War On Joggers! LPGA Updates Dress Policy Mid-Season

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With the U.S. Women's Open set to conclude Sunday at Trump Bedminster--Shanshan Feng has a two stroke lead, reports Golfweek's Beth Ann Baldry--a new or updated LPGA dress code takes effect tomorrow, reports Ashley Mayo at GolfDigest.com and discussed on Morning Drive. She is reporting off of a July 2 memo to players that seems oddly timed, with the inspiration and rationale not entirely clear. And as Stephanie Wei notes, this sound like it rules out much of Michelle Wie's current Nike wardrobe.

But why and why now when the LPGA is in the spotlight?

A few of the restrictions suggest the schlub alarms went off at a pro-am party, but most seem concerned about the edge-pushing by Symetra Tour and other young players of late. Still, as Mayo writes, the memo and it's all-caps "NOT" references looks like a pre-emptive shot at Instagram "golf babes" aesthetics coupled with some oddball inclusions.

In an era when Instagram "golf babes" are dressing more provocative than ever and consequently attracting more attention and sponsorships than many professional golfers do, perhaps the LPGA Tour is trying to set an entirely different tone in an effort to command respect and separate itself as a highly different, more professional product. Even so, why take away a golfer's freedom to feel like an athlete in joggers? Or leggings? Or racerback tops? These pieces of clothing can look highly polished when worn correctly, so why not encourage a more professional look instead of banning such pieces altogether?

"Thompson’s mom, Judy, battles cancer and fuels daughter’s fire"

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As the U.S. Women's Open gets underway in Bedminster, Golfweek's Beth Ann Nichols talks to Lexi Thompson's mom, Judy, about her cancer fight and the help she received from Morgan Pressel.

As Judy was told she'd have a long wait until surgery, she reached out to Pressel, who lost her mother to breast cancer and who has since set up a powerful foundation.

Judy hesitated to call because Pressel was at a tournament.

“I will take care of this,” Pressel assured her, “you’re in my hands now.”

Pressel lost her own mother to breast cancer in 2003. Her Morgan & Friends charity event, in which Lexi participates, has raised $6.5 million.

With the help of Pressel, Judy met with doctors almost immediately. Five days later, on June 6, she had surgery.

“If it wasn’t for (Morgan) and her foundation,” Judy said, “I would still be waiting.”

Roundup: The President Will Be At The U.S. Women's Open!

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There are many ways to look at this and I've long been of the mindset that Donald Trump as President would overshadow the women's best golfers as they tackle Trump Bedminster.

But unless he drives his cart on a green during play as he did a few weeks ago at Bedminster, I'm increasingly of the view that he will show up, get too much attention, but ultimately bring some new eyeballs to women's golf. Maybe it's a fantasy, but hey, stranger things have happened in this crazy game

AP’s Tom Canavan sets up the women's U.S. Women's Open at Trump Bedminster and the various ramifications for all involved.

"When we came here, this was all about coming to a great golf course and playing the greatest championship in women's golf," USGA executive director and chief executive Mike Davis said at a media day in May. "The USGA, since its founding in 1894, has never been involved with politics. Our focus is solely on the game of golf."

Whether that decision draws protest remains to be seen.

Ron Sirak discussed on Morning Drive that players wish the President would stay away and even one who is a confidant of the President told him to stay away.

Christine Brennan reports for USA Today that after comments two years ago about Mexicans, followed by a statement from golf organizations, then-candidate Trump threatened to sue the USGA if they moved this U.S. Women's Open. Mike Davis had the fun task of informing the Executive Committee.

Davis informed the USGA executive committee about Trump’s threat on a conference call about two years ago, just as Trump was beginning his successful campaign for president, according to the person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the USGA has not publicly discussed the matter.

Davis, who told the group he and other USGA officials had met with Trump, told the executive committee, “We can’t get out of this. He’s going to sue us,” according to the person.

Davis declined comment but later supplied this statement that will no doubt be looked at by the PGA of America, (increasingly concerned?) hosts of the 2022 PGA at Trump Bedminster.

Davis added later in a statement to USA TODAY Sports: “As a matter of policy, the terms of our contracts with championship host sites are confidential and accordingly the USGA will not comment. We are excited that our U.S. Women’s Open Championship week has begun and are focused on providing the ultimate test of golf for the best female players in the world.”

The Palm Beach Post's Kristina Webb confirms that flight plans have been made to ensure safe airspace travels for the President.

The president will head to Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster on Friday and return to Washington, D.C., on Sunday, according to a new notice to pilots posted Monday morning by the Federal Aviation Administration.

Coverage begins Thursday on FS1, with big Fox taking on weekend duties. Strap in!

