LPGA Commissioner Michael Whan in '10 "took over a tour that was in pretty bad shape," and in a Q&A with FORBES.com's Monte Burke, Whan discussed the "state of the LPGA, foreign players and whether or not Augusta National should have female members." Below is an excerpt from the Q&A:
Q: How do things for the LPGA stand now?
Whan: This year, we added five new events. We now have 28. Four of the five new events are in North America. Of the 28, seven are in Asia, two are in Europe and the rest are in North America. Our prize money for this year is up to $47 million.
Q: Any other metrics that demonstrate growth?
Whan: Our TV viewership is up 40%. We hit a low in 2009 and 2010. Then in 2010 we signed a 10-year deal with the Golf Channel. ... They use us sort of as a testing ground. We’ve miked-up players. We let some of the players take over the cameras and the booth. That turned out to be a disaster but it was a funny disaster. ... [Sponsorship] momentum has shifted forward. We're not where we want to be, but we've stopped the decline and built the incline. We've signed new sponsors like the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and RR Donnelly. Rolex is still our biggest sponsor.
Q: The last American player of the year on the LPGA was Beth Daniel in 1994. Are you concerned about this?
Whan: I think perception lags reality. Three or four years ago, there was a language problem. I don't see it anymore.
Q: Should Augusta National admit female members?
Whan: As the commissioner of the LPGA, I think Augusta should have a women's tournament. I don't care if they have female members. ... It's worth noting that Augusta National is an incredible supporter of some of our initiatives. They write us a six-figure check every year for Girls Golf, which helps get girls into the sport. I don't think it's a guilt check. Maybe it is. What's frustrating is that the best players now on our tour can't play there. I ask every year.
Q: The 2016 Olympics, where women's golf will be a medal event, should help with the growth of the game, right?
Whan: On the global front, we want to continue to grow. Golf is borderless. We had players from 20 different countries at Q school. We're going to play events in China now. And yet every time I come back from a trip overseas, I come back more focused on growing the game here, too (FORBES.com, 5/15).
GOING GLOBAL: Whan appeared on Bloomberg TV's "Bloomberg Bottom Line" Tuesday and said of adding golf to the Olympics, "To think we're going to be able to put women's golf and the best players in the world on that kind of global stage, it's not only going to help that week and the following after but we've but we've already seen it happening already where countries are really investing both physically and financially into the growth of their game because of what they call 'podium sports.' ... Our business is looking like a lot of fortune 500 businesses. We're a pretty global business. We come from around the world, we have fans from around the world" ("Bloomberg Bottom Line," Bloomberg TV, 5/15).
