It'll be easier for casual sports fans and weekend TV viewers to find the LPGA Tour in 2022.
A total of 10 LPGA Tour events on the 2022 LPGA Tour schedule will air on broadcast TV, marking a big expansion for the tour onto network airwaves during weekends, when casual TV viewers are checking the programming guide for live content to watch.
As part of the new TV rights deal with the PGA Tour, the LPGA Tour will see expanded coverage on CBS Sports.
All told, there will be four events' final rounds airing on CBS Sports: the Cognizant Founders Cup, ShopRite LPGA Classic, Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational and the CP Women's Open.
.@lpga events to end on @GOLFonCBS in '22:@LPGAfounders, @ShopRiteLPGA, @DowGLBI (same wknd as @TheOpen) & @cpwomensopen (same wknd as @playofffinale).
Add Tournament of Champions, @uswomensopen, @AIGWomensOpen, @KPMGWomensPGA & @CMEGroupLPGA, that's 9 events on broadcast TV.
— Jeremy Schilling (@jschil) January 21, 2022
In 2021, CBS aired the final round of two LPGA events -- the team-based Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational and the Meijer LPGA Classic. Those events were aired as sponsors stepped up to buy the time on CBS to show the event live rather than have the finale air on Golf Channel in a likely tape-delayed presentation.
Additionally, there are six events which will air on NBC: the season-opening Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions, four of five majors (the Amundi Evian Championship will air on CNBC) and the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship.
This achieves a goal of now-former LPGA commissioner Mike Whan to get the LPGA Tour on network TV anywhere from 10 to 12 times per year.
There is an expectation that the LPGA Tour will get more network TV airtime in the years to come in this new long-term deal.