"The problem seems to be that Bivens has stuck to her hard-line negotiating even as the economy has imploded."

Someone sent me a less than nice email about the Bivens-mutiny post below. I started to write back an explanation, but Alan Shipnuck summed it up better in the lastest SI/golf.com roundtable:

Shipnuck: It's clear Bivens's hard-charging personal style has rubbed a lot of players and corporate types the wrong way, but you can't fault her original vision: raise purses, improve the pension and retirement benefits, and expand the tour's TV presence. The problem seems to be that Bivens has stuck to her hard-line negotiating even as the economy has imploded. Sponsors are hard-pressed to maintain their current commitments, and she's asking for them to pour in more money for next year and beyond. Something had to give, and it's being reflected by the tour's contracting schedule.

There has been no sign that Bivens called an audible after the economic collapse and postponed her vision to get them through these tough times and save some of these mom-and-pop events that are dropping like flies. That will ultimately be her undoing.

Report: Top LPGAer's Convene To Roast Brand Lady, Ponder Possible Replacements

Jim Gorant reports that a "dozen or so" top players had dinner last week to decide if a different commissioner could run off fewer sponsors. He also indicates that a letter to the LPGA Board may be in the works.

Player director Juli Inkster, who was at the dinner, also said that as far as she knew no letter had come out of the meeting. Inkster told SI that the dinner "was kind of a personal talk about where we need to go and what we can do. As far as who was there and who said what, I can't get into that."

Don't we at least get to hear how much wine was consumed? That would give us a better idea how nasty the name calling got. Just a thought.

"We have a 50-50 chance of being here next year."

Reading the AP blurb that went out suggesting the $1.4 million Jamie Farr Classic has only a 50-50 chance of returning in 2010, it was hard not to wonder if anyone at the LPGA is thinking that it might be nice just to have some tournaments next year, regardless of purse size and market?

Then I see that Beth Ann Baldry raised this very point in a tough Golfweek.com plea for the Brand Lady to wake up before it's too late. Calling the LPGA "a floundering tour with flourishing talent" Baldry writes:

The days of Bivens doing too much too soon should be over. The LPGA needs to bend over backwards to make things work from here on out. The tour needs strong partners such as Wegmans, a supermarket chain in the Northeast (Everyone’s got to eat, right?) now more than ever.

"Trace the problem to the hiring of Carolyn Bivens as LPGA commissioner in 2005."

Thanks to reader Brian for Bill Pucko's story on the demise of the Rochester stop. Another Brand Lady fan!

Hop on a golf cart with Wegmans LPGA Tournament chairman Jerry Stahl and you quickly come to appreciate how in touch he is.

Stahl is a big shot in Rochester, but he seemingly knows every golfer, caddie, volunteer and fan of his tournament by their first names. It is a large part of what makes the event successful. But the greetings were more melancholy this time around. "Don't let them take our tournament," they said.

It's always something. Stahl has dealt with the purse, the venue, the dates and the sponsor. The weather is a constant crisis to overcome. This is even a tougher nut to crack.

Trace the problem to the hiring of Carolyn Bivens as LPGA commissioner in 2005. Pursued for her marketing expertise, not for her golf world presence, Bivens was charged with bringing the struggling tour into the 21st century. She is proceeding with machiavellian efficiency.

This wire story details the demise of the Kapalua stop, with promises of legal action by the LPGA Tour. And Ron Sirak filed several Tweets today about the dwindling domestic schedule, including this:

My count has 10 full-field domestic LPGA events, as of now, for 2010, and that is generous since two of those do not have sponsors.

I also couldn't help but notice this odd juxtaposition of Tweets from LPGAer Christina Kim and Sirak:

Donald Turns Down Brand Lady For LPGA Championship

Brendan Prunty reports that the Donald was approached about hosting the LPGA Championship but turned the LPGA Tour when they wanted more than a one-year deal.

"They came here, they wanted to be here and I turned them down," the real estate mogul said at his Bedminster golf club. "They wanted it for more than one year and I didn't want to commit the course for more than one year."

I just wish he would stop being so humble!

"I think Bivens has made nothing but smart moves here."

Brand Lady, you've got a friend in Michael Bamberger, who says McDonald's is not a good sponsor for the LPGA to be aligned with and that Bulle Rock is too isolated to work as a major venue.

I think Bivens has made nothing but smart moves here. She's irritated a lot of powerful people in women's golf along the way, including some of the top executives at NBC Sports, which is not a smart thing to do when your tour is struggling, and the LPGA is struggling. But in the long run, Golf Channel is going to be the right home for many LPGA events, including its marquee championship.