Ratings: Follow Up To Silliness Of Competing Golf Tournaments

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Paulsen at SportsMediaWatch.com scrutinzed ShowBuzzDaily.com's ratings roundup and noted that the KPMG Women's PGA Championshp fared well against final rounds of the PGA Tour and U.S. Senior Open.

The 0.6 rating on NBC was up slightly even though it featured a much longer telecast this year.

Final round coverage of the Women’s PGA Championship, the second major of the LPGA Tour season, earned a 0.6 final rating and 840,000 viewers on NBC Sunday afternoon — flat in ratings and up 1% in viewership from last year, when NBC aired just 90 minutes of coverage (0.6, 829K), and up a tick and 21% respectively vs. 2015 (0.5, 695K).

It was the largest audience for the tournament in at least five years, and likely further back.

The KPMG beat the U.S. Senior Open telecast but as this chart shows, all of the events on at the same time diverted eyeballs and, as noted here, would have been better served with more coordinated finish times and/or days for the benefit of all.

Note To Five Families: Kang, Perry, Stanley Win Impressively; But Pro Golf Shoots Itself In The Foot Today

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While the 2017 editions of the KPMG Women's PGA, U.S. Senior Open and Quicken Loans National probably won't be talked about a century from now, each featured enough intrigue for a sports fan to savor. Yet each started and finished at almost the same time on a summer Sunday in the United States.

Former USGA communications director Joe Goode wondered if this was a good or bad thing.

Put me down for seriously flawed programming.

Even with the July 4th holiday falling on a Tuesday, therefore opening up Monday July 3rd as a de facto holiday, three golf tournaments went head to head for no good reason. With each played at compelling venues that alone would attract viewers (Salem CC, Olympia Fields, TPC Potomac), they competed for viewers on a Sunday that not only failed fans, but will fuel the ratings decline narrative.

Next time the five families meet, perhaps they can bring calendars along to their meetings and kick around a way to spread the viewing love. A Monday finish most likely would not have hurt any one of the three, particularly the Quicken Loans, where galleries were thin.

More importantly, tours that too often serve the needs of players over fans fail their players by asking them to compete for the public's attention.

End of rant, beginning of celebration.

The best story of the day and one of the most heartwarming of the year revolved around Danielle Kang breaking through to win her first LPGA Tour event and more importantly, first professional major.

A two-time U.S. Amateur champion, Kang's road to professional success was derailed by heartbreak over the loss of her father to cancer.

Randall Mell writes for GolfChannel.com that Kang would have given anything to have the person who caddied for her in those U.S. Amateur wins present for the pro breakthrough.

“I don't know what it would have felt like to win right away as a rookie,” Kang said. “However, if I could wish anything, I would wish that my dad saw me win.”

Kang’s father died from brain and lung cancer during her second LPGA season.

K.S. Kang was Danielle’s caddie for her U.S. Women’s amateur victories in 2010 and ‘11

“I think that it's been a really difficult road for me for the past four or five years,” Kang said. “It’s life, though. You have to pick yourself up, and you have to keep working hard at it, and then believe in what you're doing, and not letting yourself down.”

Bill Fields of ESPNW on the important role of Kang's Web.com Tour playing brother Alex.

When the tour made its Asia swing that fall, K.S., despite being gravely ill with brain cancer that metastasized to his lungs, watched Danielle play in two events. Three days after traveling to Japan to be with her at the Mizuno Classic in November, he went into a coma. After his death, the bond between his children, already strong, increased. The siblings communicate a couple of dozen times most days, according to their mother, and Alex offered Danielle valuable strategic advice about Olympia Fields.

"She was not the same girl, but her brother, he kept taking her out to play," Lee said of the period after K.S. died. "Her brother is like her dad almost."

If you were touched by Kang's triumph over Brooke Henderson, you won't want to miss Beth Ann Nichols' Golfweek story that includes some great behind the scenes insights, including a note from mom, Kang's Sherwood CC fans that texted after the win, and her tight bond with Michelle Wie.

A teary-eyed Bo Wie, mother of Michelle, came over a few minutes later for a hug. Michelle Wie and Kang are so close they started a lifestyle blog together, though they’ve been lax in updating it lately. There’s certainly something worthy of writing about now.

Wie, the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open winner, said they’ve been in constant contact this week.

“If I don’t text her in six hours she sends me 50 messages,” Wie said, grinning.
In fact, they’ve formed their own book club of sorts. A restless Danielle tried to get lost in the book prior to the final round.

The final round highlights from Golf Central:

As for the other events, Kenny Perry took home the U.S. Senior Open trophy in a two-man battle with Kirk Triplett at charming Salem Country Club. 

Jeff Babineau's Golfweek.com account on the incredible, record-breaking performance.

And Kevin Casey has the lowdown on Kyle Stanley's playoff win over Charles Howell at the Quicken Loans National.

