LPGA: Just Kidding!

Turns out that two hour wait to pee in a cup was just a test run, only the players didn't know it (and they aren't too happy!).

Ron Sirak reports.

LPGA Drug Testing Matches Tour's On-Course Pacing

Beth Ann Baldry reports on Golfweek.com that they LPGA testing is off and, about two holes behind for some players.

For Wright, the process of giving a sample with someone in the room was more worrisome than the results. But she got in and out in 35 minutes. For Maria Hjorth, it was only 20 minutes. Natalie Gulbis, however, waited for at least 2 hours before someone was available to administer her test.

“I think they have some kinks they definitely need to work out,” said Gulbis, who noted that more administrators were added as the day went along. “But everything was handled very professionally.”

And...

Kelli Kuehne opened with a 5-under 67 but never made it to the media room to talk about her round. She went in for testing immediately after turning in her scorecard and sat in a holding room for 2 hours, 45 minutes. By the time she’d finished, Kuehne didn’t even feel like practicing.

“I was one of the guinea pigs,” she said. “I’m hoping it’s something they will fine-tune.”

They Penalize Slow Play On The LPGA Tour!

If I wasn't out at Riviera watching PGA Tour pros take their sweet time I would have caught Bill Kwon's excellent summary of Angela Park's expensive two-shot penalty last week at Turtle Bay.

Park was only one stroke behind winner Annika Sorenstam at one time, but a triple-bogey 7 at 10 gave her a final-round 69 — 209 and a tie for fifth with Japan's Momoko Ueda. They finished one shot behind Russy Gulyanamitta, Laura Diaz and Jane Park, who shared second at 208.

So instead of getting $100,458 for being second alone, Park got $40,872.

Let the whining begin...

"I didn't think it was fair at all," said Park, the only one in her threesome to be penalized after being put on the clock at the 10th tee.

"It was kinda really unfair for penalizing me on that one hole when I was playing quick throughout the whole day," she said.

Uh huh... 

"It's especially unfair for the last four, five groups of the day. I've seen many, many occasions last year when the last group was a hole behind, but I respected that because they're trying to play to win. When he (rules official Doug Brecht) came up to me and penalized me, I was like, you know where I am on this leaderboard? You have any idea?

"I have nothing against him, I have nothing mean to say about him. He said he was going by the rules, which I understand, which is his job. But then I told him, if it was Paula (Creamer), if it was Annika, would you have penalized them? He didn't say anything. I was crying my eyes out, I couldn't help it. It was an embarrassing thing to say, but I was almost bawling.

Almost...

"I told him, well, that's for TV isn't it? It would have looked bad for you on TV if you penalized Paula or Annika. He didn't say anything. I was, like, I would have respect (for) you if you would have penalized them, too. Then I would have been OK, that's fine. That's your job. I respect you for that. But he didn't say anything.

"I was, like, you know, that's just not fair. That's how life is and I've just got to move on from it."

Brecht told Park on the 10th tee that she was on the clock. "She violated our pace-of-play policy and was penalized two shots," he said.

As for Park asking if he would do the same to Creamer and Sorenstam in that same situation, Brecht said, "She never asked me that question. If she did, I didn't hear her ask me that question."

Brent Kelly offers this primer on the LPGA's policy and also this comparison with the PGA Tour's policy.

Gulbis Rebranding Commences With Exclusive Images Appearing Intensely Bored At New York Fashion Shows

First we learned she was going to lose the G-strings, then she said it was never her intention to deprive us of those irresistable anklet sock tan lines and then she fired her agent to assure us that such a scare would never happen again.

Yet in this lame-beyond-belief, page-view generating SI/golf.com slideshow, Jeff Zelevanksy follows Natalie Gulbis around New York's fashion scene where we see two sides of her: bored beyond belief and intensely glazed over while seated amongst life-like manneqins and the freaky fashion industry elite.

Oh, and all while fully clothed.

Sure looks to me like the rebranding has begun. Say it ain't so Natalie!

Gulbis Leaves Octagon For IMG; Fans Assured That Famously Exploitative Agency Will Fully Exploit Her Hot Babe Status

Scott Hamilton reports the good news for those who were alarmed by last fall's reported re-branding.

LPGA = Meshpokha

From AP:

The LPGA Tour finally worked out the details for its new tournament in South Florida, announcing Tuesday that the Stanford International Pro-Am will be played April 24-27 at Turnberry Isle Resort & Club in Aventura, Fla.

And in case you forgot...

The new event was held up by a scheduling conflict at Turnberry Isle.

The resort already had been booked that week by Presidential Holidays Southeast, which was hosting a Passover event for more than 500 Orthodox Jews. The Sun-Sentinel reported last week that Presidential Holidays received a financial settlement from the resort, and the Passover event will go somewhere else.

