Prize money for LPGA tournaments is "growing at a rate" Commissioner Mike Whan "didn't think possible when he took over" in '10, according to Doug Ferguson of the AP. Whan: "Not sure if we have closed the gap, even though we are playing for dramatically more money. When I started, we were playing for just over $40 million and now we're playing for over $70 million. But the fact is, the men's (prize money) has grown as well. As a result, I don't want to be depressed by that. I think when golf and golf purses are growing for men and women, that's a good opportunity." More Whan: "I have not had to be too loud about closing the gap because society has taken that banner for me. Almost all of my sponsors, almost all of my tournaments, almost all of the people that help lift the LPGA are interested in lifting those purses and equalizing that difference, as well. But the reality of it is we have grown significantly, and the gap is about the same" (AP, 10/22).
BUILDING BRIDGES: MORNING READ's Bill Fields noted the LPGA and Ladies European Tour are now in "serious talks" about a cooperative relationship to "strengthen both circuits." The LPGA under Whan has "persevered and grown by going where the sponsorship dollars have been." Now, if these negotiations "come to fruition, the nearly 70-year-old organization will be getting involved in an arena where tournament support has been hard to come by." Whan wants to "get LPGA purses up to a point where middle- and lower-rung players are doing much better than scraping out an existence." The reality is "much brighter on the LPGA versus the LET." The potential joint venture "could be beneficial to both organizations." Whan has "made few missteps" over his tenure, "stabilizing a tour in crisis from a bad economy and misguided leadership" (MORNINGREAD.com, 10/23).