As Steve DiMeglio points out from Maryland, the playoff loss for Howell was his first start in 9 weeks.

Natalie Gulbis Contemplating Run For Congress...

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First she spoke at the Republican National Convention and now it seems Natalie Gulbis has politics in her system. The former LPGA Tour player and former Celebrity Apprentice contestant is taking meetings this week to discuss running for Nevada's third congressional district, reports the Nevada Independent's Jon Ralston.

He writes of the possible competitors and includes this from a strategist:

One well-connected Nevada GOP strategist put it this way: “I think there is intrigue and she definitely has some interest but everyone, including Natalie, is trying to figure out whether it is the right fit. NRCC is casting a wide net and they rarely engage pre-primary.”

Kevin Casey has a Golfweek roundup of Gulbis tweeting her way around Washington D.C.

Meet So Yeon Ryu's Caddie: Tom Watson

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With So Yeon Ryu rising to No. 1 in the Rolex Women’s World Rankings, Randall Mell takes the opportunity to tell us about the talented golfer and her longtime, devoted caddie Tom Watson.
And that’s pretty much the story of Ryu’s loyal and talented caddie.

Mell writes:

The Aussie Watson’s father was a top-level amateur, a great golf fan.

“My dad watched Tom Watson beat Jack Nicklaus to win The Open at Turnberry in ’77, and he just loved it,” Ryu’s caddie said. “He knew Tom Watson was a special player. I was born eight months later, and my dad just said, ‘Well, screw it, we’re naming him Tom Watson.’ Unfortunately, he made my middle name Jack, after Jack Nicklaus. So, you know, I was always going to have issues.”

Watson’s father was friends with Ian Baker Finch, another Open champion, and Aussie pro Michael Clayton.

“They knew my dad was completely insane naming me Tom Watson,” Watson said.

Sigh: Lexi Declines To Talk To All Media Pre-KPMG

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With the KPMG Women's PGA at Olympia Fields, the women's second major would seemingly be a good spot for Lexi Thompson to return to some normalcy after her brutal penalty strokes at the last major.

Instead, Lisa Cornwell reports for Golf Central, Thompson is declining all media requests. This is especially a shame given Thompson's likability, star qualities and age. Hopefully it's a short term situation.




Must Read: "Threat of stalkers, trolls makes social media complicated for LPGA players"

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Beth Ann Nichols files a Golfweek.com eye-opener on the social media ramifications for LPGA Tour players.

From the security issues to sponsorship opportunities won and lost, it's a fascinating look into the risks players take in sharing more about their lives.

Just one of the many revealing bits from LPGA Tour Security Director Joe Funk, who says he spends about 60 percent of his time tackling social media related issues for players.

Funk also warns against players posting too much private information about their schedules. Geotags, for example, make public the real-time GPS location of a player’s whereabouts.

Though in the case of four-time winner Wie, something as innocuous as a Tweet about a sunrise practice session at the LPGA stop in Portland, Ore., a few years back turned alarmingly bizarre.

It didn’t take long for security to notice the man in the powder blue suit and floppy hat at 6 a.m. Turns out he took a bus from Iowa to Portland to propose to Wie.

“We took him to the hotel and put him on a bus back to Iowa,” Funk said. The man showed up once more in Rochester, N.Y., but hasn’t been heard from since.

Flashback: LPGA Commish On Golf Digest's Paulina Cover

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With an LPGA tournament holding a Twitter poll to determine a sponsor's invitation, there is an apparent blessing from Commissioner Mike Whan that seems inconsistent with the outrage his organization directed at Golf Digest two years ago.

To recap: Golf Digest put Paulina Gretzky on the May 2014 cover and many in the women's golf world were outraged given how few females had ever graced the front page. And when a woman did make the cover, it was not one of the LPGA's many stars.

Whan at the time:

"Obviously, we're disappointed and frustrated by the editorial direction (and timing) Golf Digest has chosen with the announcement of its most recent magazine cover," Whan said in a statement released Friday. The tour's first major of the season, the Kraft Nabisco Championship, began on Thursday at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, Calif.

"If a magazine called Golf Digest is interested in showcasing females in the game, yet consistently steers away from the true superstars who've made history over the last few years, something is clearly wrong. ... 'Growing the game' means a need for more role models and in these exciting times for women's golf, the LPGA is overflowing with them."

At the time, it was surprising that Whan to disrupt his tour's first major championship of the season given the importance of that event and the reduced importance of magazines or their covers. But given his membership's strong feelings about media emphasis of sex appeal over on-course accomplishment, many could understand why he spoke out.

Fast forward three years and the ShopRite LPGA Classic is essentially holding a beauty contest between four non-LPGA Tour members for a field spot. Only one of the four is on the Rolex Rankings (Booth at No. 365).

