A proposed boycott of last week's LPGA Lotte Championship in Hawaii by some players was the "latest in a series of contretemps that have placed" the LPGA squarely in the intersection of politics and sport, turning Commissioner Mike Whan "into a traffic cop," according to Karen Crouse of the N.Y. TIMES. Chinese sports officials encouraged world No. 6 Shanshan Feng and three of her compatriots to "boycott the event, which is sponsored by Lotte, a conglomerate based in South Korea, because that company had decided to provide land for the installation of an American missile defense system in South Korea." The other players -- Jing Yan, Xiyu Lin and Simin Feng -- competed in the tournament, which was won by Cristie Kerr yesterday. Meanwhile, at the LPGA's first event of the season in the U.S., the Founders Cup last month in Phoenix, the women’s rights group UltraViolet "staged a protest over the decision" to hold the U.S. Women’s Open in July at a golf course owned by President Trump. Crouse wrote Whan has "breathed life into a tour that was moribund when he took over." In '11, his second year at the helm, the LPGA had 23 official events and $40M in prize money. This year it has 34 events offering $67M. The LPGA’s televised hours have also "nearly doubled in the past six years, to more than 430 hours of coverage in 175 countries." Whan "prides himself on focusing the spotlight on his players." On tournament weeks, he "meets with sponsors, event officials and volunteers, and players, then leaves when the competition commences." Whan said, "I don’t want the sponsor to hand me the microphone on Sunday or tell me to get in on a picture with the winner. Once the tournament starts, it should be all about the players" (N.Y. TIMES, 4/16).
KING OF THE MILL: In Virginia, David Teel noted Texas-based Escalante Golf's recent acquisition of Kingsmill Resort "bodes very well" for the LPGA Kingsmill Championship. Escalante officials "already have had several conversations" with Whan about a multiyear extension. Escalante "owns the Golf Club of Houston," home to the PGA Tour’s Houston Open. The WinCo Foods Portland Open, a Web.com Tour event, is "staged at Escalante’s Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club, which has also hosted two U.S. Women’s Opens" (Hampton Roads DAILY PRESS, 4/16).
