Pressel: "I feel this is the wrong time to have an event with a mock purse."
Randall Mell tells us about Morgan Pressel issuing a statement(!) on the Founders Cup, Commissioner Miek Whan's Monopoly Money event in Phoenix. Thanks to reader George for this.
“I am certain that all LPGA members are deeply appreciative of the pioneering work done by our founders, and I am all for honoring them in a special tournament. Likewise, like all our members, I have a strong commitment to charitable endeavors, including my own personal fundraising efforts. The LPGA contributes to charitable causes, as far as I know, through virtually every Tour event, in an amount similar to that provided by the proposed Founders Cup.
“That being said, I feel that the event belittles all other events that donate similar numbers to charity and still provide a full purse. They are attempting to hold an event with a short budget. If the event donated closer to 2 million dollars to the charity, that would really be something substantial, considering there is no purse. Unfortunately, with the vast amount of resources that are being used, it does not match the charitable contribution. I feel we have better ways to honor our founders, donate to charity, not alienate any sponsors and increase the value of our brand.
"Futhermore, with a shortened schedule and a lack of full-field domestic events, I feel this is the wrong time to have an event with a mock purse,
Mock!
when so many of our players are having a hard time getting into tournaments and making a reasonable living. I am leaning towards not playing the event, but am very unhappy that myself and others have been placed in the uncomfortable position of looking uncharitable and unappreciative if we choose not to play. In summary, the Founders Cup is not a bad idea, but the ramifications of this format should have been given more thought and planning before moving forward so quickly.”
Beth Ann Baldry Tweeted earlier today the Commish is encouraging everyone to "think like a founder."
Has the Brand Lady been replaced by Think Founder Man?
Friday, January 28, 2011 at 08:54 PM
Reader Comments (44)
If all the top players decline to play they may have to cancel this thing. Not good. Matter of fact I think the the players are going to have to end up taking one for the team and showing up...too much collateral damage if they don't.
Translation: If there's no prize money, I'm taking the week off.
Can't say that I blame her.
But I agree with Del - if no one shows then it really doesn't help the image of the LPGA.
No matter what happens from here it's going to look bad for him.
If all the big names don't show up, that's a huge loss for Whan. If in the end they all capitulate and do show up in order to save the event it will be obvious that they are doing so pretty much against their will which puts Whan in a really bad spot and his credibility with the players takes a massive hit. Going forward he'll be operating from a position of real weakness.
As much as they don't want to do it I think some of the senior players need to gather the rank and file and all agree to show up this one time and take one for the betterment of the LPGA Tour. But at the same time send an extremely stern message to Whan not to F-UP like this again or he has a serious problem.
This has the potential to get really ugly, and divisive. Last thing the LPGA Tour needs...
I just cannot believe that Whan didn't do a better job of vetting this with the players in advance. This is a page right out of Commish Blivet's Big Book of Failure.
This event plans to donate $500K to charity.
Where is the rest of the money going?
Actually, one article I read said that the only money going to the charity is the proceedes of the tournament which is estimated at $500,000. BUT, that is before the LPGA pays a stipen to each player for travel and per diem - which I hear is $1000 per player. That will leave a maximum of $356,000 for the charity and that is only if the estimate of proceedes of $500,000 was correct - which I very much doubt. It normally takes two or three years for a tournament to actually make ANY money for charity.
It is a terrible idea from the start - true sign of desperation and even worse, a sign that who ever is advising Whan needs to be on the unemployment line. As one of the LPGA tag lines use to say: POSITIVELY AMAZING!
Granted the "Founders" might have played a lot of times for "free" to legitimize the sport. However, I'm sure their intention was never to make it a standard for the tour. If the USA can't support this tour, than the players should go where ever the money is. Obviously, Phoenix is not one of those places.
The players would be better off doing what the rest of us do, pool their own money and divide it among the top three finishers.
Good on Pressel for calling out these clowns- who I'm guessing aren't working for free this week.
"Think like a founder"- code for, "please buy into our scam so we can goose our bottom line as we race towards irrelevance."
@ East End Golfer, I could have sworn Morgan was represented by IMG and was going to have a huge laugh to see them describes in such glowing terms. A lot of IMG haters around here would have a conniption! But alas, her IMG agent recently left to join Wasserman Media Group (Arn Tellem, mostly known for repping NBA players) and Morgan followed suit at the beginning of 2011. Oh well ;)
Good comments all around boys. its an interesting argument and the viewpoints here are provocative..