Golf Digest was trying to sell magazines and generate attention. No professional golfer was harmed by the cover.

But the ShopRite exemption could go to a promising Symetra Tour player in need of starts. Or a recent college golfer looking to "showcase" the start of her career could benefit. Instead, a spot in an LPGA Tour event will go to an attractive but undeserving player in large part to get the tournament attention.

Maybe Whan and the LPGA will think twice about letting this happen again? Because they risk losing credibility the next time a player is passed over because she doesn't fit someone's idea of what sells.

John Feinstein and I debated today on Golf Central:

LPGA Tour Event Giving Field Spot To Twitter Poll Winner

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And there is something these four finalists have in common. I've been trying to put a finger on it...just can't quite get it. Anyway, they are the lucky four, that we know!

Here is the ShopRite LPGA Classic Tweet, and do make sure to go read the fan backlash. While I'm all for sponsors invites being used as an event sees fit, the response on Twitter suggests this stunt may backfire.

As GolfDigest.com's Alex Myers notes, the tournament is working with MVP Index on this idea. That is the media tracking firm founded by Shawn Spieth, father of Jordan.

Kerr Apologizes For Slow Play; LPGA Still Mum On The Insanity Of Playing The Same (Lame) Hole Six Times

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Credit Cristie Kerr for taking to Twitter to (sort of) apologize for her deliberate tactics in Sunday's Volunteers of America Shootout. But the silence from the LPGA Tour, which damaged its product in the name of bringing golfers back to corporate tents over and over again, and noted here in Randall Mell's GolfChannel.com rant. The move did a disservice to Las Colinas Country Club and the tournament. Given that this is not the first time a playoff has done this merry-go-round, the tour deserves the hits being leveled.

The Kerr Tweets:

 

 

LPGA Nightmare: Playoff Tests The 18th Hole Six Times, Cristie Kerr Slow Plays

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The LPGA had a chance to share the spotlight with a rain-delayed Zurich Classic on Golf Channel, and while the network (in my biased view) did a solid job managing a real traffic jam, they could not overcome the LPGA product failings.

Namely that the tour, even after criticism following past deja-vu-all-over-again fiascos, insisted on conducting a sudden death playoff on only one hole. That would be Las Colinas's less-than-perfect 18th hole.

This meant eventual winner Haru Nomura and slow-poke Cristie Kerr played the 18th hole six excruciating times.

And then there was Kerr, who played at a painfully slow clip and was eventually called out by lead analyst Judy Rankin for trying to slow play her opponent. Twitter appreciated Rankin's tough call.

 Rooting for Cristie Kerr to lose now. Glad Judy Rankin finally called her out for the ridiculous slow play. Rather see PGA finish only here.

To be clear, none of this taints Nomura's win in the Volunteers of America Shootout. In fact, the world No. 18 ability to channel Kerr's gamesmanship and the lousy playoff hole makes it that much more impressive.

Will Gray at GolfChannel.com on how this does, however, taint the LPGA:

The LPGA should have learned from that particularly monotonous ending, but apparently they did not. So let Sunday’s anticlimactic conclusion outside Dallas serve as final reinforcement that any playoff rotation that calls for the same hole over and over needs to be thrown away and promptly re-written.

The LPGA should have learned from that particularly monotonous ending, but apparently they did not. So let Sunday’s anticlimactic conclusion outside Dallas serve as final reinforcement that any playoff rotation that calls for the same hole over and over needs to be thrown away and promptly re-written.

Lexi Finally Explains "The Mark" & It All Sounds Pretty Innocent

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Reading Randall Mell's GolfChannel.com account and hearing Lexi Thompson speak, she would have made a strong case for herself if the "reasonable judgement" and "naked eye" Decisions had allowed her to. Now that the Rules of Golf do so, it's hard to see how Thompson is penalized under the revised rules given her explanation of what happened in the 2017 ANA Inspiration.

From Mell's story:

Thompson said she marked the 15-inch putt because her father told her not to rush short putts in majors. She also said she twisted the ball slightly before returning it to its mark, because she uses a dot on the ball as a focal point for making her stroke.

Thompson was asked a second time to explain how video came to show her returning her ball to a different spot on her mark, a violation that many of  her fellow players agree warranted the first two-shot penalty.
“I have seen the video, and I can see where they’re coming from with it,” Thompson said. “It might have been, I guess, me rotating the ball, but like I said, I’ve always played by the Rules of Golf. Growing up with two older brothers, they were always on me for playing by the Rules of Golf.

“There’s no need for me to improve anything. Those greens were absolutely perfect, and the whole week there was nothing in my line to be moving it from anything. So, I have no reason behind it. I did not mean it at all.”

And only after slowing down and zooming in does anyone think she "did" something, which is why we have the new decision.

The press conference video from GolfChannel.com: