Beyond the Scorecard: How Dow Is Putting Purpose at the Center of Women’s Golf
By — Front Office Sports
Posted — September 28, 2026
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Dow’s relationship with golf stretches back decades. As a global materials science company, its technologies have helped power unique aspects of the sport since the 1960s. But its connection to the game is deeper than the science within it. Dow uses sport as a platform to advance its commitments to innovation, inclusion, sustainability and community impact.
Golf has always been a game of measured performance. Scores are posted, rankings are updated and every shot has a number attached to it.
But some of the sport’s most meaningful impact never appears on a leaderboard.
It happens in innovation labs, classrooms, community centers, youth golf programs, hospitals and local non-profits. It happens when brands and athletes use their platforms to open doors for the next generation, innovate for better performance, raise money for causes they care about or bring attention to issues far beyond the course.
For Dow, that distinction is central to why it has invested so deeply in women’s golf - especially through its Official Tour Partnership with the LPGA.
The partnership has taken shape most visibly through the Dow Championship, which Dow and the LPGA launched in 2019 in Michigan’s Great Lakes Bay Region. The event was the first team-based tournament that awarded official money and points on the LPGA Tour and the first GEO Certified tournament, establishing a model that connected competition with environmental and community initiatives.
The tournament has also become a platform for advancing opportunity in women’s golf. It debuted with a $2 million purse in 2019 and has grown to $3.3 million, placing it among the largest non-major purses on Tour.
The most successful partnerships are the ones where organizational strategy and shared values are aligned... That's why we've been able to generate so much positive momentum together with the LPGA. Women's golf continues to accelerate in relevance and reach, and the LPGA gives us a powerful platform to build relationships, showcase innovation and support the growth of a sport that reflects many of the principles that drive our own business forward – passion, perseverance and commitment to positive impact.
Carlos Padilla II, VP of Global Sports Marketing at Dow
That same philosophy is reflected in the Dow Impact Award, an annual honor created by Dow and the LPGA in 2025 to recognize Tour players who are making a difference both on and off the course.
The award drew over 6,900 fan votes in its second year – more than double the amount compared to 2025. Brooke Henderson was crowned the 2026 recipient, recognized for consistently using her platform to support initiatives that matter to her – like children’s health, cancer research and cardiac care. To celebrate and help extend her impact, she earned a $25,000 cash award and a matching contribution to a charity of her choice.
To learn more about Dow’s partnership with the LPGA visit LPGA.com/Impact.
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“Some of the most meaningful work our athletes do happens away from the golf course,” said LPGA Player President, Vicki Goetze-Ackerman. “The work of this year’s nominees reflects the best of the LPGA. Brooke Henderson, Danielle Kang, Jeeno Thitikul and Angel Yin exhibit excellence, generosity, leadership and a commitment to making the game and the world around it better.”
Ultimately, women’s golf is a powerful global platform for advancing opportunity, innovation, equity and community impact. For Dow, it represents a chance to bring its commitments to people, the planet and progress to life. By partnering with the LPGA, Dow gains access to high-impact activation opportunities that drive positive business and societal change — whether through engaging customers and stakeholders, creating pathways for women and girls in sport, strengthening local economies or advancing STEM education and more sustainable tournament operations.
The Dow Championship brings those priorities together in one place. The Dow Impact Award and Team Dow – The Next Generation program extend them across the sport. The athletes themselves make the connection visible.
But Dow’s investment isn’t just within the confines of tournament week.
In 2024, the company launched Team Dow – The Next Generation, supporting four professional golfers as they pursue being part of the LPGA Tour by helping address one of the less visible challenges they face: the financial burden of competing week after week. Ultimately, the initiative combines financial support with professional development opportunities, such as mentorship from Dow leaders.
For 2026, the program includes Epson Tour players Lakareber Abe, Lauren Nguyen and Amari Avery, alongside LPGA professional Gurleen Kaur.
The goal is not simply to put a Dow logo next to an athlete’s name. It is to create pathways for women to stay in the game, develop their careers and eventually create opportunities for those following behind them.
All of the 2026 nominees – Brooke Henderson, Danielle Kang, Jeeno Thitikul and Angel Yin – demonstrate the kind of leadership the award was created to recognize. Their causes are different. The common thread is that each athlete has recognized the responsibility and opportunity within the platform they hold and that their influence can extend well beyond competition.
2026 Dow Impact Award Nominees
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Jeeno Thitikul
Brooke Henderson
Danielle Kang
Angel Yin
Angel Yin
Angel Yin is serving as a 2025-26 LPGA*USGA Girls Golf Ambassador to encourage more girls to pick up the game and has supported 2025 fire relief efforts in her hometown of Los Angeles and has dedicated hours to SParms Mask Share Programs in 2020 by creating educational public content regarding mask safety and donations.
Danielle Kang
Danielle Kang established the Danielle Kang Foundation to target child food insecurity and education initiatives in the Las Vegas area and distributed over $250,000 in frozen meals to communities in need across Las Vegas and San Francisco through a partnership with Happi Foodi.
Brooke Henderson
Brooke Henderson focuses primarily on childrens health, cancer research and cardiac care, and has raised over $4.5 million for heart health through her partnership with CPKC and support of the CPKC Womens Open.
Jeeno Thitikul
Jeeno Thitikul co-organized the JK Charity Initiative with fellow pro golfer Keera Foocharoen to raise funds for building new classrooms for three rural schools in Thailand. Jeeno has also secured $350,000 to buy essential medical supplies for rural healthcare facilities.
Brooke Henderson
2026 Dow Impact Award Recipient
Gurleen Kaur
