As most of us know Solheim is returning to US soil, and the top professional golfers from the US will do their best to beat their European counterparts. So far undefeated on their home turf I’m hoping for another US win. But that begs the question: how exciting, given the golfers currently playing, will the tourney be this year? The European team, with a record of 3 wins, 7 losses since Solheim debuted in 1990, isn’t always brimming with golf strength and this year they have only six players ranked in the top 50 in the world and only three in the top 10. The US on the other hand is slightly stronger with 13 of the top-50 players and also three in the top 10. Of course, as we’ve seen in the PGA, these rankings don’t always determine who is going to win but I’m just not convinced there will be enough competition from the European team to really get people excited about watching this match beyond the first day of play.
Now, I can’t take credit for the following idea but it was such an interesting idea I wanted to throw it out there. What about an East vs. West competition? The best 12 female golfers from Europe and the Americas against the 12 best of the Far East… could be a ratings skyrocket for women’s golf and people from all over the world would watch. I read the idea and loved it. Not that I’m saying do away with Solheim but maybe add something new into the mix. Thoughts?
Given the massive disappointments in recent LPGA history including tournament cancellations and 15 or so unsecured events for the 2010 golf season the search for a new commissioner for the LPGA is critical. Many players have blamed the lack of playing opportunities and lost tournaments on strained relationships caused by now ousted Carolyn Bivens lack of ability to fully embrace the LPGA’s unique culture and traditions.
As the first female to lead the oldest women’s sports organization, Bivens hiring was a breakthrough of sorts and one that many saw as long overdue. So what happens when the first woman to take a role of power within female sports is forced to leave under acrimonious and bitter feelings?
Many players in the LPGA didn’t want to hire a woman in the first place so it is unsurprising that every move Bivens made was dissected and analyzed. There is no dispute that several of her gaffes caused players to question her credibility (things like barring photographers from tournaments and suggesting players send Twitter updates during tournaments were met with widespread criticism). Some people think Bivens got a bad rap solely because of her gender while others think she just wasn’t the right person to traverse the minefield of competing for dollars in a male-dominated sports industry.
All of this leads me to wonder: how important is gender in positions of leadership within the LPGA? The list of strong contenders for the commissioner spot includes both females and males: Cindy Davis, Donna Orender, Zayra Calderon, Chris Higgs, Rob Neal, Paula Polito and I’m sure there are others.
So far players and industry experts agree the next commissioner will inherit an organization in chaos and will need to traverse a faltering economy while rebuilding lost relationships. The only one who seems to vocally agree the person needs to be a female is Bivens herself.
Another Major, another feel good story blown. That’s what the prevailing theme is in men’s golf 2009. Let’s look at what has happened this year:
The Masters: Kenny Perry has a two shot lead which would make him the oldest major winner at the time and give him his first ever major win. What happens? He loses to Angel Cabrera after blowing his lead in the 16th.
The U.S. Open: Phil Mickelson almost wins one for his wife Amy who made it clear she would love a trophy for her hospital room. He loses to Lucas Glover after a rough 17th hole.
The British Open: In what I consider to be the biggest heartbreak of the year, 59 year old Tom Watson misses a putt on the last hole to lose to Stewart Cink. This makes Cink, by all accounts one of the nicest guys in golf, the villain in what should have been a feel good story.
What I find interesting in all of this is that in any other situation I would have been cheering for Cabrera or Glover and certainly for Cink but I found myself actively rooting against decent guys and great golfers because I, along with thousands of other fans, wanted that fairy tale ending.
It will be interesting to see what happens at the PGA Championship in August; will the heartbreak trend continue?
After 4 days of amazing golf from the leading actor of the Briish Open, Tom Watson, the 72nd hole changed the entire story. Watson had the lead by one stroke going to the 18th hole in the final round. His second shot hit the center of the green, but rolled off to the fringe. Choosing to putt from the collar, Watson edged his ball 8 feet past the hole. The 8 foot putt was all that separated Watson and the Claret jug…but seems the nerves got the best of the steady hand of Watson as he missed his par putt and finished with a bogey and tied at 2 under with Stewart Cink for a 4-hole playoff.
