LPGA names PGA of America executive Craig Kessler its 10th commissioner
Stacy Lewis' first impression of Craig Kessler: He's a young Mike Whan.
'That's going to be everyone's kind of first reaction,' said Lewis of the LPGA's newest chief.
The PGA of America executive was named the tour's 10th commissioner on Thursday as play got underway at the inaugural Mexico Riviera Maya Open. Kessler, who turns 40 next week, is a dynamic, disciplined, high-energy leader who, by all accounts, values relationship. In that way, he's very much like Whan, who was 44 when he took the job as LPGA commissioner. Whan rebuilt the LPGA and stayed for 11 years before moving on to lead the USGA.
Kessler a 'lifelong golf guy'
Kessler, like Whan, is the father of three young boys and a lifelong golf guy. When Kessler and his wife, Nicole, talked to their boys about dad's potential new job, they peppered him with questions. The eldest, age 9, asked a dozen trying to make sure that this was, in fact, the right opportunity.
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The seven-year-old followed with, 'But I'm a boy, and you're a boy, so why don't you just do boy sports, dad?'
The query presented a chance for dad to give a little lesson: 'If all we did were things that looked and talked like us, we'd be missing the plot and just leaving so much richness on the table.'
The 5-year-old, after hearing that he'd likely be missing school to see the world on this adventure, wanted to know if they sold chocolate milk in Asia.
'You understand different stakeholders have different concerns,' Kessler told Golfweek with a smile.
Headshot of PGA of America COO Craig Kessler during the PGA Show at Orange County Convention Center on Thursday, January 25, 2024 in Orlando, Florida.
Early reaction to Kessler is overwhelmingly positive
Speaking of stakeholders, the PGA of America Chief Operating Officer will come into his new role having already talked to many of the LPGA's key constituents. There was a concerted effort from the board, this time around, to ensure that LPGA constituents felt like they were part of the process and, in turn, Kessler comes into the role with his eyes wide open.
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LPGA Player President Vicki Goetz-Ackerman served on the eight-person search committee and said the reaction to Kessler after the first interview was, "He's perfect."
'We set out to find a transformational leader with a deep appreciation for the LPGA's legacy and a clear vision of what's possible for our future,' said John B. Veihmeyer, Chair of the LPGA Board of Directors, in a release. 'Craig is an inspiring and engaging leader, who brings a unique mix of executive leadership experience, deep relationships in the golf industry, and a genuine commitment to elevating women and girls through golf. The LPGA has never been more dynamic – and Craig is exactly the right leader to drive its next era of growth and impact.'
Tim Erensen, managing partner at Outlyr, which runs seven LPGA events, has spent time with Kessler and was impressed with the questions he asked to get a better understanding of a complicated LPGA landscape. Erensen sees Kessler's ability to build partnerships as essential to the job.
'I think that's more what the LPGA is built on, longstanding deep partnerships,' said Erensen. 'I think he will sit across the table with anybody and bring fair and creative solutions and opportunities to the business.'
Why did Craig Kessler want the LPGA job?
When asked why he wanted the job, Kessler, whose official start date is July 15, gave two reasons. To start, he's crazy about golf, having grown up in Southern California and learning the game on Rancho Carlsbad, a par-3 course he affectionately called "the cow pasture."
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'It didn't have a blade of grass on it,' said Kessler, who plays to a 5.5 handicap. 'But I've been playing since I was a young kid. In the summers, my buddies and I, our moms would drop us off at the Lakes San Marcos Executive Golf Course, and for $9, we played unlimited golf until the sun went down, and in many respects, golf was our summertime babysitter.'
The second reason, he said, was the opportunity to marry his passion with the opportunity to make a difference. When asked about his vision for the tour, Kessler said the goal is to create something that both existing and prospective stakeholders look at and say, 'I have to be part of it.'
To get there, Kessler listed four pillars: building trust, building visibility, building fans and building a stronger financial foundation.
'I will tell you,' said Kessler, 'trust underpins everything.'
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Announced as the PGA of America's new COO in February 2023, the Georgetown graduate and Harvard MBA was a candidate for the PGA's CEO position last year, but the association ultimately made being a PGA member a priority in the search. Kessler's previous work in golf includes a stint at Topgolf, where he was COO and head of emerging concepts from 2016-21.
Kessler began his career with the global management consulting firm McKinsey & Company before becoming an operating partner at Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. (KKR) and Providence Equity Partners, two private equity firms.
In between Topgolf and the PGA, Kessler served as Chief Executive Officer of the Dallas-based Buff City Soap, which more than doubled in the number of store locations from 100 to 260 nationwide while Kessler was at the helm.
Lewis said the search committee liked that Kessler had previous experience as a CEO.
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'The primary lesson that I learned at Buff City is how to navigate really complex stakeholder environments,' said Kessler. 'Anytime somebody leads an organization of franchisees who have put their time, their sweat, their blood, their financial resources into something, that's a high-stakes environment. … I think learning from that how to listen, how to ask questions, how to be deeply empathetic, all of those lessons will translate to my job at the LPGA.'
What is Craig Kessler's leadership style?
As for his leadership style, Kessler said he's learned over the years that vulnerability is a wildly powerful tool. Leaders he respects the most, he continued, don't have all the answers, but surround themselves with people who do.
Kessler plans to lead a highly collaborative, energetic environment at the LPGA built around positivity, yet one that also encourages a culture of constant feedback.
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'I think organizations that are too nice to one another never realize their full potential,' he said. 'Organizations that recognize feedback is a gift, is critical.
'And then the last thing I'd say is, by way of analogy, I think about leadership as, imagine a quarterback and a wide receiver run a play, and it's an incomplete pass. Two things can happen. The quarterback and the wide receiver can each point fingers at the other person and talk about what went wrong. Or they can quite literally put their arms around each other, debrief what happened and figure out together how to make sure the next time they complete the pass. I hope and pray we build a culture that feels a lot like the latter.'
After Mollie Marcoux Samaan stepped down as commissioner in January, longtime LPGA executive Liz Moore took the helm as interim commissioner, calming things during a rocky time period with a transparent approach. Moore proved herself to be more than capable of taking on a bigger role and will no doubt be a key part of the transition and beyond.
With the LPGA losing money – to the tune of seven figures – in 2024, Kessler will face a number of challenges as he looks to get the tour back on track financially and in position to capitalize on what's been a boom in women's sports. He'll have several key positions to fill in the short term and, as has been the case for many years, there's talk of potentially moving the tour away from Daytona Beach. Kessler and his family currently live in Dallas. When asked about future plans, Kessler said, "I will be wherever the job requires."
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The learning curve for Kessler won't be as steep as it was for Marcoux Samaan, as he already knows enough of the right people to ask the right questions. For Lewis, finding a leader with the right personality was high on the priority list. There was concern early on that they might have to convince the right person to take this job, but that wasn't the case with Kessler.
'I just like the guy,' said the two-time major winner and former No. 1. 'He did all of this with a smile on his face. He was excited about the opportunity. He didn't beat around the bush. He answered every question we asked and if he didn't know the answer, he was going to find it.'
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: LPGA names PGA executive Craig Kessler its 10th commissioner
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