And I was so looking forward to the depositions.

Brand Lady Got Big Raise In '06

Even though she couldn't do much right in 2006, Jon Show reports that Commissioner Carolyn Bivens enjoyed a 45% pay bump.

Tax records show she was paid $690,000 in 2006 after making $238,782 during her first six months of employment in the latter half of 2005. Prorating that amount would have come to about $478,000 in 2005.

Snow notes...

Bivens’ first year with the LPGA was mired in controversy, including the departure of top staff members, disagreements with the tournament association over raised sanctioning fees and cancellation of events, and a tiff with the media over photographic rights. But she has appeared to weather the storm.

“I’m sure there are some things she would like a do-over on, but for the most part, change was necessary,” said one golf marketer, who did not want to be identified. “Looking back, I think she’s done a good job.”

Well, I'm sure a huge increase in reven... 

The LPGA’s revenue for 2006 was $69.7 million, up from $67.4 million a year earlier. That does not include money brought in by events that are not owned by the LPGA. The tour owns and operates the Solheim Cup, which is a biennial Ryder Cup-style event, and now fully owns the ADT Championship, where it bought out IMG’s stake after the 2006 event.

Tournament revenue was up about $1.5 million to $50 million, which includes money brought in from new events and renegotiated sanctioning fees with existing events, as well as increased sponsorship dollars.

And...

Money from television was down $500,000 to $9.5 million. Corporate sponsorship was down from $5.2 million to $4.8 million, which the LPGA said reflected the termination of an exclusive international licensing contract with New York-based Summit Properties International.

Salary consultant Steve Unger questioned Bivens’ 2006 salary in relation to the LPGA’s revenue, but said it is impossible to accurately analyze her income without knowing if there was an automatic increase, or if she met certain parameters for success that triggered more salary.

“The optics of the deal are bad, but it might be totally in line depending on what the LPGA was expecting from her,” Unger said. “It seems like a lot of money for a little revenue.”

But you can't put a dollar value on what she's done for the brand!

Gulbis Heir Apparent Misses Q-School Cut

Dave Seanor reports on the good, bad and beautiful from LPGA Q-school, where Australian Anna Rawson, who was looking to fill the void left by Natalie Gulbis's decision to possibly shed the hottness brand, missed by one shot.

“Come play where the pros pay.”

Golfweek's Beth Ann Baldry documents the perils of brand licensing, in this case the LPGA International hosting this week's LPGA Q-School. Baldry's tales remind me of playing in some really bad city amateur tournaments. Thanks to reader Bill for this.

Amie Cochran was sitting in the snackshop having a bowl of chili following her first round and immediately sat this reporter down to rattle off a list of complaints. Cochran arrived in Daytona earlier than most and estimates she’s spent $400 tuning up for the event.

And speaking of lunch, Cochran paid $3 for the iced tea she was sipping. On Wednesday, players were shocked to find a shoddy menu taped over the top of the existing one in the heavily-trafficked snack bar. The “Q-School Menu” featured $3 sodas and $10 sandwiches, served with chips and a drink.

$10 for a sandwich, but it's for a good cause.

Lorraine Vosmik, director of club operations, said the limited menu was being offered in an attempt to expedite service. When asked why the prices rivaled Disney, Vosmik said they hadn’t changed. A soda, however, normally goes for $2.50.

“We included tax and a tip,” she said. “And we didn’t want to deal with change.”

Except they forgot to note that on the new menu and left the tip jar on the counter. A small salad every other week of the year costs $5.50. This week, $7. And the service? There is none.

“No one’s been nice at this course,” Cochran said matter-of-factly. “Is unaccommodating a word?”

Why yes, Aimee, it is. In fact, it’s the perfect word to describe how players felt later that afternoon when they learned the range closed at 4 p.m., an hour and a half before daylight ends. Attendants walked up and down the range warning players that the range would close in 30 minutes.

“I was appalled,” said Bader, who was on the range with Bartholomew working out the kinks of an opening 4-over 76.

Hey, what's your beef? It's only a tournament that effects lives. Who gave you the impression it was important?

Hafeman said that in order for the range to be picked and the balls cleaned in time for a 6:30 a.m. start, it must close at 4 p.m. The hours, however, were extended to 4:30 p.m. Thursday after the round was delayed due to fog.

“How about a continuous picker this week?” asked Bader, pointing to an empty picker sitting by a tree near the range. Sounds like a reasonable suggestion.

If all this sounds rather petty, consider this: It cost non-members $5,000 to play here this week if they played both qualifiers, $4,000 if they played in one. Members payed $2,500.

But you can bet the LPGA operations people are on top of...well, not really.

