This coming week will be a busy one as the LPGA moves just a couple of hours down the Gulf Coast to wrap up its season at the CME Group Tour Championship at Tiburon Golf Club. On Wednesday, the Rolex LPGA Awards will be held and hardware will be handed out for a number of accomplishments including Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year. The 2025 schedule will be announced and will inevitably feature changes in tournament sponsors, dates, and locations. Most importantly though, the top sixty in the season-long Race to CME Globe will have their points wiped away to compete for a shot at the $4 million winner’s check. Expect to hear that number referenced throughout the week, especially when CME Group CEO Terry Duffy and LPGA Commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan speak to the press before play begins.

Duffy has doubled the winner’s prize from last year and will certainly mention his company’s commitment to promoting women’s golf. It’s a sentiment that the tour’s biggest sponsors frequently tout. Back in July at the Amundi Evian Championship, Frank Riboud, chairman of the event, was asked about the return on their investment in the game. After mentioning the visibility of the company as well as getting people talking about women’s sports, Riboud rather bluntly said, “As you know, we increase the prize money $8 million. To find the return, it’s going to be tough.”

Let’s pause for a moment to let that sink in. These comments were made while sitting next to Marcoux Samaan. In one of the few joint appearances between the Commissioner and a sponsor in front of the press, that sponsor called the financial return of their investment “tough.”

Duffy also hasn’t shied away from frankness. Two years ago he called out Marcoux Samaan and LPGA leadership after players skipped his company’s conference dinner. That type of lackluster leadership not only caused the embarrassing dinner fiasco, but is also the culprit for women’s golf not reaping the rewards other women’s sports have seen in recent years.

While there’s no sign of Amundi or Evian or CME Group moving away from their sponsorships with the LPGA, what is clear is that the pace of prize money increases is not being matched by increases in exposure. Duffy may not speak out this week like Riboud did, but the balance sheet for his Tour Championship most likely isn’t much different than Riboud’s Amundi Evian Championship.

Two changes that would greatly help sponsors get more out of their investment are expanding broadcast windows and bringing on additional media partners. Both would help the tour cast a wider net to bring in more revenue for their partners. The problem is the LPGA is handcuffed by its media rights deal with the PGA Tour, and we’ve seen nothing in terms of motivation from Marcoux Samaan to shake things up. The leadership from the likes of Duffy, Riboud and others to drive up prize money is admirable. The tour has plenty of good things going for it to take the big step forward like other leagues. It’s just being held back by those in charge.

This piece originally appeared in the Fried Egg Golf newsletter. Subscribe for free and receive golf news and insight every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.