Watson was not able to shake-off the shock of missing his putt and ended up failing to be a match to Stewart Cink in the playoff. Cink out played Watson by 6 strokes. What an upset for one of the most memorable British Opens in years. No one is sure if Watson saw Cink coming from behind. The clincher for Cink was his 12-foot birdie putt on his 72nd hole and playing 2 under during the playoff. Congratulations, Stewart, on the Claret jug and your first major!
And to Tom…your performance was remarkable…thanks for showing us how golf lives on over the years, thanks for helping us relive the memories of 32 years ago, thanks for the great golf, and thanks for your great sportsmanship and showing us the character of a true gentleman! You are a true champion in our eyes!
After playing the last three holes of round three of the British Open at 5 under with birdie, birdie, par, Tom Watson has maintained his lead with 4 under. He’s the sole leader as the British Open moves to its final round on Sunday at Turnberry, Scotland. Tom finished strong with a long birdie putt on the 16th, a birdie on 17 with a slight miss on his 20-foot eagle attempt on the par 5 to move him to the lead by one stroke over Matthew Goggin and Ross Fisher. Tom finished with a par after another near miss long birdie putt.
Today’s round was steady but an “unusual day” according to Watson. When asked what he attributes his three day success to, Watson answers with “making putts when I have to.” Tom’s perspective about his day when asked how he managed his emotion…”very serene day out there….not as nervous as I thought I’d be. I felt different…this place is spiritual….there’s more to it than the humanity of the place (Turnberry) and the beauty…it’s pretty overwehlming!”
Tom Watson is not as nervy as he is wise. According to Watson, “maybe Jack (Nicklaus) was right about making a plan…I made a game plan and I’m on course with my game plan. I messed up a times….but this ol’ geezer might have a chance at winning this tournment!”
We’re cheering you on, Tom! The Duel in the Sun with Jack Nicklaus was 32 years ago, but you’re playing as if it was just yesterday…. keep the spirit karma alive!
The spirits are looking over Tom Watson for this year’s British Open. His second round at the 2009 British Open turned out to be as impressive, if not more, as that of his first round of 65. Today, Watson finished with an even par 70. Although the number may not sound as impressive as yesterday’s, it’s the way he got to it that’s the buzz. On the front nine, Watson struggled with five bogeys (four in a row) on the first seven holes. Seemed like his stellar performance in round one at age 59 was slipping away. But then he experienced a revival of some sort with two birdies. His back nine was without errors. The putting gods were truly on his side….he rolled in a 75-foot birdie put on the 16th hole, followed with a par on 17 and ended with a spectacular 45-foot birdie putt to tie the tournament at 5 under with Steve Marino, an alternate player leading after the second round in his first British Open appearance.
If Watson can maintain the momentum of his game for two more rounds, he’ll become the oldest major champion to win the British Open. Age does not seem to be defying Watson. He’s in his glory demonstrating his delight with Tiger-like fist pumps and a big right-leg kick as he moved to the lead.
As Watson reflected on his second round, here’s what he had to say…”I make two no brainers…field goals as my dad called them… Something’s on my side… things are happening my way….as if the spirits are on my side.”
For all of you Tom Watson fans, let’s hope the spirits stay on his side for the next two rounds! Six British Open championships at age 59 would be oh so sweet!
Five-time British Open champion, Tom Watson, out played the field of youngsters during round one of the British Open at Turnberry, Scotland. Watson shot birdie after birdie wth a bogey-free round of 5 under for a 65, placing him tied for second with Ben Curtis and Kenichi Kuboya during the first round. But, can the 59 year old maintain the momentum against a host of 20-somethings who can hit the ball long and far? Golf is a sport that can be played competively at all ages. But age can be a major factor to withstanding the nerves and the muscles that seem to ache much longer. Watson just underwent hip surgery nine months ago. So his preformance in the 2009 Bristish Open is quite impressive. The oldest player to win of the British Open was Tom Morris at 46…..but that was 142 years ago.
