When you come to think of it that is the secret of most of the great holes all over the world. They all have some kind of a twist. C.B. MACDONALD
A wire story from reader Nick and LPGA Fan:
SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL’s Daniel Kaplan cites an LPGA tax return as showing that Commissioner Carolyn Bivens earned $238,872 in the last six months of ’05, her first months on the job, which means her pay “would come to almost $478,000 annually.” Bivens’ predecessor, Ty Votaw, earned $459,677 in ’04 and $300,000 in ’03 (SBJ, 4/9 issue)....
Any idea what this is that we're calling a trophy (held by Ginn Open winner Brittany Lincicome)?
The Orlando Sentinel's Mike Bianchi manages to turn some mildly oblivious responses from Annika and Nancy Lopez into a hysterical (in more ways than one) rant about the lack of photo-opportunistic feminist leadership in sports.
Brace yourselves...
Her response -- correction: her non-response -- is both shocking and disappointing.
Here's the exchange between Annika Sorenstam and me Wednesday during her pre-tournament news conference for the LPGA Ginn Open:
"Annika, some derogatory comments were made about the Rutgers women's basketball team the other day; obviously, you've heard about them . . ."
Before I can finish, Annika stops me cold with her response.
"No, I haven't."
You haven't?
"No," she says, shaking her head.
Uncomfortable pause.
All I can think of to say at this point is, "Never mind."
All she can think of to say is, "Sorry."
Yeah, I'm sorry, too.
Sorry because herein lies the colossal problem facing female athletes in their ongoing battle against sexism in the sports arena: Nobody cares enough to speak up or stand up for them.
Where have you gone, Martha Burk?
A gender turns its lonely eyes to you.
Oy.
Copied and pasted with the LPGA's deranged font settings and spacing kept intact:
Galloway named LPGA deputy commissioner
REUNION, Fla., April 11, 2007 – Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Commissioner Carolyn F. Bivens today named Elizabeth “Libba” Galloway to the newly created position of deputy commissioner. The announcement was made following the LPGA’s spring Board of Directors meeting in Reunion, Fla.
“I am pleased to name Libba to the position of deputy commissioner,” Bivens said. “Libba’s leadership, insight and commitment to the growth of the LPGA in all facets of our business have been significant in the LPGA’s success. She will continue to lead the organization for corporate governance and compliance. Libba and I will share the activities we have underway with various association business, including representation of the LPGA in the golf industry and in women’s sports.”
Galloway most recently held the position of executive vice president, office of the commissioner, where she was responsible for corporate governance and compliance as well as the association’s legal affairs, tournament operations staff and the LPGA’s television distribution.
In addition, she has taken on leadership positions with numerous organizations outside the LPGA on various Boards of Directors: the College of William and Mary Alumni Association; the Sports Lawyers Association; the Daytona Beach and Halifax Area Chamber of Commerce; and the Florida Tennis Center Foundation.
“Carolyn and the entire professional staff of the LPGA have made tremendous strides in the last year and I look forward to continuing what has been one of the most professionally satisfying experiences of my tenure with the LPGA,” said Galloway. “The members of the LPGA are world-class golfers and world-class people and I'm thrilled to be part of our organization's continued growth and success.”
Galloway has a wide range of legal experience, including commercial transactions, mergers and acquisitions, sports law, financing and regulatory, corporate, real estate and banking law. Prior to joining the LPGA in February 2000, Galloway was a partner in the Cincinnati-based firm of Taft, Stettinius & Hollister, where she was a member of the business and finance department. For two years prior to her Taft position, Galloway was an associate for Louisville-based Greenebaum, Doll & McDonald in the real estate and finance department.
Exactly as it was sent out...and, yes, the simple answer is, the LPGA has a sponsor for their program to teach players how to speak English.
KOLON signs as title sponsor of
KOLON-LPGA Cross-Cultural Professional Development Program
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., April 11, 2007 – KOLON has been named the title sponsor of the Ladies Professional Golf Association’s (LPGA) professional development program that offers educational and cross-cultural communication training for all members and will now be called the KOLON-LPGA Cross-Cultural Professional Development Program.
