LPGA hits rough patch with sponsors

The sponsorship vacancy trend for the LPGA Tour continues with one of it's biggest tournament sponsors, Ginn, on the fence.  Adam Schupak of Golfweek discusses the LPGA's latest trials and tribulations:

At a time when the LPGA is seeking a higher profile, it may be faced with a familiar problem: Plugging unexpected sponsorship vacancies.

The future of the Ginn Tribute, the SemGroup Championship and Fields Open appear in doubt. Such uncertainty follows on the heels of Safeway’s announcement earlier this year that it would drop its sponsorship of the Phoenix tour stop.

The most significant setback would be the loss of the Ginn event in Charleston, one of the most lucrative purses on tour; Ginn sponsors two LPGA events and each offers a $2.6 million purse.

No comment about this in the article, but the LPGA might be feeling the "Annika effect" a little earlier than expected.