Libba Galloway, the LPGA’s deputy commissioner, didn’t want to comment on the frustration of players until she’d spoken with them herself. There’s been a huge turnover at LPGA International in the last year since the former director of golf, Nancy Henderson, left to work for the tour. Even tour employees have felt the sting of its new management in recent months.

It makes sense for the LPGA to host its qualifying school here every year, but if they can’t accommodate the players or make them feel welcome, perhaps it’s time to find a new venue.

The slogan at LPGA International is “Come play where the pros play.”  But as one tour caddie wrote in his blog, a more accurate description might be “Come play where the pros pay.”

It's Not A Mitzvah!

Jeff Shain reports on a lawsuit filed against the Fairmont hotel chain over the LPGA's new event at Turnberry Isle.

Organizers of an annual 10-day Passover vacation retreat at the Fairmont Turnberry Isle have sued the resort for breach of contract, alleging they are being kicked out to make room for the LPGA.

The lawsuit, filed Monday in Miami-Dade County Circuit Court, asks the court to uphold the contract. Some 500 Orthodox Jews from around the world are expected in Aventura for the retreat.

''This event has been promoted for a year and a half,'' said attorney David Freedman, who filed the suit on behalf of Presidential Holidays Southeast Inc.

``Most people have nonrefundable [airline] tickets for the event. . . . Everyone needs to know what happened here.''

According to court papers, the Fairmont Turnberry Isle is in the final year of a three-year agreement to hold the Presidential Holidays package. Next year's retreat is set for April 17-27.

The 2008 LPGA schedule features an April 24-27 stop in South Florida. Although details have been kept under wraps, Turnberry Isle's role is central to the lawsuit.

''They wanted the LPGA,'' said Lynda Clare, who owns Presidential Holidays with her husband, Stuart Vidockler.

``We were stunned when they first called and said they were canceling the contract.''

The Fairmont Turnberry Isle recently completed a $100 million transformation, including a $30 million redesign of its two championship courses. The resort held the ADT Skills Challenge earlier this month.

And it looks like LPGA legal will be busy on this one:

Donald Soffer, founder of Turnberry Isle and managing partner of Turnberry Associates, also is named as a defendant, along with the LPGA.

An LPGA representative also declined comment, saying officials were unfamiliar with the lawsuit.

The resort notified Presidential Holidays in an Oct. 16 letter that it was ''exercising our right to cancel'' the 2008 Passover retreat, without giving explanation.

However, the contract specifies the resort cannot cancel unless the retreat fails to meet its housing or financial obligations.

According to the lawsuit, the Passover holiday brought more than 850 participants over the past two years -- utilizing more than 3,000 room nights.

Clare estimated some 250 people already have signed up for next April's retreat.

''We've met our obligations,'' she said. ``They're not allowed to cancel for a better piece of business.''

Although the resort has worked with Presidential Holidays to find an alternative site, the requirements of Jewish rabbinical law make it difficult to relocate.

Among other things, the event requires two kitchens to prepare food according to kosher laws. Two Seders are part of the program.

''We've worked really hard to build this program,'' Clare said. ``For us, it's very sad.''

Knockdown Shots: LPGA Edition

Steve Elling is back with another edition, this time punching knockdown shots at the LPGA's season ending madness.

Here's the link to the printer friendly version in case you don't want to wade through four pages of someone brilliant way to generate page views. Or if you work in Daytona Beach and need to print this out for next Monday's staff meeting when the Commissioner asks who this Elling guy is.

My favorite:

News item: As one of the new wrinkles in the ADT Championship, the LPGA's quirky shootout with $1 million awarded to the winner, those advancing to the final eight were allowed to pick their playing spots for Sunday's round. One by one, before a crowd of perhaps 1,000 fans, players placed their names into openings in the four scheduled twosomes.

Knockdown shot: As the field filled out, the last available slot was in the pairing opposite prickly princess Cristie Kerr, who laughed aloud to the crowd, "Nobody wants to play with me, apparently." Actually, it was no joke. Minutes earlier, a very prominent player noted how she didn't want to play with the reigning U.S. Open champion, who is, to put it kindly, on the snooty side of condescending.

Oh and it's not all LPGA. Here's the YouTube clip he referenced where there is a special moment 29 seconds in... 

"The players are open to something that's new and exciting and fun."

In Golf World's year-end "newsmakers" issue, I pitch an alternate scenario the PGA Tour should consider for the conclusion to the FedEx Cup. Granted, I'm simply advocating that they adopt an ADT Championship-like format for the finale.

Based on some of the post ADT comments here and here, I think some of you would agree. But, I'd still love to hear what you all think even though we've probably covered the FedEx Cup enough!

Oh and on the ADT front, Craig Dolch reports that no major changes are in order. And why should they be?