“We are excited with our partnership with KOLON, which emphasizes the importance of communication among all individuals, regardless of where they call home,” said LPGA Commissioner Carolyn F. Bivens. “We successfully test-piloted the cross-cultural program in 2006, and we are eager to expand the program in 2007.”
KOLON has led the way in the development of golf in Korea since 1985, when the honorary chairman of KOLON Group, Dong Chan Lee, was appointed as the chairman of Korea Golf Association
“We are delighted to embark on this new partnership program with the LPGA. Our participation in this program is a tangible reflection of our enhanced contribution to golf,” said Hwan S. Jae, CEO and president of FnC KOLON. “We believe this program will assist not only Koreans, but all international players to learn the English language and acquire a better understanding and appreciation of the cultural diversity within the LPGA.”
The KOLON-LPGA Cross-Cultural Professional Development Program was designed to assist all LPGA members in developing core skills that will help them be successful as an LPGA professional. The LPGA showcases an international membership and a global business footprint that establishes the LPGA as the premier women’s professional golf organization in the world. It boasts a Tour membership exceeding 450, including 117 international players representing 26 countries, while the LPGA Teaching and Club Professionals includes nearly 1,200 golf professionals who are teachers, coaches, managers and entrepreneurs.
In 2006, Phase I of the program focused on the importance of effective English language communication skills including conversational, survival and golf “speak.” The program was successful in its inaugural season integrating onsite tutoring sessions into real-life situations, such as weekly pro-ams, media interviews, practice rounds, informal settings with other players and LPGA staff.
Moving forward, the KOLON-LPGA Cross-Cultural Professional Development Program will focus on building social and professional skills with an emphasis on bridging cultural differences; growing awareness of, and sensitivity to, cultural differences exemplified by differing values, assumptions, and communication styles. The program also emphasizes the skills espoused by the LPGA’s Five Points of Celebrity – Appearance, Relevance, Approachability, Joy/Passion, and Performance; as well as establishing the ability to respond to demands of global golf sport entertainment business.
Wouldn't most other leagues keep something like this a secret?
And an entire press release went by without mentioning the brand. The times they are a...
Melena Ryzik will probably be getting some mail from The Brand Lady or one of her lieutenants after this NY Times piece on lesbian spring break, better known as Kraft Nabisco week. Wait, I mean, Dinah Shore weekend. Got to get my brands straight.Welcome to Dinah Shore Weekend, or, as it’s better known, lesbian spring break, which concludes today. An annual pilgrimage for more than three decades, it has attracted thousands of adult women to this mountain-ringed Southern California desert town, which becomes a destination for lesbians looking to party, socialize and hook up.
The name comes from the Kraft Nabisco Championship (formerly the Dinah Shore Golf Championship), the first stop on the Ladies Professional Golfers Association tour, which happens concurrently a few miles away.
In the years B.E. (Before Ellen DeGeneres), the Dinah was the province of mostly polo-shirted women seeking a low-key weekend getaway. Now, in the years A.L. (After “The L Word”), it has been transformed into a fashionable bacchanal, nearly a week long, with celebrity guests like Carmen Electra and Joan Jett, large pool parties and dozens of corporate sponsors, who vie for the attention of a community that is suddenly much more visible, and visibly wealthy. It’s Girls Gone Wild for Girls (and Marketing)
The Brand Lady did a wonderful job with those softballs lobbed by those 18-to-34-year-old demo drawers Verne Lundquist and Judy Rankin during today's Dinah Shore final round. Me thinks the LPGA Commish has been working overtime with her brand coach, but she did stray into foreign territory this week and thanks to LPGA Fan, we get some juicy insights from Ms. Bivens.
From Janet Cromley's LA Times story on women hitting the ball longer (or not):
But they can get closer with improved mechanics and technique, says LPGA Commissioner Carolyn Bivens. "Frankly," says Bivens, "the women have to be more fit than the men and their mechanics have to be better. A guy can mis-hit a ball and mis-hit it farther."
