The Golf Watch

Reflecting on Paula Creamer's U.S. Open Victory

I wouldn't be surprised if Tour Commissioner Michael Whan still has a wide grin across his face. Two days after Paula Creamer claimed her first major championship at Oakmont, the win means more to Whan than you can believe. 

A month ago, it was looking pretty bleak down in Daytona Beach.

Creamer's nagging injuries sparked discussion over whether she would ever be the same. With popular young Americans like Michelle Wie and Morgan Pressel struggling to find their way to the front page of the leaderboard, the Tour needed Creamer to step up.

Don't get me wrong. Cristie Kerr and Jiyai Shin are amazing players, but they aren't the kind of players that can successfully carry the LPGA Tour's brand.

Fans come out in droves for players like Creamer and Wie, and sponsors are well aware of that. 

The LPGA desperately needs to secure sponsors and add new tournaments in the coming year. With Creamer's win last weekend, it should help their case.

Another LPGA sponsor extends its contract

It was Wegmans last week.  This week, Owens Corning is expected to announce a one-year extension of the Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic. 

Looks like progress is being made down in Daytona Beach. 

"M.J. Hur’s playoff victory was a reality check"

For the Americans that is.  Randall Mell writes:

Somebody get the aspirin and an ice pack, because the Safeway Classic brought one doozy of a hangover Sunday night in Oregon.
 
It took just seven days to go from being reminded what’s so right with American women’s golf to being reminded what’s wrong with it.

M.J. Hur’s playoff victory was a reality check.

Americans were giddy over their victory against the Europeans at Rich Harvest Farms last week, but Sunday’s finish reminded us who really rules women’s golf on this planet.  Hur’s victory marked the continued domination of Asians.

Eight of the last 10 LPGA events have been won by players from the Far East, six of them South Koreans.
 
The Safeway Classic also marked the 10th consecutive LPGA event that an American has failed to win.

Staggering. 

Under the radar, Wegmans steps up

On its tournament Web site yesterday, Wegmans announced that it would continue to be the title sponsor of its event at Locust Hill Country Club for the next three years, with the option for additional one-year extensions. 

The LPGA Tour has lost seven tournaments the past two years.  This news couldn't come at a better time. 

US defeats Europe 16-12 in Solheim Cup

 

The full wrap-up is here.

Spell it out...

The US squad leads 2.5 to 1.5 over Europe after the morning session, and the afternoon foursome matches are already underway.

We'll check back in Sunday evening.  Enjoy the weekend!

Solheim Cup preview: Who's on the European team?

I think it would be fair to say that I am a pretty dedicated LPGA fan.  I watch every tournament and get just as excited over an Ochoa-Creamer showdown as I do a Woods-Harrington showdown. 

That said, I'm having trouble getting excited about this year's Solheim Cup.  It was the same for me in 2007.  Ditto for the edition before.  Why?  I don't know any of the players on the European team.

Gwladys Nocera, Diana Luna, Tania Elosegui and Becky Brewerton are names I've never heard of.  Sure, they'll get more exposure this week, but will I ever see them on the front page of an LPGA leaderboard?

Ron Sirak pointed out several weeks ago in Golf World that five of the eight majors in the current Solheim Cup cycle were won by players not eligible to compete for the American or European sides.  Also, 11 of the top 18 players in the world aren't eligible either. 

And this is where the problem lies. 

The Solheim Cup doesn't hold as much value in golf (unlike the Ryder Cup), so why not a few changes?.  Sirak proposes creating three geographically inclusive teams that would include The Americas; Europe, Africa and the Middle East; and Australia and Asia.

I don't even know if we'd have to go that big, but a format needs to be introduced so that there is someone else other than Suzann Pettersen that people know on the European side. 

Why isn't Bivens speaking up?

Gene Yasuda and Beth Ann Baldry of Golfweek are reporting that the LPGA's new leadership is reaching out to tournaments in an effort to preserve the tour's shrinking schedule...

Many event organizers have complained that they can’t afford higher fees, especially when they are struggling with declining revenue during a recession. But the issue was non-negotiable for former commissioner Carolyn Bivens, who insisted tournaments needed to pay their fair share of staging costs.

There have been a number of highly critical articles about Bivens--and I've wondered all along where she has been during this mess.  Doesn't she want to speak up? 

Writers are getting plenty of reliable information for their Bivens stories including quotes from tournament sponsors and players.  They are also dwelling on their own experiences with the commissioner and her lack of availability.

Bivens might be keeping quiet for a reason.  But it would be nice to hear the other side of the story. 

Annika Sorenstam: A true ambassador for women’s golf

There's been a void this year on the LPGA Tour--and it has nothing to do with the economy.

When Annika Sorenstam announced her retirement last year, I had some concerns about who would carry the torch in her absence.

Lorena Ochoa had that potential, but ask anyone--this hasn't been her strongest year.  

With the LPGA losing tournament after tournament, there is only one person who can save the day.  And that's Sorenstam.

Commendable in every way, Sorenstam has decided to step up for the Tour in the interim as they look for a new commissioner.  

Sorenstam is very much responsible for the growth in popularity of the LPGA over the years. It's only right that she continues to watch over it, even during her elongated "off-season."

Bivens is out

Ron Sirak reports that Carolyn Bivens' tenure as Commissioner of the LPGA Tour is over.  Sirak learned from multiple sources that the official news will come out after the U.S. Women's Open.