LPGA a Non-Event

My travelgolf.com colleague Bruce Stasch recently penned an artful column entitled Michelle Wie's Return to the LPGA is a Non-Event. In it Bruce commented on Wie’s imminent return to the LPGA Tour. His points are excellent and right on the number. Good swing, Bruce.

But, perhaps we should look at the bigger picture: the fact that the LPGA is endanger of becoming a non-event this season (more so than any other season). Examine the evidence:

Exhibit A: There has been a change in the number one female player in the world. Did anyone notice?

Exhibit B: There have been a handful of first time winners, two of them winning in a showdown with the number one female player in the world at that time. Did anyone notice?

Exhibit C: The youngest female major champion was crowned just about a month ago. Did anyone notice? And where is Morgan now?

Let’s be honest, it is hard to get noticed when Bivens & Co. has set the schedule so that the ladies play essentially every other week for the first three months of their season. It is virtually impossible to maintain marketing momentum when you have an exciting event one week and nothing the next. When the ladies do play they get a little television coverage from the Golf Channel and then limit the rest of their much needed media coverage to only those whom the LPGA feels comfortable with, usually a bunch of local newspapers and television stations that place ladies golf just below local girls high school tennis. No bloggers or unconventional media need apply. Thank you very much. We certainly wouldn’t want local bloggers to spread the excitement of the LPGA all over the world via the internet.