To hit the ball farther, the women are focusing not only on upper body strength but also leg and core strength, with balance as the ultimate goal. "You've got to have technique and balance to pull off the long shots," says Bivens.
Language barrier would be an understatement. I was lost in the labyrinth of rising and falling inflections that inhabit the Korean language.
Of course, Ahn had a translator, who happened to be her agent, Vicki Lee.
Ahn was asked about changes in her attitude on the golf course. She fought for two minutes to explain herself.
Then came the predictable five-second translation: "She has fun. She is a little more lighthearted."
...I'm sad to say, chose not to give a "state of the LPGA Tour" press conference at this week's Dinah Shore (or whatever it's called).
A sad, sad day. At least there's last year's classic to relive.
A reader chimed in that this is the first time since at least 1990 that the LPGA Commissioner did not use the Dinah Shore to do a "State of the Tour" press conference.
Ron Sirak suggests that the maneuvering between the LPGA and PGA Tour is unnecessary, but I say it's downright entertaining.
The LPGA may lack the star power of the PGA Tour (although, arguably, the latter's star power only goes as deep as Tiger Woods), but it presents a more compelling product than the Champions or Nationwide Tours. Determined to increase its exposure, the feisty LPGA has fought back by out-maneuvering the PGA Tour on a couple of fronts that have largely gone unnoticed.
The LPGA created the ADT Championship playoff model, and its $1 million first prize, last year before the FedEx Cup became the subtitle for the PGA Tour. And LPGA officials were clearly upset at the Golf 20/20 conference last October when the meeting to discuss ways to grow the game of golf morphed into a pep rally for the FedEx Cup, at the direction of the PGA Tour. LPGA commissioner Carolyn Bivens (pictured) was so angry she left and had to be talked into coming back for the Hall of Fame induction ceremonies.
Hearing something like that makes it tough to make fun of The Brand Lady. Oh wait, she gives her annual press conference today at the Nabisco Championship. I spoke too soon!
...because the LPGA releases their banned substances list. Annika comments:
``I'm not very familiar with any of those substances, and I don't really know what they are other than caffeine (which is not banned) and cocaine, I think,'' she said. ``I have a lot of learning to do. But I think it's an important statement that we're making.
``It's a new era for the LPGA,'' Sorenstam said. ``We're standing behind it.''
Bivens’ latest gaffe in her 18 months at the top came via the 2007 LPGA media guide. This is a book for which Annika Sorenstam had been the annual cover girl for the past 10 years.
Guess what? No Annika out front in 2007, as Lorena Ochoa, Seon Hwa Lee and Julieta Granada adorn the book’s cover. Granted, Ochoa belongs, but Hwa and Granada over Sorenstam?
The Sorenstam snafu is the equivalent of the PGA Tour leaving Tiger off its media guide. And, you can bet that will never happen.
Apparently snubbing the greatest player ever in women’s golf, the same player who doesn’t necessarily see right down the middle with the commish, was the point. And trust me, this latest LPGA media guide cover fiasco didn’t just roll out of the marketing department without Bivens’ blessing.
The same can be said for every other detail involving the LPGA these days. They are Bivens driven, and if an employee dares disagree — “You’re fired!’’ It’s happened so many times since she took over late in 2005 — 13 “resignations,’’ including her top three assistants — you have to wonder: Who’s next?
Certainly Bivens’ dissing of Sorenstam isn’t enough to break her reign of terror. But apparently Sorenstam’s 69 career wins don’t carry much weight these days. That is especially true for those who dare question Bivens’ iron rule.
Sorenstam, however, is one of those few who dared. Last year, after watching fiasco after fiasco that began with top media outlets boycotting the LPGA, was followed by world rankings that were a laughingstock (Sorenstam the exception), and then more resignations from within, Annika observed: “I am quite concerned about some of the decisions and changes I have seen lately. I just wonder where we are headed.’’
Cameron Morfit says the match play is in need of a lift, so he recommends inviting the LPGA Tour to contest their own match play at the same time.
