The Ladies Professional Golf Association has hired Jody Brothers as its new Chief Business and Operations Officer of the Epson Tour which is a Japanese multinational electronics company. Prior to this, Brothers has served in PGA Tour since 2007 in different leadership roles including identifying , pitching and negotiating multi-year title sponsorships and official marketing partnerships, navigating elements including league rights, television and digital media, player sponsorships and investment in local tournament assets such as hospitality and on-site branding.

Jody Brothers

Talking about Brothers career, in 2007, he worked as the director of business development at TPC San Antonio, later positioning himself as the general manager of TPC Stonebrae and TPC Harding Park, tournament director of The Stonebrae Classic, executive director of The First Tee campaign for 10 Million Young People, senior director of tournament business affairs on the Korn Ferry Tour and vice president within the Office of the commissioner. 
 
He has replaced Mike Nichols, who left the Epson Tour last summer.
 
Last year, Epson got into a five-year agreement to have the naming rights to the LPGA development tour through 2026. The league had been called the Symetra Tour since 2012. 

 
“We are thrilled to welcome Jody Brothers to the LPGA Executive Leadership Team as our Epson Tour Chief Business and Operations Officer,” stated LPGA commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan. “Jody’s extensive experience at every level of the golf industry coupled with his true passion for the professional developmental tours make him the ideal leader for continued growth of the Epson Tour. 

The standard tournament purse amount has been increased to $200,000 (€186,000) as a part of the sponsorship deal. This year the players will compete for $4.915m around 22 tournaments.
 
 
“After 16 years with the PGA Tour, I am very excited to join the LPGA team and spend the next part of my career working on the women’s side of the game,” Brothers commented. “I believe deeply in the growth of the game of golf, particularly the promotion of women in our sport and the quest for equality amongst professional athletes. The Epson Tour provides opportunities for talented athletes from across the globe to compete and improve as they seek their ultimate dream of playing on the LPGA Tour and I can’t describe how excited I am for the opportunity to lead this Tour.”