Ochoa Caps Off Another Classic ADT Championship

Doug Ferguson captures the excitement that the NBC announce crew kept suggesting was almost inevitable: Lorena Ochoa and Trump International's perilous 17th hole:

Despite being the No. 1 player in women's golf, Ochoa has a short history of blowing tournaments, and this would have been a doozy. After blowing away the seven other players who qualified for this 18-hole shootout, she had a four-shot lead with two holes to play.

But she butchered the par-3 17th with an 8-iron over the back of the green, a putt that got hung up in the fluffy rough, and three more putts from 20 feet for a double bogey. Gulbis made a 7-foot birdie putt, narrowing the lead to one shot with one hole to play.

It was about the only drama of the balmy afternoon, certainly more than Ochoa needed.

"It was fun for the fans and for all of you," she said, "but it didn't feel very good."

Ochoa hammered a tee shot over the corner of the lake and the bunker, but it wasn't enough to hop out of the rough, and the ball sank to the bottom of the grass. Gulbis hit first, a hybrid 3-iron that covered the flag and put even more pressure on Ochoa.

"Lorena was spending a lot of time looking at her lie, so I was assuming that the lie was not very good," Gulbis said. "She's the best player in the world, so I thought that at least we'd get kind of an eye-for-an-eye putt at it."

Steve Elling considers Ochoa's 8-win season and offers these incredible numbers along with her place in the game:

Most impressively, she finished in the top 10 in 21 of 25 starts and won five of her past nine starts. It was her eighth victory of the year, or for those who like their news with a lyrical bent, ocho for Ochoa. It has been a long, productive year.

"It's time to go home," Ochoa said.

As further testament to her emergence, the tour is doing likewise with its events. Next year, Ochoa will become the second active player to host her own tournament, one of a trio of events scheduled in Mexico in 2008. In 2004, there were nada.

Not that pesos are the best yardstick of success, since the purses only continue to head north, but Ochoa obliterated the old earnings mark, set by Annika Sorenstam during her 11-win season in 2002, by $1.5 million. She finished the season with $4,364,994, roughly 2½ times what runner-up Suzann Pettersen took home.

"It's been amazing from the start to the end," Ochoa said.

"I'm not Rain Man, so I wasn't able to calculate whether it was actually $1 million"

Doug Ferguson seems to be warming to the ADT Championship, which again proved incredibly compelling. It doesn't hurt that Sunday's final 8 chasing $1 million includes Ochoa, Webb, Creamer, Kerr, Gulbis, Mi Hyun Kim, Sarah Lee and the charismatic Christina Kim.

Especially impressive is how well the LPGA seems organized when it comes time for the sudden death playoffs, starting them on the 17th hole as soon as the last group is in.

Another nice touch is the $1 million in cash sitting by the 18th green (pictured, left, courtesy of golf.com).

Kim was asked about it:

As if they needed additional pressure, the LPGA Tour placed $1 million cash -- or what looked like it, anyway -- in a glass case with a big lock and big bodyguard nearby, a reminder of what's at stake.

"I'm not Rain Man, so I wasn't able to calculate whether it was actually $1 million," Kim said. "You always see in the movies they've got the $1 million, and it's a very think briefcase. I don't know. Maybe there's just a lot of air packed in there. It's awesome."

Update on 2007-11-18 17:37 by Geoff

From Steve Elling's write-up of Saturday's wild finish:

In other words, perhaps the most unpredictable event in golf followed the LPGA headquarters' script to the letter. Well, make that the current brass' script, anyway.

You want an eyeful of awful irony? Sophie Gustafson was the poster child for the volatile cruelty of the format, blowing up with a double-bogey and bogey on the last two holes of regulation, forcing her into a four-way playoff for two spots. Her first swing in sudden death went in the water on the 17th and she was officially toast.

The funky format was the brainchild of Gustafson's husband, former LPGA commissioner Ty Votaw, who was on hand to watch the carnage. They must have had a wonderful drive up Interstate 95 to their home in Ponte Vedra Beach, huh?

ADT Day Two Roundup

Ron Sirak reports on the ADT Championship's exciting Friday cut that included a Gulbis-Sorenstam-Miyazato playoff and now a clean slate for tomorrow's round of 16. Sirak writes:

Unlike the FedEx Cup, which extends playoff drama over four weeks, the ADT Championship compresses it into four days. There are some players -- make that quite a few players -- who don't like the $900,000 difference between first and second place, feeling that is too severe of a punishment for what could be a one-stroke loss. But it is exactly that drama that gives this event its identity.

While it seems odd that the goal of the first two days is to finish 16th and Saturday's mission is to be no worse that eighth, that's part of the charm of this tournament. And with the quality of the players that advanced, it seems certain that Sunday will be a scintillating shootout for a million bucks.

Meanwhile Greg Stoda misses the point of the ADT and laments the entire thing, longing for rewards to those who play well along the way.