The Accenture is golf’s version of a tennis tournament: single-elimination, with most everything resting on the quality of the semifinal and final. One of the things tennis has going for it is that men and women play concurrently at the same venue. Right away you double your chances of having at least one star in a final, and of getting at least one compelling match in the prime viewing hours Saturday and Sunday.Now I don't know about this next point, since I don't believe it's accurate.
The LPGA, in fact, bettered the PGA Tour with its most recent match play event, the season-ending ADT Championship, won by Paraguayan pixie Julieta Granada, who pocketed $1 million, the largest purse in women’s golf, and promptly bought herself a new Range Rover. (A million bucks still means something on the LPGA.)
It was stroke play wasn't it?
Anyhow, the concept seems interesting since even with a great final match, the WGC Match Play is a dud on television. As much as I love match play, if it's going to be played only at real estate developments willing to pay for the privilege, then they need more, uh, "product" to distract us.
Got to love the LPGA, they still have confidence in Michelle Wie. Announcing eligibility changes for the season ending ADT Championship that the PGA Tour ought to emulate, note this little change...
For the first-time ever, a non-LPGA Tour member has the opportunity to compete in the ADT Championship. If a non-LPGA Tour member wins one of the four majors, she is eligible to compete in the season-ending ADT Championship and is not required to become a member to do so. Furthermore, if she needs a note to get out of her classes at Stanford, the LPGA Commissioner will personally write and sign it.
Oh there I go again adding on sentences to perfectly good press releases. Sorry.
Thanks to reader Tom for this release. As always, your vote on the most ridiculous of the requisite lame quotes is welcomed:
LPGA announces technology enhancements for telecasts SkyCaddie to provide real-time GPS information
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., Jan. 26, 2007- The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) and the Golf Channel have each partnered with SkyGolf, makers of the SkyCaddie® GPS rangefinder, to provide enhanced, real-time information to viewers during live LPGA tournament broadcasts. Analysts will be utilizing SkyCaddie® rangefinders to provide real-time information to viewers of LPGA telecasts on ESPN2 and the Golf Channel, beginning with the Golf Channel's broadcast of the SBS Open at Turtle Bay, Feb. 15-17.
Viewers will be given comprehensive information, including players’ driving distances and positioning, such as distances needed to clear or lay up in front of fairway hazards. The inclusion of this cutting-edge technology and production enhancement represents the first time advanced GPS technology will play such an integral role during LPGA golf broadcasts. The SkyCaddie® rangefinders use the same global positioning system used by the U.S. military, but in a highly portable handheld device about the size of a cell phone that can compute distances to any point on a golf course.
“We are very excited to be working with the LPGA and the Golf Channel to provide a unique perspective to viewers that will help showcase the remarkable talents of these highly skilled professional athletes,” said SkyGolf CEO Richard Edmonson. “These partnerships will help bring to life the amazing feats that occur each week on the LPGA Tour, such as crushing 275 yard drives and pinpoint approach shots.”
Even Bivens in her prime can't top that...crushing 275 yard drives?
“Our research has shown that our viewers are looking for more statistics and information about the great play on the LPGA Tour,” said LPGA Commissioner Carolyn F. Bivens. “We are pleased to team with SkyCaddie to bring enhanced information to our tournament broadcasts. SkyCaddie’s portability and easy-to-use technology will make broadcast implementation seamless, allowing our broadcast partners to clearly illustrate why LPGA players are some of the best athletes in the world.”
MBA Points for use of portability, seamless and partners, but best athletes in the world? Boring...
“The LPGA is extremely popular right now, featuring gifted players and intense competition each week,” said the Golf Channel’s Executive Vice President of Advertising Sales and New Media Gene Pizzolato. “We’re proud to be expanding our production capabilities of LPGA telecasts by incorporating the proven performance of the SkyCaddie into our broadcasts to bring exciting real-time information to our viewers like never before.”
I wonder if they'll plug the SkyCaddie numbers into WinZone in order to make it, well, work?
Geoff Shackelford is a Senior Writer for Golfweek magazine, a weekly contributor to Golf Channel's Morning
Copyright © 2022, Geoff Shackelford. All rights reserved.
