The LPGA yesterday announced that it has signed a long-term deal with Evian to add a fifth major to the schedule beginning in Sept. '13. The tournament, which will be renamed The Evian, will be the final major of the season and will be played at Evian Golf Club in Evian-les-Bains, France (LPGA). GOLF.com’s Dottie Pepper reported the event “will be run by the LPGA, with tour officials handling course setup, officiating and dictating the field size, probably 115 players.” There will be “fewer sponsor exemptions" than for the LPGA Evian Masters, and they "will have minimum performance criteria attached.” In addition, “upgraded television production will meet acceptable levels for U.S. network broadcast.” Pepper wrote she prefers “the tradition of four majors, but the LPGA's schedule has shriveled from 33 official events to 24 in less than half a decade, so it's time to think differently” (GOLF.com, 7/20). LPGA Commissioner Michael Whan said, “We're going to fundamentally redesign this golf course and, really starting in 2013, we’ll not just have a major field, we’ll not just have major TV, we’ll not just have an incredible setting but we’re going to have a major venue, a major golf course that’s really going to bring out the best players from around the world." Evian is owned by Danowne Group, and Whan said, "This is a company, this is an organization and this is a tournament group that has made commitments across the board -- better TV, better golf course, better field, better time of the year -- all things that we’re working together to say, ‘Hey, at that point, let’s really take this thing and put it on the truly globalist of stages and make it a major’” (“Morning Drive,” Golf Channel, 7/20).
TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING? Asked whether he "feared Evian might leave the tour" without major status, Whan "conceded that the thought entered his mind." But Whan said he "never felt threatened to do this or they go away." Whan "began approaching players about the idea four months ago and was surprised to receive positive feedback when he expected resistance." He said, "The consistent theme was, 'Hey, Mike, do what you've got to do to help the LPGA -- quite frankly, female professional golf in general -- (and) get the exposure and attention and opportunity that it needs" (GOLFWEEK, 7/22 issue). Whan said, "If you had asked me before I was commissioner if I thought five majors was a good idea, I would have said no. The thing that changed is that I feel my mission now is to elevate the exposure of the best players in the world on the female side of the game" (GOLF WORLD, 7/25 issue). Retired golfer Annika Sorenstam said, “If you did a poll amongst LPGA players asking them which non-major event on the schedule is their favorite, I would be shocked if most didn’t say the Evian Masters. I know it was always my favorite with a high purse, first-class accommodations, incredible hospitality, near the Swiss Alps, with stunning views of Lake Geneva. It just felt so special” (“19th Hole,” Golf Channel, 7/20). But CBSSPORTS.com’s Steve Elling wrote under the header, “LPGA’s Announcement ‘Major’ Only As An Embarrassment.” The announcement “was quickly met with predictable amounts of suspicion, derision, contempt and skepticism -- the Grand Slam of marketing meltdowns.” Elling: “It smacks of a Grand Sham orchestrated to keep a title sponsor happy and an organization on semi-solid footing” (CBSSPORTS.com, 7/20). ESPN.com's Bob Harig wrote on Twitter, "Majors shouldn't be about money and making a sponsor happy, which is what Evian/LPGA deal is all about. So much for tradition and history."
HERE TO STAY: LPGA Kraft Nabisco Championship Tournament Dir Gabe Codding on Tuesday said that "no one is talking about downgrading the Kraft from its major status.” Codding: “Per our contract, until the contract runs out, (major status) can't be taken from us, not unilaterally. But it's never been brought up, never been brought to the table. It's never been brought up to us at all.” In California, Larry Bohannan noted Kraft's contract with the LPGA “ends after the 2014 tournament at Mission Hills Country Club." But Codding “echoes the general belief around women's golf that the LPGA would never let the 40-year-old tournament leave the tour or drop down from major status” (Palm Springs DESERT SUN, 7/20).