This is my favorite part:
"...when so many of our players are having a hard time getting into tournaments and making a reasonable living."
Hmm, let me see here. What can we possibly do to prevent this?...
- Play better?
- Stop being a pro golfer?
- Live off your endorsements?
- Ask to go to the Nick Bolleteri tennis academy instead?
- Scrape together a new definition of 'reasonable living'?
Now if you want an LPGA tour that only has 50 people on it your comments make sense, but that seems rather small and restrictive to me.
I think seak has it right re. the money and RM and Del are right about the quality and entertainment value.
I watched a bunch of LPGA coverage last year and, bad broadcast values aside, it was compelling viewing.
The world's awash in sports coverage and the LPGA has ended up undervalued, imo, but giving the product away...that's 'borderline nuts' as KLG states above.
I've never been a big Pressel fan but if you look at her charitable fund raising track record I find it difficult to see how anyone could call her selfish.
I'm curious to know where the information that Whan consulted with the other tournament sponsors was sourced? Can you point us to that information?
My take: yes they should participate, but this sets up major complications down the road.
For example, take the Aaron Rodgers autograph controversy a couple of weeks ago...video showed him :"blowing" off a cancer survivor at the airport, Yahoo sports showed the video and Rodgers looked like a pampered, elitist ahole athlete...until it was later reported that A Rod had signed numerous articles for her in the past and isn't a prick.
This is Prussell's point...it will be harder for the LPGA players to turn down future requests without looking a little uncaring even though as some point out above, they have done numerous acts of private charity without fanfare and credit. All of those good deeds done "privately" go down the drain if you don't show up "publicly" and honor the "founders" as you will be ridiculed and criticized by bloggers and the uninformed public. Whan is committing emotional blackmail of sorts.
Its like you sign 100 autographs and the 101st guy that gets denied reports to a blog that so and so is an ahole cuz he wouldn't sign my jersey.
I think what this tells me is there is a serious communications gap between management and players.
This could have been done and with all players on board publicly with all this dirty laundry aired out in private.
The fact that it has come out like this bodes ill for future harmony and success of the tour.
Thanks to all the thoughtful posters...
Bingo.
That's stunning to me given what went down with the previous Commish.
Whan has f'd himself, and good.
@ Ky...just having a really nice quiet laugh imagining a ruddy faced Whan blasting away at the denizens of geoffshackelfordinpartnershipwithgolfdigest.com!!!!!! Thanks for the vizualizaton :-)
Whan did tell the players about his CONCEPT for a Founders Tournament - but none of the details. Players thought the idea of playing a tournament and having the charity dollars go to the LPGA Foundation was a great idea. As you may remember, when it was first announced, ALL the PURSE was going to the LPGA Foundation. NOW - it is only the proceeds of the tournament which is estimated at $500,000. It will be much less in my opinion.
One last question - who OWNS the Tournament and operates it? The LPGA Tour! Who will get paid first? The LPGA Tour!
Mr. Whan and his crew have lots of explaining to do and they need to come clean with ALL the details. JMO
I don't think so!
Right now, Whan is making Bivens look good!
It's supposed to be hard to make a 'reasonable living' playing golf! After Tiger (and, to a lesser degree, Annika) came along, everyone forgot that.
If you can't make a 'reasonable living' playing golf, then you need to play better or move along. Play well and the money comes, even if there are fewer events. Play poorly and get out. Teach lessons, move back to your parents' McMansion, whatever. That's what golf was. I want it back and these little setbacks in the pro game will get us there quickly.
If there are no sponsors, there's no event this weekend. If the top names don't come to your event, don't sponsor it. Once that happens enough, I guarantee we'll see the players and the networks change. Suddenly, they'll be forced to improve to take advantage of the fewer opportunities they have to make their 'reasonable' living.
Anyway, a bit of a detraction there. Nonetheless, I think it's valid when talking about the specific quote I highlighted in my earlier comment.
I had originally hoped that Whan had something about this event that had not been revealed, and that it would be a real publicity coup for the LPGA: now I am concerned that it will be a publicity disaster. If Whan has some great surprise that will rocket the LPGA to the forefront in the minds of American (and worldwide, sorry) golf fans, he surely needed to let the top players on the tour in on what was going on.
the PGA is on the verge of really having some of its best days ahead, player wise: they need to get it together, and if Whan has some 'reason' why his is going to propel the LPGA to another level, he needs to get Morgan, etc on board