the pay gap a priority, and places a laser focus on elevating the LPGA overall, the next five to ten years could see the LPGA become the fairly-paid powerhouse it should have always been.