A Chinese government “crackdown on golf courses has put the Imperial Springs LPGA event in a holding pattern,” and the tournament's original dates in August “are off the table,” according to Beth Ann Baldry of GOLFWEEK. LPGA Commissioner Mike Whan in a memo to players said that Kingold Group, the “developer of the Imperial Springs project in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, asked to push the event back” to the Tour’s fall Asian Swing. Whan “gave Kingold until early July to gain approval to host the event.” Whan: “I’m 100 percent committed to having an event with Imperial Springs and the China LPGA. Time will tell whether or not we’ll be able to start that in 2011.” He also noted that the “only opening in the fall schedule is Sept. 29-Oct. 2, the week after the Solheim Cup in Ireland.” Baldry notes with Imperial Springs acting as tournament host and sponsor, “moving the event to another course in China is not an option.” Kingold “signed a four-year contract with the LPGA.” Whan in the memo noted that if the event “is moved to the U.S., it would take place the open week of Aug. 8-14, at a location to be determined.” Whan: “This won’t diminish our interest in figuring out China long-term” (GOLFWEEK, 6/3 issue).
HOME BUILDERS: In Philadelphia, Joe Juliano wrote “beefing up the LPGA Tour schedule, particularly in the United States, and eliminating the gaps that he admits are his ‘No. 1 frustration’ is the job" of Whan. He said that his “priority is to build the U.S. portion of the tour even if it means holding off on worldwide expansion.” Whan: "I really have a desire and, quite frankly, an ability to expand our international schedule, but I'm holding off the pace of that expansion because I really want to make sure we grow our domestic base." Juliano noted “one negative, however, is gaps in the schedule.” The Avnet LPGA Classic in Mobile, Ala., was the only event played between the Kraft Nabisco Championship, which ended April 3, and the first round of the Sybase Match Play Championship on May 19. Whan: "To be honest with you, it's embarrassing to turn on a TV on the weekend and somebody is playing and it's not us. So filling those holes is a big deal.” Still, Whan “sees hope on the horizon.” The economy “is better” and new sponsors “are showing interest.” While Whan “doesn't want to talk in specifics, he said ‘a couple of tournaments that have left,’ such as the one in Toledo, are returning to the schedule in 2012 and ‘you'll definitely hear about a couple of new ones’" (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 6/1).
STAR POWER: In New Jersey, L.A. Parker wrote with the LPGA “in serious trouble,” golfer Michelle Wie “must lead her coworkers out of their doldrums.” The LPGA “desperately needs a super, superstar and only one person has the juice to construct a major female golf resurrection.” Parker: “The future of the LPGA Tour rests in the hands of Michelle Wie followed by an eventual handoff to 16-year-old Alexis Thompson” (TRENTONIAN, 6/2). The PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER’s Juliano noted Yani Tseng currently holds the world’s No. 1 ranking, and “off the course, Tseng doesn't sound as if she's afraid to be one of the faces of the LPGA Tour.” She is “a full-time resident of Orlando,” speaks English “fairly well and is always working to improve it.” Tseng: "There are many Asian players on the LPGA Tour and I don't know if the fans know we can speak English. I like fans to know they can talk to me in English." Tseng said that she is “getting recognized more off the course” in the U.S. (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 6/1).
