Amid success and stumbles, LPGA commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan is leaving post early

Mollie Marcoux Samaan’s tumultuous time as LPGA commissioner will come to a premature end.

The tour announced on Monday that Marcoux Samaan is stepping down, effective Jan. 9, 2025. Hired in May 2021 to replace the highly popular Mike Whan, the former Princeton athletic director had a contract that was supposed to run through the summer of 2026.

Marcoux Samaan will be replaced by an interim commissioner, Liz Moore, the LPGA’s current chief legal and technology officer. “The LPGA Board of Directors will work with an executive search firm to conduct a global search for the organization’s next commissioner,” the tour said in its statement..

Marcoux Samaan’s departure comes at a time when the LPGA has seen significant growth in purses, while at the same time struggling to gain exposure in the larger sports landscape, particularly on television and streaming at a time when women’s sports are experiencing a boom in the Caitlin Clark era. Both privately among players and in some public snafus, Marcoux Samaan’s leadership style has been questioned, as was her seeming inability to articulate the LPGA’s future to the satisfaction of players, sponsors and fans.

Among the LPGA’s more recent high-profile setbacks, Fortune 100 company Cognizant stepped away from title sponsorship of the Founders Cup after only four years, and several other stops on the tour either don’t have title sponsors or are challenged to find new ones.

Also on Marcoux Samaan’s watch was this year’s transportation disaster at arguably the tour’s most high-profile event, the Solheim Cup. Due to not enough buses, some fans waited in line for hours on Day 1 to get to the course, leaving the stands mostly empty early in the opening session, when the players expect to be enthusiastically cheered. Speaking to the crisis a day later, Marcoux Samaan said, “At the end of the day, I’m the leader of the organization and I have to own it.”

Appearing on Golf Channel's "Golf Today" on Monday, eight-time PGA Touir winner Brittany Lincicome, who retired at the end of the season, said she was "50-50 surprised" about Marcoux Samaan's departure. She said she liked and appreciated Marcoux Samaan for her efforts on behalf of the LPGA, noting increased purses and new events. When asked what are the most important traits for the new commissioner to have, Lincicome touched on communication issues: "Somebody who comes in and puts their career on pause and looks at what we’re looking for ... 'How can we make it better? And how can we work together?' Working together is No. 1."

Speaking to the challenges of the job, Lincicome said, "How do you please 144 women every week? It's gotta be very challenging, you know; obviously, you're trying to make the players happy and then we gotta go talk to all the sponsors. So, what do we have, 30-some events on the schedule. So you have to go talk to each sponsor and make sure they're OK and they're getting what they need and they're happy.

"So it's a lot of pleasing of people and it's definitely a hard job. That's why I wish we would have given Mollie maybe a little bit more time because you're not going to come into it right away and be Mike Whan or be the greatest commissioner. You're not going to get it right right away, and I feel like just with maybe a little bit more time, maybe she could have figured it out.

"It's a tough job. Male, female, it doesn't matter whoever comes in, god bless them. And they got their work cut out for them, for sure."

In the LPGA’s statement on Monday, Marcoux Samaan thanked the LPGA and its board for the opportunity to serve, while providing no further comment on why she is leaving before her contract is over.

“I am proud of the unprecedented growth the LPGA has enjoyed since I began my tenure,” Marcoux Samaan said. “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.”

LPGA Board chair John B. Veihmeyer said in the statement, "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.”

The LPGA concluded its season on Nov. 24 with Jeeno Thitikul winning the CME Group Championship and its record $4 million first prize. Its first event for 2025 is the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions, beginning Jan. 30.