Commissioner Craig Kessler on Tuesday recognized errors made by the LPGA Tour during its contentious, weather-affected season opener over the weekend at Lake Nona and promised enhancements for the future.
The Tournament of Champions in Orlando, Florida, was reduced to 54 holes due to wind and cold conditions that led officials to determine the course was unfit for a final round. This decision faced scrutiny from many, including players, with some questioning why the tour did not choose to play the final round on Monday, when weather conditions were anticipated to improve.
Kessler, in remarks made to Golfweek on Tuesday, stated that the tour was not adequately prepared for that option.
“We were not fully equipped for Monday,” he conveyed to the publication. “In retrospect, if we had the chance to do it again, there are several innovative solutions that certainly could have been effective. We should have investigated those and been better prepared. We weren’t.”
The cancellation of the Sunday finish enabled Nelly Korda to secure victory following a Saturday round of 8-under 64. This marked her first win in 14 months.
Kessler also communicated with players on Tuesday, clarifying that course conditions were the reason the tour did not permit the final round to take place on Sunday. The LPGA had previously stated that course conditions were not affecting play but that “weather conditions are the determining factor for competitive play to resume.”
“I made the decision to limit the event to 54 holes, concerned that our athletes might sustain injuries due to the way record low overnight temperatures had hardened the course,” he wrote in the letter, a copy of which was obtained by several outlets on Tuesday. “While the decision was difficult and contradicted earlier statements we made, I made a judgment call. In hindsight, there were clearly alternative ways we should have handled the situation.”
Kessler also indicated that the LPGA Tour will implement the following measures to improve in the future, as outlined in the letter: “Establishing clearer principles for play decisions in challenging situations, including enhancing weekly contingency planning” and “communicating more swiftly, clearly, and with improved real-time information.”
The LPGA Tour will resume play later this month at the Honda LPGA Thailand from Feb. 19-22.
