The source of the latest golf pro fix? AI … and the Apple TV remote.

In the 1741 edition of Poor Richard’s Almanack35-year-old Benjamin Franklin, writing to the character “Poor Richard Saunders”, expressed the fruits of wisdom.

“At 20 years of age Will reigns; at 30 Wit;” Franklin wrote. “And in 40 judgment.”

Two hundred and eighty-five years later, 40-year-old LPGA commissioner Craig Kessler hopes Franklin’s words will live on.

More than any job title or talking point, Kessler’s age is a more apt analogy for the battle he hopes to wage as the LPGA’s newly minted CEO. As one of the youngest leaders of any major sports league in the world, Kessler enters the LPGA truly capable of drawing the tour to the bleeding edge of innovation and growth. But, at 40 years old, he hopes to navigate those changes without hurting the business of golf as it always has been: TV rights and title sponsorships and guest tents and goodwill.

This is Kessler’s biggest advantage and serious threat as leader of the LPGA: He’s old enough to remember the good old days — and young enough to know what’s coming after them. Now, in the moment defined by the dynamics of the system, it is Kessler’s job to decide what stays and what goes.

And the best way to understand that struggle? Kessler says it starts in the living room.

“In my generation, you turned on the TV, and if you didn’t like what was on, you waited until the top half or the bottom half of the hour to see the next episode,” Kessler told GOLF.com Monday at a press day promoting next month’s Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions. “I have three boys – ages 6, 8, and 10. I’ve watched the way they consume content, and it’s very different from my generation. They sit there with the Apple TV remote, and if they don’t like something, within six seconds, they hit next and move on to whatever they want to watch.”

It was in those six seconds that Kessler came to understand the world of women’s golf. If the previous generation of sports viewers was defined by those who would wait until the end of the hour, i The next one the generation will be represented by those who will not wait until the bottom a minute.

“Watching how the next generation of LPGA athletes use media and entertainment has been an eye-opener for me,” Kessler said. “We’re thinking about winning our share in the attention economy, and we’re taking the right steps in the right direction to succeed.”

Kessler is not alone in this sentiment. The “attention economy” has been welcomed by many in the ruling class of sports in 2025 as an acknowledgment of the times. We live in an era of massive disruption, where multi-billion dollar social media companies are funded on the basis of endless volumes and engagement time. Change can best be understood in economic terms: Now, for the first time, people are not the customer but the product; the more attention, the greater the profit.

In sports leagues competing in the midst of “attention economies,” the downward shifts have been equally tectonic. For modern-day sports managers, the ultimate money is not trophies or wins but seconds of earned attention, and their competitors are not “other leagues” but internet behemoths like TikTok and Instagram. The old way of doing business is still very important – in its raw form, sports television deals and sponsorships sell captive audiences – but the wave of new media options has also created a brand new way of doing business.

This presents an unusual opportunity for sports organizations like the LPGA, which are not bound only by our traditional understanding attention “like hours on network television.” With Kessler’s LPGA, attention he can means an expanded partnership for TV rights with a major partner (Kessler’s biggest achievement as commissioner so far is a major partnership with FM to deliver extended LPGA television hours in 2026). But it could also mean growth in the world of social media whose strategies are designed to promote people living interesting lives, traveling to beautiful places, and connecting with famous people — three things that happen almost every week at the LPGA.

“I think the most important thing is to give the fans an opportunity to understand our athletes, inside the ropes and outside the ropes,” Kessler said. “Fans desire not only to watch their favorite athletes compete, but also to understand who they are as people. What do they do in their free time? What do they eat? What do they watch? Who do they hang out with? What do they wear? And some of the biggest stars in sports have found a way to express and show both their competitive side and their true personalities.”

If you sense a theme in Kessler’s thinking, you’re right. The ideas he hopes to implement in the LPGA are not exactly clear from the StarLink satellite via ChatGPT; adapted from the old-school sports marketing playbook for modern times. And in a world where audiences can be built and cultivated without the help of a major TV network, Kessler’s ideas show the flexibility to win on any terms.

Will these ideas make a meaningful difference in the women’s professional golf business? It’s too early to tell. The original rules governing the popularity of the sport have not changed – the biggest stars competing in the biggest stages in the main events – and the LPGA still has its work cut out for these ends.

But these are rare moments in pro sports. Mass audiences have never been cheaper, easier or more accessible in human history. Soon, content generated by artificial intelligence could lower the barrier even further — and yes, Kessler has ideas about that, too.

“I think AI will increase the desire more than ever to connect with people,” he said. “Events like the Tournament of Champions tap into our inner desire that has evolved over millions of years to connect with people.”

There is little debate that the LPGA needs clear vision and good judgment.

The 40-year-old leader of women’s golf certainly has the former. As for the latter?

Well, maybe Poor Richard can testify.

You can reach the author at james.colgan@golf.com.

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