Sporting a retro argyle sweater, Watson relived the final round of his 1977 British Open win over Jack Nicklaus, better known in golf lore as the “Duel in the Sun”, by one shot repeating his score of 65. Watson recalled, “there’s certain shots on the golf course that I remember how to play”…..and he certainly demonstrated his ability during this first round.
Watson already has 5 British Open wins (1975, 1977, 1980, 1982, and 1983). Is a sixth win in his future? Here’s Watson’s assessment… “I feel insprired playing here. It doesn’t feel a whole lot out of the ordinary from 32 years ago except that I don’t have the confidence in my putting as I had 32 years ago. But, again, a few of them might go in.”
After watching Obama throw out a decent first pitch at the All Star baseball game (wearing a White Sox jacket no less, not that he ever pretended to be a Cubs fan) I wondered what his golf swing looked like. I do remember the oft repeated response he gave to the Russian Media when asked what he doesn’t like about himself: you may remember he responded, “I’ve been playing golf lately, and I don’t like my golf swing.” So I did a little you tube search and found a video of the President’s golf swing. You be the judge….
Regardless of my opinion of Carolyn Bivens I am not convinced her ousting will be the answer to fixing all that is broken with the LPGA. It’s a sorry state of affairs and will take a lot more than one person to fix. The LPGA is a mess; at last count 7 tournaments have shut down and several others are left without sponsors. And let’s face it, there isn’t a single big name winner to help bring in new sponsors. Forget the female equivalent of Tiger Woods, there isn’t a Phil or even David Duval. Since Annika Sorenstam’s retirement there hasn’t been a winner with the name recogniation to help draw fans, much less sponsors, to the LPGA and that’s a shame.
How about Catriona Matthew, Angela Stanford, Lorena Ochoa, Jiyai Shin, Pat Hurst? Do any of those names ring a bell? They are all LPGA tourney winners from last year. All are great golfers and well respected within golf circles but not one has any name recognition. Lorena Ochoa, Cristie Kerr, Ji Young Oh, Yani Tseng, In-Kyung Kim, Anna Nordqvist, Jiyai Shin, Eunjung Yi, Karrie Webb, and Brittany Lincicome round out the list of winners and I’m guessing I’m not alone in thinking there isn’t a household name in this bunch either.
So I’m not defending Carolyn Bivens, nor am I blaming her, but I am thinking that in addition to finding a new commissioner the LPGA might want to invest in some solid PR. There’s too much talent in women’s golf to have this level of apathy. After all, the PGA loses sponsors too but with names like Tiger and Phil there are always other sponsors waiting in the wings. And a tournament without sponsors is like a golfer without a putter…it just isn’t going to happen.
The LPGA’s lead players’ wishes were granted today as Carolyn Bivens resigned as the LPGA Commissioner. Much controversy has come into play over the lack of tournament sponsorships and personnel policies imposed by Bivens.
Marsha Evans has been selected to immediately replace Bivens on an interim basis and the search for a permanent replacement has begun. Evans is a retired (1998) US Navy Chief of Staff at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Evans had served on the LPGA board prior to this assignment. She also serves as one of Office Depot’s, Weight Watchers’, and Huntsman’s board of directors. Evans has expressed no interest in the full-time position of LPGA Commissioner, but has agreed to serve in the interim role to help rebuild the leadership of the LPGA.
Additionally, Annika Sorenstam has been named as an advisor to the LPGA Board of Directors. Annika has commited to immediately assisting the board with the challenges it faces now and into the long-term future. According to Annika’s latest tweet on Twitter, “Big changes in the LPGA leadership. I am happy to be involved moving forward.”
