Mollie Marcoux Samaan stepping down as LPGA commissioner

Mollie Marcoux Samaan is stepping down as LPGA commissioner.

The LPGA announced the news on Monday morning, just over a week after the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship in Naples, Florida.

Marcoux Samaan’s last day will be Jan. 9, 2025.

“I thank Chairman John Veihmeyer and the rest of the LPGA Board for trusting me to serve as the ninth Commissioner of the LPGA,” Marcoux Samaan said. “In this role, I’ve had the privilege of working alongside a remarkable community of athletes, teachers, partners, tournament operators, industry colleagues, media, fans, volunteers, and staff who share a deep commitment to growing the LPGA and using the organization’s unique platform to empower and advance women and girls. I am proud of the unprecedented growth the LPGA has enjoyed since I began my tenure. The strategy we have built for growth and impact along with the infrastructure we have added to capitalize on the tremendous opportunity ahead will serve the LPGA well in the coming decades. 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.”

Liz Moore, the LPGA’s chief legal and technology officer, has been named interim commissioner while a global search takes place for a permanent replacement.

Marcoux Samaan, who had previously served as Princeton’s athletics director, was hired as the tour’s ninth commissioner in May 2021, replacing Mike Whan, who left for the USGA after 11 years leading the LPGA.

Under Samaan, the LPGA’s purses increased by over 90%, and players will compete for a record $131 million in prize money next year. Since 2021, average earnings for top-100 players have doubled, rising to just over $1 million. Also, Marcoux Samaan oversaw the implementation of missed-cut stipends, domestic travel stipends, mental health and physical performance resources, and fully-subsidized healthcare insurance, according to the LPGA, which also touted record fan engagement and record fundraising, though the tour did not provide any data.

Her contract was supposed to run through Summer 2026.

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“On behalf of the LPGA board, I would like to express our sincere gratitude to Mollie for her exceptional dedication and passion in advancing the Association’s reach and impact,” Veihmeyer said. “Since joining the LPGA in 2021, Mollie has been instrumental in solidifying our position as the global leader in women’s professional golf, realizing record growth in player earnings and fan engagement. Mollie has been a steadfast advocate for equity in the sport and has worked tirelessly to expand opportunities for women and girls through the game. I am confident that the LPGA is well-positioned for continued success as we build on the growth trajectory of the past three and a half years of Mollie’s leadership. We deeply appreciate the lasting impact of Mollie’s many contributions.”

But Marcoux Samaan also faced plenty of scrutiny during her tenure.

Terry Duffy, CEO and chairman of CME Group, which sponsors the LPGA’s $11 million season finale, recently told Golfweek of Samaan, “I don’t know how you could not give A++ to where the tour is at today under her leadership.” But just two years ago, Duffy blasted Marcoux Samaan and LPGA leadership after no players showed up – despite 11 RSVPs – to an early-week dinner for sponsors ahead of the CME Group Tour Championship.

“They better get their act together,” Duffy said in a Golfweek story in 2022, “because they’re going to lose people like me over stuff like this.”

Golfweek’s Beth Ann Nichols, the tour’s preeminent beat reporter, wrote a critique of Marcoux Samaan last month, and laid out several leadership concerns, including the lack of transparency with issues such as the LPGA’s gender policy and dealings with Golf Saudi, loss of Cognizant as a sponsor and other staple events, debacles at this year’s Solheim Cup (fan transportation) and last year’s Tournament of Champions (locker room) and, as Nichols characterized, Marcoux Samaan’s overall lack of relationship-building skills. Nichols’ main argument was that the LPGA, under Marcoux Samaan’s lead, had failed to capitalize on the rise of women’s sports, a boom spearheaded by WNBA player – and avid golfer – Caitlin Clark.

“How much opportunity is being left on the table?” Nichols wrote. “It’s a question that can’t be escaped.”

Now, it’s up to someone other than Marcoux Samaan to answer that question.

Golf Channel’s Tom Abbott, speaking on “Golf Today,” said he wasn’t surprised by the news, though he sensed “more positivity” around Marcoux Samaan at last month’s Rolex LPGA Awards banquet and thought maybe she’d overcome some of the recent “chatter.”

“I think it’s a shame if those moments become her legacy,” Abbott said. “Some of the little things that weren’t taken care of obviously became much bigger issues, but they were not directly related to Mollie Marcoux Samaan. … But at the end of the day, it does fall on her shoulders, and it’s people not taking care of the little details, and that really makes a big difference.

“… I hope that her legacy is the increase in purses and the amount of money that players are playing for.”

Asked about the biggest challenge for the next commish, Abbott said it will not only be navigating whatever happens on the men’s side with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and its future involvement in the game, but also strengthening relationships with sponsors, finding new sponsors and “keeping the longevity of events.”

“It’s not an easy position, and finding the right person who wants to go into that environment and take on that challenge, I don’t think it’s an easy task,” Abbott said. “This isn’t a job where you get massive stock options and bonuses and grants; that isn’t the case for the LPGA. … You need to find somebody who is really passionate about the game, who really knows a lot of people within the game of golf and can make those connections, and can deal with all the factors.”

Added Golf Channel’s Paige Mackenzie, who played on the LPGA: “There was a breakdown in communication in exactly what her vision was and how she saw growth happening. … Moving forward, for me, what I would love to hear from the next leader of the LPGA is explaining why the LPGA has value and how it can benefit all the partners involved.”