After spending last week at the 25th Anniversary Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic LPGA Tournament in Sylvania, OH, I was amazed at what I witnessed. This was much more than an ordinary w
omen’s golf tournament. Nine out of the top ten LPGA players were there to compete. It was sad that reigning champion Paula Creamer had to withdraw due to the thumb injury she has been dealing with for the past couple of weeks. But true to form, Paula played in the Celebrity Pro-am to ‘give back’ to the sponsors that made the event possible. Additionally, she personally visited the sponsor boxes to thank them up face-to-face for their support, past and present, and hopefully, future.
Nancy Lopez was on-hand but not as a player. I saw her giving a putting lesson to Pat Hurst right before she teed off on Friday. On Saturday, Nancy was seen talking to Christina Kim just outside the scorer’s tent after Christina finished her round. This wasn’t just a casual conversation..it was as much a coaching lesson as anything else. 
Nancy is doing what she can to shore up the US players in preparation for both the US Open and the upcoming Solheim Cup. Nancy is by far the greatest ambassador to the game of golf on the planet. We regretted not getting to see her walk up the 18th hole as a competitor but her presence was felt nonetheless.
The final field was very international with 29 Americans, 29 South Koreans, 9 from Sweden, Norway and Finland , 5 from Australia and the balance from Thailand, France, Italy, Scotland, Mexico, Japan, Taiwan, Japan and South Africa. A total of 83 amazing female golfers.
They did not disappoint even though it looked like Eunjung Yi was going to walk away with the tournament after her blistering 10-under 61 posted on Saturday. Morgan Pressel got close then fell off with 2 bogeys until…she eagled the 17th hole to tie Yi at 18 under. The electricity in the stands and the roar that could be heard throughout the golf course told us that the gap had been closed and this was going down to the wire.
There was a playoff between Pressel and Yi and even though the majority of us were pulling for Pressel we couldn’t will her ball in the hole on 18 – it just barely slid by. Yi held firm and sank a 10 foot birdie putt to win on the 1st playoff hole. She definitely deserved the champion’s crown.
Next year, if there is a next year
for the long-running, crowd favorite Jamie Farr LPGA, the street that runs along side Highland Meadows Golf Course will change from Paula Creamer Blvd to Eunjung Yi Blvd. What a great tradition! But will it be back in 2010 and beyond?
Behind the scenes something even bigger was happening. We have learned that some of the top players on the LPGA Tour held a ‘behind closed doors’ meeting calling for the resignation of Carolyn Bivens, the current LPGA Commissioner
. There is so much controversy surrounding Bivens tenure as Commissioner most of which is centered on the loss of sponsors and events that are leaving gaping holes in the LPGA Tour schedule going forward.
Certainly the economic downturn could not have been predicted when Bivens laid out her business plan for the LPGA. However, when it was evident that companies were struggling and that was having a direct impact on their ability to maintain their sponsorships in the same manner as they had in the past, why wouldn’t there be a ‘temporary hold’ on increasing licensing fees and prize purses until the economy improved? Is Bivens the proverbial ‘bull in the china shop’ just charging ahead and leaving turmoil and destruction in her wake? Given the list of lost events and player unrest, it seems to this author it is time for new leadership at the top.
My personal vote for ‘interim commissioner’ would be Nancy Lopez. Who better to mend fences and right the ship than this legend who has earned the utmost respect from players, fans and business leaders throughout the world. I know am speaking out of turn as nothing has changed within the LPGA as of this writing but in a perfect world….
Thanks for visiting Ladies on the Tee Golf Blog at www.sherrytabb.com. Please feel free to leave your comments, pro or con, below.
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Tags: Carolyn Bivens, Christina Kim, Eunjung Yi, Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic, LPGA Tour, Morgan Pressel, Nancy Lopez, Pat Hurst, Paula Creamer, Solheim Cup
well said, Sherry. I think we all hope the tour can find a way through this economic mess and get back on the right track with sponsors. I certainly hope the Jamie Farr will be a round for a long time to come.
Sherry, as always a solid post with strong relevant information for your readers. If you would like some additional perspective, (also given from outside the LPGA sanctum) I suggest you look at Ryan Balangee’s Blog, Waggleroom (http://www.waggleroom.com). I don’t pretend to know what is going on with the “steering” of the LPGA for a better financial position and long term stability but one thing is for sure, the current economic climate calls for a change in the current business model if they are to survive. Is Nancy Lopez a viable replacement for Ms Bivens, I have no idea of her qualifications for this position but one thing is for sure is that she would certainly have some valuable insights to share and if Ms Bivens is going to right the ship and bring unity back to the LPGA table, bringing in people like Nancy Lopez to consult a good idea. We should also note however that it is a very different financial era than when Ms Lopez played and getting some young blood in there to share their opinions would be a good idea as well; like maybe the women that signed the letter denouncing the current situation or how about some help from the PGA, a very similar business, that is not having as difficult a time?
per usual… my 2 cents
Brian, I agree that Nancy Lopez would be able to provide invaluable insights to help get things back on track and to start righting the ship. My intention was not to offer up Nancy as a permanent replacement (even though I wouldn’t completely rule that out) but rather as a short term fix to help win back sponsors and try to undo some of the damage caused to date.
As for the PGA model, I am not certain that it wasn’t part of Ms Bivens plan. It’s not the plan that is the problem. It’s the execution ‘a la Biven’s style’ that is the problem. Definitely change is in order. Whether that is with someone young or older isn’t the primary concern. Having some sound business sense along with much-needed common sense could certainly help to rebuild and strengthen the LPGA Tour as a business. Time will tell which direction the Tour takes. In the meantime there are hundreds of young women trying to make a living via the game of golf and hundreds of thousands of fans that cringe every time another sponsor bites the dust.
Agreed…
Sherry, it’s been interesting to me as I “work” the galleries that fans of the LPGA are keenly aware of its problems and are genuinely worried about the tour and its players. Financial challenges in the golf industry are not a sudden development. It’s been clear on the floor of the PGA Merchandising Show from that both the industry has a whole has been feeling the impact of economic downturn over the past three years. Sponsorship problems are not surprising since so many of the title sponsors of both PGA and LPGA events are financials, insurers and auto makers.
After chatting with Nancy Lopez and watching her interact with fans and players, I agree that she could play an important role on so many levels. True, her heydey was in a different era. But let’s remember that she is also a business woman in her own right with Lopez Golf and her projects in The Villages.
I also think that as the economy turns around, and it will eventually, there may be a whole new kind of sponsor to court. But that’s a discussion for another day.
Sherry…thanks for your insight and comments. Good point about ‘new kinds of sponsors’ going forward.
My dream is that Nancy Lopez or any of the older gals would start a Senior Golf Tour for women. I thought this would happen years ago, with Carner, Wright, Whentworth, Palmer, etc. Why is it not happening? I feel this would get the older amuteur out there in support.
Rose Lamatt
Rose, Nancy stills plays (or will be playing more) on the LPGA Tour now that her youngest will be heading off to college. There is a Legends Tour (http://www.thelegendstour.com/) where a lot of our favorites still play…the only issue is that there are only 4 Legends events slated for ’09. It might help to contact the Legends Tour and express your interest in seeing more of these true ‘legends’. I know I have!!
Thank you for letting me know of the Legends Tour.
You’re welcome!
[...] guess is that on an interim basis, as I suggested in my article, What is Really Happening with the LPGA?, Nancy would be willing to do whatever she can to shore up the flailing tour. Long term would be [...]