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A new complaint has been unsealed, showcasing the LPGA Tour's rift with its South Korean media rights partner JTBC. They allege it failed to pay for broadcasting both tournaments in the last two years.
Interim commissioner Liz Moore sent a memo out last month detailing their gripe with the company and what they planned to do about it. As per Sports Business Journal's report, the Tour is facing a deficit of more than $1.5 million due to JTBC's alleged failure to pay for their broadcasting rights.
Via Golfweek, she said in the February memo:
"To protect our interests, we are filing a complaint to enforce a guarantee agreement with a JTBC affiliate to recover the unpaid amounts. 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."
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The complaint that was just unsealed by a judge states that JTBC failed to make five payments each for media rights and sponsorship (10 total payments totaling $1.5 million) starting in February of 2024 and continuing through last month.
The Tour said it made “repeated and good faith efforts” to get the money after the failed payments, but they got “sparse and uninformative responses” from JTBC per Sports Business Journal.
Last month, the Tour confirmed its suit via Golf Digest:
"We can confirm that we filed a complaint in the Southern District of New York on Tuesday and that we have communicated with our membership regarding this matter. Beyond that, we cannot comment on active litigation."
The LPGA Tour is reportedly seeking the $1.5 million they are owed as well as some interest on the payments and money to pay their attorney fees for fighting this legal battle.
The LPGA first began working with JTBC in 2009. Their most recent contract began in 2021 and expires at the end of this calendar year, but they were reportedly already looking into alternative options to pursue once the contract ended.
LPGA Tour star gets new sponsor
While the LPGA Tour engages in a legal battle with one of its broadcast sponsors and looks for a new one, one of the Tour's brightest stars has landed a new sponsor of her own. Jennifer Kupcho is now sponsored by Empower, a financial holdings company.
Via Yahoo! Finance, Edmund F. Murphy III, the president and CEO of Empower, said:
"Sports fosters discipline and dedication in a variety of ways, and we are always proud to partner with athletes who not only demonstrate the success they’ve achieved, but use their platform to make a difference for others, which is something Jennifer is passionate about. Jennifer grew up in Colorado, Empower’s home state, and we have watched her grow and will proudly cheer her on for all she continues to accomplish."
Kupcho was Colorado's 2017, 2019, and 2023 Golf Person of the Year and has won at the 2022 Chevron Championship, Meijer LPGA Classic, and the DOW Championship that year.
