Kai Trump, Caitlin Clark Offer LPGA A Brief Reprieve

The LPGA’s fall Asia Swing went from Shanghai, China, to Shiga, Japan, with stops in between in Korea and Malaysia. Jeeno Thitikul ended the no repeat winners streak on dead greens. Charley Hull and Lydia Ko played fourball matches together. Nasa Hataoka snapped a three-year winless drought the same way country clubs decide their member-guest champion. It was a long, strange trip indeed.

At almost every stop along the way there was a consistent presence: fans and lots of them. Thousands of golf-crazed Koreans cheered on countrywoman Sei Young Kim as she won her first title since 2020. Japanese fans withstood torrential rain and long delays to watch Hataoka's unconventional victory. Thitikul's stardom is brightest in Asia, as evidenced by the support she received at her win in China. Compared to the paltry crowds this year at most stateside events, long autograph lines and crowds outside the ropes were a welcome sight.

The LPGA's global reach is seen as an advantage for the Tour, according to commissioner Craig Kessler. Back in September at Sports Business Journal's Game Changers Conference, Kessler said the Tour's worldwide growth is a "massive asset" and that other U.S.-based sports leagues are trying to "figure out how to expand their fan base globally." A valid point, yes, but all of those other leagues have grown their domestic fan base for decades before now turning their attention to the rest of the world. The LPGA finds itself in the opposite position. It needs to replicate the fervor of Asian fans in a very crowded American sports landscape.

That attention problem has found a temporary solution. Enter Caitlin Clark and Kai Trump. Clark will be warming up for her pro-am tee time by the time this newsletter reaches your inbox. Trump received a sponsor's exemption and tees it up for real on Thursday with Hinako Shibuno and Olivia Cowan. Trump met with the media on Tuesday and answered questions about her first LPGA start. If you’re judging the invite by the amount of attention the President’s granddaughter has brought to the event, it’s undoubtedly a success. News of the exemption was covered by every major media outlet, and more media representatives were present on Tuesday than were on-site this spring at the year’s first major, the Chevron Championship. As for Trump’s own goals for the week, she used the phrase “have fun” six times during her 12-minute presser and thanked the LPGA and the Doyle family for the opportunity.

The Tour will experience more engagement and attention this week than it’s had all year long. That’s partly due to a lackluster season, but mostly a credit to the one-two punch of Clark and Trump and their millions of social media followers. It’s up to Kessler and the LPGA to figure out a long-term plan to attract consistent attention to their product. The next few days, no matter the number of shares, reposts, and likes, are only a short-term fix.