LPGA Commish Embarrasses Tour Even More With Bizarre Excuse For Cancelling Final Round Of Season Opener

If you thought the situation surrounding the LPGA canceling the final round of its season-opening event over the weekend couldn't get any more embarrassing, you would be wrong. So, so wrong.

On Sunday, the HGV Tournament of Champions was reduced to just 54 holes, leading to Nelly Korda, who led by three shots heading into the final round, securing the victory in Orlando. Temperatures were abnormally low in central Florida over the weekend, but would be well-above freezing on Sunday afternoon.

In its statement announcing the cancellation of the final round, the LPGA stated, "Play will continue with Lake Nona Golf & Country Club becoming playable in competitive competition at its peak temperature, but conditions will deteriorate later today and tomorrow, Feb. 2, making it difficult to complete 72 holes."

Your guess is as good as anyone else's as to what "competitive competition at its peak temperature" means. Scrapping the idea for a Monday finish entirely may have been an even bigger head scratcher, given that the LPGA doesn't have another event until February 19 in Thailand.

Nelly Korda begins 2026 with a win. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)

The amateurs competing in the pro-am event went out and played nine holes on Sunday morning, six players who still had to complete their third rounds went out later on Sunday to wrap up their rounds, and Annika Sorenstam even questioned why the pros weren't out playing on the very playable golf course.

And now we have a letter sent to players from LPGA commissioner Crag Kessler that makes the already soft decision to cancel the final round look even softer. Kessler's letter, which wasn't sent out until Tuesday, claims that the LPGA was concerned for player safety, as in the LPGA thought players may be injured in the cold weather due to an overnight freeze.

Injured…because of cold weather…the LPGA put that in writing.

"I made the decision to limit the event to 54 holes, worried that our athletes might be injured given the way record overnight low temperatures hardened the course," the letter from Kessler, obtained by GOLF, read in part. "While the decision was a tough one and ran counter to prior statements we shared, I made a judgement call. With the benefit of hindsight, there were clearly other ways we should have managed the situation."

It's again worth noting that temperatures were going to be well above freezing on Sunday afternoon and were well into the 50s on Monday, when the 39 players in the field could have, and should have, finished the golf tournament.

Instead, we have the LPGA commissioner talking about the dangers of cold weather as if the tour was contemplating whether it should send players to go play 18 holes on the North Pole on Sunday.