Being the LPGA commissioner isn’t an easy job, both personally and professionally.
Tuesday in a press conference at the U.S. Women’s Open, former LPGA commissioner Mike Whan, who has been USGA CEO since 2021, was asked if he had any advice for Craig Kessler, who last week was selected to be the LPGA’s new leader.
Whan gave an honest admission.
“He’s a father of really young kids,” said Whan, who was LPGA commissioner for 11 years, “and he asked me how old were my kids when I took that job. They were a little older than his. They were junior high, and he’s got middle school. I think he expected me to say, ‘Don’t worry, buddy, you’re going to be a great dad and your wife is going to love you and you’ll travel all the time.’ I said, ‘Listen, sometimes it’s really going to stink. You are going to FaceTime your kids from Shanghai and think, I’m the worst dad in the world.’
“But I promise you, your kids will be watching if you love what you do. Like my kids today when we talk about Dad’s career, they talk about as LPGA commissioner, I’ve never seen my Dad so energetic and caffeinated. But I do think kids watch more than they hear, and what I said to Craig is your kids are watching you, and if you attack this job because it means something to you, if you can make a real difference in the lives of these women on tour and these professional coaches, you’re going to get more back than they are.”
Kessler, 39, revealed in his introductory press conference how he and his wife broke the news to his three children, ages 5, 7 and 9.
“Recently, my wife and I sat our three boys down and we said, ‘Hey, mom and dad are going talk to you like adults tonight,” Kessler said. “‘We want to tell you about an amazing opportunity that dad has to be the commissioner of the LPGA, and we want to hear what you think.’
“So we walked them through the opportunity, and at the end, here’s what happened. Our 9-year-old son asked about a dozen qualifying questions to make sure this is, in fact, the right opportunity for his Dad.”
To be successful at the helm, Kessler will have to make sacrifices. But that dedication is what will allow him to flourish in his new position.
“I feel it in Craig,” Whan, 60, said. “I feel like he's doing this—like everything personally says don’t do it, and everything professionally gets him excited, and I’ve been at that crossroads before. I remember what that felt like.
“So I just told him, ‘Don't ever lose that because every woman on this tour can relate to that.’ They’re here all the time, always traveling, but when they’re home, they wish they could be out here. That rub that you’re going to always feel will make you a better commissioner because they respect that. They understand sometimes saying I’ve got to go because my son is in a high school football game.”
And Whan is bullish about Kessler’s tenure.
“I’m really excited,” he said. “I’m excited for the LPGA, and I’m really excited for Craig because I think he’s doing this for all the right reasons.”
This article was originally published on www.si.com as The Raw Truth Mike Whan Told the New LPGA Commissioner About the Job.
