Coming off a "storybook year when stars won and the scope of worldwide talent continued to get deeper and younger, the LPGA is looking to ride the momentum" into the '15 season, according to Steve DiMeglio of USA TODAY. The '15 LPGA season began today at the Coates Golf Championship in Ocala, Fla., the "first of 33 events." That is up from 23 in '11, and this season there is nearly $20M "more in prize money" than four years ago. Michelle Wie's "revival the past several years has coincided with the LPGA tour's recovery." Fellow player Stacy Lewis said, "Michelle moves the needle. Her winning the [U.S. Women's Open] on the biggest stage we have, we couldn't have asked for a better story" (USA TODAY, 1/27). Golf Channel’s Chris DiMarco said the LPGA's campaign last year will be "hard to beat," but one way is if American golfers win majors "like they did last year." He added one more way would be if Wie has an "unbelievable year, winning five or six times, kind of dominating that tour.” Golf Channel's Karen Stupples said, "Last year was a fantastic year when you look at the winners. Stacy Lewis, Michelle Wie, Lexi Thompson -- all fantastic winners, and (that) really gave the LPGA a huge boost." GolfChannel.com's Rex Hoggard: “That was by definition an embarrassment of riches. ... You can’t expect that year in and year out. It’s going to be a tough act to follow” ("Morning Drive," Golf Channel, 1/28).
MIKE DROP: In Florida, Ted Beck notes the LPGA "has been revitalized over the last few years" under Commissioner Mike Whan, with $61.6M in purses available this season. After "boosting sponsorships, which in turn makes it more enticing for the world's best players to enter more tournaments, the tour has increased year by year." With that comes "more television exposure." Whan said that 400-plus hours of coverage "will be aired this season compared to around 200 when he began" in '11 (
Ocala STAR-BANNER, 1/28). SB NATION's Emily Kay wrote the success of the LPGA "goes to the heart of the philosophies Whan has instilled in the culture of his organization: act like a founder and eat, breathe and sleep sponsors." Whan said, "You have to spend more time talking about what's important to HSBC than what's important to the LPGA. If you don't, you're going to wake up looking for a replacement for HSBC." Whan conceded that his "sponsors-first philosophy was 'unique in sports.'" Kay noted it "does not happen at every venue, but players have been known to leave a course during play to greet and thank their benefactors." Marathon Classic Tournament Dir Judd Silverman, who has been with the event since '84, "marveled at how Whan ignited a renewed passion in the players." Silverman said Whan would do "whatever it takes to give sponsors their money's worth." Silverman: "They understand they have to go the extra mile to do things during (tournament) week to interact with the sponsors -- going to dinners, and receptions, and things outside the golf course" (
SBNATION.com, 1/26). Whan said, "No one individual changes the LPGA. It's a big team effort. Two words sum up what has occurred: role reversal. We were spending way too much time as an organization thinking about us. We now spend a lot of time figuring out how we're going to be a better partner for the check-writers. When you do that, people want to join you, sponsor renewals are easy, purses increase" (
ESPNW.com, 1/27).
INTO THE WOODS: In Gainesville, Pat Dooley noted Cheyenne Woods, the niece of Tiger Woods, will "play her first round as a full-fledged, honest-to-goodness member of the LPGA" this week, and she is "eager to put aside all of the photo shoots and interviews" and start playing. Whan recently "acknowledged the boost that someone named Woods could give the tour." Dooley noted women's golf has "long been battling for security." The LPGA has its "niche fans but it's rare that it extends to the average sports fan, let alone the kind of people who know nothing about golf but plenty about Cheyenne's uncle." In a "perfect world for the LPGA, this Woods would do what that Woods did when he exploded on the PGA Tour." Dooley: "But you can't force success in this sport" (GAINESVILLE SUN, 1/27). Golf Channel’s Lauren Thompson noted the LPGA this season for the first time since '71 has "two African-American tour professionals" Woods and Sadena Parks. Thompson: "If we can crown one of them a major champion, that would not only be huge for golf. ... It would be enormous for sports” ("Morning Drive," Golf Channel, 1/28).
CELEBRATING THEIR DIFFERENCES: The LPGA today launched the latest version of its "See Why It's Different Out Here" ad campaign to coincide with the start of the season, with three new spots debuting today on Golf Channel and airing throughout coverage of this week's Coates Golf Championship. The ads will continue to appear on Golf Channel and in select local tournament markets, with two more spots expected to be added later this year. They also will run on the LPGA's global TV partners, LPGA.com and LPGA social media platforms (LPGA). Golfer Paula Creamer said, “My part in this commercial was about cheerleading, because my dad asked me, ‘Do you want to cheer for people or do you want people to cheer for you?’ And in the commercial, we get to talk about that and I have these little girls doing a cheer. It was really neat and it’s fun. Everyone has their own story and that just kind of shows through that commercial” (“Morning Drive,” Golf Channel, 1/28).
