IMG and the LPGA announced that the Arch Championship,
the tour's season-ending tournament formerly called the
PageNet Championship, will be played at a site other than
the Desert Inn Resort in Las Vegas, which has hosted the
event since its inception in '96. The tournament, slated
for November 16-19, is moving because the Desert Inn Resort
is closing. New sites in Las Vegas and FL are being
considered for the event (LPGA). The L.A. DAILY NEWS
reports that the name of the tournament has changed because
Arch is "swallowing up PageNet in a merger scheduled to
close during the fourth quarter" of 2000. Arch VP/Investor
Relations Robert Lougee said after acquiring PageNet, "which
will continue to operate under the Arch name, it makes sense
to continue the sponsorship under (our) name." But while
the "sponsorship problems [are] solved, the event has
vagabond status, which is not a good thing." IMG exec and
Tournament Dir Michael Stearns said organizers and the LPGA
"would like to keep" the event in Las Vegas. A "decision
should be reached soon, especially since" ABC and ESPN will
broadcast the tournament (L.A. DAILY NEWS, 8/24).
LPGA ATTRACTIVE TO CORPORATE AMERICA: In Detroit, Lynn
Henning examines the differences in purses and TV coverage
between the PGA and LPGA Tours, and cites the LPGA's leading
money winner Karrie Webb as saying that "golf's dollar
discrepancies were to be expected." Webb, on the PGA Tour:
"Corporate America would be crazy to not put money in
something doing that [well]." But Webb added, "I play with
title sponsors every week at pro-ams and they love the
LPGA." Univ. of MA-Amherst Sports Management Professor Jay
Gladden: "The problem for the women is that, even with the
good economy, there are so many sports entities out there
looking for corporate sponsorship. It's just a very, very
competitive market" (DETROIT NEWS, 8/24).
SOLHEIM DEAL: CA-based Ashworth's European subsidiary,
Ashworth UK, has become the Official Apparel Brand of the
European ladies' golf team at the Solheim Cup in Scotland.
Ashworth will use the event, from October 6-8, as a platform
to launch their 2001 ladies line in Europe (Ashworth).
