The "obvious solution" to "low" TV ratings for the LPGA
Tour's Dinah Shore is to "move the dates so that it doesn't
go up against" the PGA Tour's The Players Championship and
the NCAA Final Four, according to USA TODAY's Fred Robledo.
LPGA Tour Commissioner Ty Votaw: "TV ratings are a concern,
but so is Nabisco, our sponsor. This date has worked well
for Nabisco, and we wouldn't change unless it made sense for
Nabisco, too" (USA TODAY, 3/30). The LPGA Tour event on ABC
earned a preliminary overnight Nielsen rating of a 1.4/3 on
Saturday and a 1.5/3 on Sunday (THE DAILY).
PLAYER DEALS: On CNNSI.com, Terry McAndrew reported
that Lynx has signed Payne Stewart to an endorsement deal,
which shows that Lynx's "parent Golfsmith [Int'l] is serious
about continuing and enhancing the Lynx brand." Stewart
started carrying a Lynx bag during last weekend's TPC
(CNN/SI.com, 3/28)....In FL, Earl Daniels reported that Paul
Stankowski "recently signed a three-year deal" with shoe
company Bite Footwear to wear a "variety" of golf footwear,
including sandals. Stankowski, on wearing Bite sandals:
"Not only will I be the most comfortable player out there,
I'll also have the most style." Stankowski, who "is the
first player to wear sandals in a tournament," will provide
"input to design" his own line of shoe/sandals released
later this year (FL TIMES UNION, 3/29).
