LPGA Tour files lawsuit against Korean TV partner

The LPGA Tour recently filed a lawsuit against the parent company of its Korean television partner, JTBC. The lawsuit was filed in federal court in the Southern District of New York over unpaid funds owed by JTBC.

The South Korean media partner's media rights deal with the Tour began more than a decade ago, in 2010. JTBC has since partnered with the Tour on a number of occasions, most notably the JTBC Founders Cup and the Hugel JTBC Los Angeles Open. According to recent reports, the LPGA Tour has sued JTBC's parent company, JoongAng Ilbo Company Limited, in federal court.

According to the lawsuit, the media partner has not yet paid rights fees for 2024 and 2025. JTBC's underwriting reportedly caused the LPGA to cancel the Fir Hills Seri Pak Championship last month. The Los Angeles event featured a $300,000 championship purse and was won last year by LPGA Tour pro Nelly Korda.

Formerly known as the Hugel-JTBC LA Open, this tournament has produced some of the best female golfers, Seri Pak being the best example. The total purse for this championship was $2 million, which the tour likely lost.

The interim CEO of the LPGA Tour, Liz Moore, expressed the future of their lawsuit with the Korean broadcaster.

"For now, we are not terminating our agreements and will continue honoring our obligations to avoid disruptions in tournament coverage in Korea. However, if JTBC fails to meet its broadcast commitments, we are prepared to implement alternative solutions," Liz Moore said via Golfweek.

As reported by Front Desk Sports, Oh Young Min, the JTBC Plus Chief Executive Officer admitted LPGA Tour's claims.

"In fact, we have been holding out by not paying the PGA and LPGA broadcasting rights fees. We have been working to lower the PGA and LPGA broadcasting rights fees since March and April of this year," Young Min said.

Upcoming LPGA Tour schedule

• 27 Feb - 2 Mar: HSBC Women's World Championship
• 6 - 9 Mar: Blue Bay LPGA
• 27 - 30 Mar: Ford Championship presented by Wild Horse Pass
• 2 - 4 Apr: T-Mobile Match Play presented by MGM Rewards
• 17 - 20 Apr: JM Eagle LA Championship presented by Plastpro
• 24 - 27 Apr: The Chevron Championship
• 1 - 4 May: Black Desert Championship
• 8 - 11 May: Mizuho Americas Open
• 22 - 25 May: Riviera Maya Open at Mayakoba
• 29 May - 1 Jun: U.S. Women's Open presented by Ally
• 6 - 8 Jun: ShopRite LPGA Classic presented by Acer
• 12 - 15 Jun: Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give
• 19 - 22 Jun: KPMG Women's PGA Championship
• 26 - 29 Jun: Dow Championship
• 10 - 13 Jul: The Amundi Evian Championship
• 24 - 27 Jul: ISPS Handa Women's Scottish Open
• 31 Jul - 3 Aug: AIG Women's Open
• 14 - 17 Aug: The Standard Portland Classic
• 21 - 24 Aug: CPKC Women's Open
• 28 - 31 Aug: FM Championship
• 11 - 14 Sep: Kroger Queen City Championship presented by P&G
• 19 - 21 Sep: Walmart NW Arkansas Championship presented by P&G
• 1 - 4 Oct: LOTTE Championship pres. by Hoakalei
• 9 - 12 Oct: Buick LPGA Shanghai
• 16 - 19 Oct: BMW Ladies Championship
• 23 - 26 Oct: Hanwha LIFEPLUS International Crown
• 30 Oct - 2 Nov: Maybank Championship
• 6 - 9 Nov: TOTO Japan Classic
• 13 - 16 Nov: The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican
• 20 - 23 Nov: CME Group Tour Championship