Who’s Got Next? Various Names Mentioned To Replace Votaw

Nike Golf’s Davis To Lead LPGA After Votaw Is Gone?

Outgoing LPGA Commissioner Ty Votaw, who resigned on January 7 and will stay in office through ’05, “will likely stay in golf,” and a “heavy hitter from outside the LPGA staff is a good bet to replace him,” according to Ron Sirak of GOLFWORLD. Sirak listed four potential female successors along with their odds of claiming the job: NBAE Exec VP Heidi Ueberroth (3:2); PGA Tour Senior VP/Strategic Development Donna Orender (5:1); Nike Golf GM of U.S. Operations Cindy Davis (20:1); and MasterCard Int’l President of the Americas Ruth Ann Marshall (25:1). Beth Daniel, a member of the search committee, said, “The time is right (for a female commissioner). I don’t think we should select someone just because they are a woman, but there are several strong (female) candidates out there” (GOLFWORLD, 1/14 issue). LPGA Tour President and search committee co-Chair Heather Daly-Donofrio said, “The most important thing for the committee to do is keep our options wide open. We don’t want to be pigeonholing ourselves.” Former LPGAer Betsy King said that the LPGA “should consider a PGA Tour” exec. SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL’s Noah Liberman writes one name “that almost everyone mentions is Orender.” Other names mentioned include PGA Tour Senior VP/Tournament Development Jeff Monday and Nationwide Tour COO Bill Calfee (SBJ, 1/17).

WORD FROM WITHIN: Former LPGA Commissioner and search committee member Charlie Mechem: “Having a female commissioner would be wonderful, and the time has never been better. ...[But as much as LPGA players would] like to see it, they want the choice to be the best person available” (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 1/19). Women’s Senior Golf Tour co-Founder Jane Blalock, a former LPGAer, said, “They would be doing a disservice if they didn’t seriously recruit (a woman commissioner).” Blalock, on her prospects to become commissioner: “I do have kind of a unique mixed background where I certainly know from the players side what the needs are, and for the last 15 years being on the marketing side, knowing what companies are looking for and creative ways to market women’s golf” (BOSTON HERALD, 1/16).

GENDER DEBATE: GOLFWEEK’s James Achenbach writes a female commissioner “could understand fully the problems and concerns of the players. She could raise the fervor of the troops. The psychological benefits would be huge. It would speak volumes to the world if the LPGA announced with conviction, ‘Hey, here’s a woman who’s good enough to lead a major sports organization’” (GOLFWEEK, 1/15 issue). In a counterpoint, GOLFWEEK’s John Steinbreder writes the LPGA needs “a process that uncovers the very best man – or woman – for the job, and one that is as gender blind as it is complete” (GOLFWEEK, 1/15 issue). A GOLFWEEK editorial reads, “The LPGA need not pander to political correctness, but it does need a woman commissioner. ... Lack of effort and the inability to offer world-class compensation are the only things preventing the LPGA from identifying her.” The editorial mentions Orender, who makes about $700,000 a year; Marshall, who “presumably is in that salary ballpark”; and ABC Sports VP/Programming Teri Wagner (GOLFWEEK, 1/15 issue).

TRANSITION GAME: Daly-Donofrio, when asked what her top goals for ’05 are as LPGA Exec Committee President, said, “My first priority is to help the LPGA have a smooth and productive leadership transition in 2005. I want to help Commissioner Votaw, ... our tournaments, our sponsors and our players all work together through this period of change. [Other] goals include intensifying the interaction between the LPGA and the Tournament Sponsors Association, and increasing the visibility of the LPGA in the sports world and corporate America” (DETROIT NEWS, 1/19).

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