"The problem seems to be that Bivens has stuck to her hard-line negotiating even as the economy has imploded."

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Someone sent me a less than nice email about the Bivens-mutiny post below. I started to write back an explanation, but Alan Shipnuck summed it up better in the lastest SI/golf.com roundtable:

Shipnuck: It's clear Bivens's hard-charging personal style has rubbed a lot of players and corporate types the wrong way, but you can't fault her original vision: raise purses, improve the pension and retirement benefits, and expand the tour's TV presence. The problem seems to be that Bivens has stuck to her hard-line negotiating even as the economy has imploded. Sponsors are hard-pressed to maintain their current commitments, and she's asking for them to pour in more money for next year and beyond. Something had to give, and it's being reflected by the tour's contracting schedule.

There has been no sign that Bivens called an audible after the economic collapse and postponed her vision to get them through these tough times and save some of these mom-and-pop events that are dropping like flies. That will ultimately be her undoing.

Report: Top LPGAer's Convene To Roast Brand Lady, Ponder Possible Replacements

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Jim Gorant reports that a "dozen or so" top players had dinner last week to decide if a different commissioner could run off fewer sponsors. He also indicates that a letter to the LPGA Board may be in the works.

Player director Juli Inkster, who was at the dinner, also said that as far as she knew no letter had come out of the meeting. Inkster told SI that the dinner "was kind of a personal talk about where we need to go and what we can do. As far as who was there and who said what, I can't get into that."

Don't we at least get to hear how much wine was consumed? That would give us a better idea how nasty the name calling got. Just a thought.

"We have a 50-50 chance of being here next year."

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Reading the AP blurb that went out suggesting the $1.4 million Jamie Farr Classic has only a 50-50 chance of returning in 2010, it was hard not to wonder if anyone at the LPGA is thinking that it might be nice just to have some tournaments next year, regardless of purse size and market?

Then I see that Beth Ann Baldry raised this very point in a tough Golfweek.com plea for the Brand Lady to wake up before it's too late. Calling the LPGA "a floundering tour with flourishing talent" Baldry writes:

The days of Bivens doing too much too soon should be over. The LPGA needs to bend over backwards to make things work from here on out. The tour needs strong partners such as Wegmans, a supermarket chain in the Northeast (Everyone’s got to eat, right?) now more than ever.

"Trace the problem to the hiring of Carolyn Bivens as LPGA commissioner in 2005."

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Thanks to reader Brian for Bill Pucko's story on the demise of the Rochester stop. Another Brand Lady fan!

Hop on a golf cart with Wegmans LPGA Tournament chairman Jerry Stahl and you quickly come to appreciate how in touch he is.

Stahl is a big shot in Rochester, but he seemingly knows every golfer, caddie, volunteer and fan of his tournament by their first names. It is a large part of what makes the event successful. But the greetings were more melancholy this time around. "Don't let them take our tournament," they said.

It's always something. Stahl has dealt with the purse, the venue, the dates and the sponsor. The weather is a constant crisis to overcome. This is even a tougher nut to crack.

Trace the problem to the hiring of Carolyn Bivens as LPGA commissioner in 2005. Pursued for her marketing expertise, not for her golf world presence, Bivens was charged with bringing the struggling tour into the 21st century. She is proceeding with machiavellian efficiency.

This wire story details the demise of the Kapalua stop, with promises of legal action by the LPGA Tour. And Ron Sirak filed several Tweets today about the dwindling domestic schedule, including this:

My count has 10 full-field domestic LPGA events, as of now, for 2010, and that is generous since two of those do not have sponsors.

I also couldn't help but notice this odd juxtaposition of Tweets from LPGAer Christina Kim and Sirak:

Donald Turns Down Brand Lady For LPGA Championship

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Brendan Prunty reports that the Donald was approached about hosting the LPGA Championship but turned the LPGA Tour when they wanted more than a one-year deal.

"They came here, they wanted to be here and I turned them down," the real estate mogul said at his Bedminster golf club. "They wanted it for more than one year and I didn't want to commit the course for more than one year."

I just wish he would stop being so humble!

"I think Bivens has made nothing but smart moves here."

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Brand Lady, you've got a friend in Michael Bamberger, who says McDonald's is not a good sponsor for the LPGA to be aligned with and that Bulle Rock is too isolated to work as a major venue.

I think Bivens has made nothing but smart moves here. She's irritated a lot of powerful people in women's golf along the way, including some of the top executives at NBC Sports, which is not a smart thing to do when your tour is struggling, and the LPGA is struggling. But in the long run, Golf Channel is going to be the right home for many LPGA events, including its marquee championship.

"The reason has to do with the LPGA’s new business plan, referred to as 'Vision 2010'."

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Jennifer Myers says the Corning Classic's demise suggests it wasn't entirely related to the economy.

The bad economy was an obvious culprit, but was not solely responsible. Corning Glassware was hit hard by the global recession, which led to a 13 percent reduction in its workforce (650 jobs. There was also a 50 percent drop in sponsorship support, which amounted to $500,000. Projected cost increases for the 2010 event were $300,000, and for 2011, when the purse was to increase from $1.5 million to $1.7 million, meaning the cost increase for the sponsor would be $675,000. Not only are the purses for events increasing, television production costs will be going from $255,000 a year to $425,000 in 2010, with five percent increases each year through 2013. The reason has to do with the LPGA’s new business plan, referred to as “Vision 2010”.

Interviewing "At The Turn"

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I've never understood the big deal about talking to golfers mid-round, but for whatever reason it's been considered off-limits. Personally I think the NBA playoff telecasts are great fun thanks to the Coach interviews which, if nothing else, become an exercise in how little a coach will say. Even Stan Van Gundy!

Anyway, Golf Channel and the LPGA Tour are reviving the idea for this weekend's LPGA Championship.

During Saturday and Sunday’s live coverage of the McDonald’s LPGA Championship, Rich Lerner is scheduled to interview at least one player from the final four groups after completion of nine holes in a new feature titled, “At the Turn.” The new feature was first introduced during GOLF CHANNEL’s coverage of the LPGA Corning Classic in May.

GOLF CHANNEL / McDonald’s LPGA Championship TV Times

Saturday – Sunday 4 – 7 p.m. ET (Live)
7:30 – 10:30 p.m. ET (Live)