"The reason has to do with the LPGA’s new business plan, referred to as 'Vision 2010'."

Jennifer Myers says the Corning Classic's demise suggests it wasn't entirely related to the economy.

The bad economy was an obvious culprit, but was not solely responsible. Corning Glassware was hit hard by the global recession, which led to a 13 percent reduction in its workforce (650 jobs. There was also a 50 percent drop in sponsorship support, which amounted to $500,000. Projected cost increases for the 2010 event were $300,000, and for 2011, when the purse was to increase from $1.5 million to $1.7 million, meaning the cost increase for the sponsor would be $675,000. Not only are the purses for events increasing, television production costs will be going from $255,000 a year to $425,000 in 2010, with five percent increases each year through 2013. The reason has to do with the LPGA’s new business plan, referred to as “Vision 2010”.

Interviewing "At The Turn"

I've never understood the big deal about talking to golfers mid-round, but for whatever reason it's been considered off-limits. Personally I think the NBA playoff telecasts are great fun thanks to the Coach interviews which, if nothing else, become an exercise in how little a coach will say. Even Stan Van Gundy!

Anyway, Golf Channel and the LPGA Tour are reviving the idea for this weekend's LPGA Championship.

During Saturday and Sunday’s live coverage of the McDonald’s LPGA Championship, Rich Lerner is scheduled to interview at least one player from the final four groups after completion of nine holes in a new feature titled, “At the Turn.” The new feature was first introduced during GOLF CHANNEL’s coverage of the LPGA Corning Classic in May.

GOLF CHANNEL / McDonald’s LPGA Championship TV Times

Saturday – Sunday 4 – 7 p.m. ET (Live)
7:30 – 10:30 p.m. ET (Live)

"It's a way of cross generation to introduce current and future members of the LPGA to a very important part of the world."

LPGA Brand Lady Carolyn Bivens is interviewed by the "Toy Department" blog at the Baltimore Sun site. Some nice MBAisms for those of you collecting jargon at home.

Bivens: The fact that a sports league or association would own one of its own championships and be able to illustrate and display their best of class of their brand, to set the eligibilty criteria and own all the revenue streams for that event is huge. Yes, it is high risk and high reward, but the opportunities for that to make a difference from a brand standpoint ... over the next 50 years is very big.

And...

How many years into the future are you looking? You talk about a focus of five to seven years, but you also talk about 50 years. Where, as an executive, is your focal point?

Bivens: For the long term, dealing with the base of the platform, you look out 10 years. Most of the rest of the planning you do for five years out.

Isn't that redundant, the base of the platform? Or is there a layer I don't know about?

So your deal with J Golf, South Korean television, that's looking 10 years out, maybe more?

Bivens: The deal is a five-year deal and the big news about that ... is that it's multi-platform. It's not just cable television rights for South Korea. They own multiple magazines, they have a partnership deal with CNN, they have multiple digital platforms. It's a way of cross generation to introduce current and future members of the LPGA to a very important part of the world.

Cross generation! That's a new one for me. Anyone care to define?

"It can be pretty overwhelming thinking about it.”

Beth Ann Baldry on the uncertain future of the LPGA Championship:

“To be an LPGA member and play your championship, you want that to be the best tournament on your schedule,” Angela Stanford said. “That’s the way it should be.”

LPGA commissioner Carolyn Bivens plans to run the event much like the PGA Tour’s Players Championship – without a title sponsor. To do that, she needs several presenting sponsors, and to this point, none has come forward. No sponsors, no site.

“I think there’s definitely a level of concern for everyone,” said Cristie Kerr, the LPGA’s 2009 money leader. “Whether it’s your mortgage that you’re looking at or your stock portfolio or your bank account or how many tournaments are up for renewal. . . . It can be pretty overwhelming thinking about it.”

Christina Kim To Be Mic'd; Golf Channel Goes On 45-Second Delay

I figured it was just wishful thinking when Shipnuck and Herre pondered this in the weekly "Confidential" book:

Shipnuck: For the first round Christina Kim has agreed to wear a microphone for ESPN. It has a chance to be the most entertaining day of golf for all of 2009, if not ever.

Herre: I will definitely tune in for that. We've talked about this before, but miking the players adds a lot IMO.

Sure enough, Golf Channel confirms:

LPGA professional Christina Kim will be mic’d up Thursday during GOLF CHANNEL’s opening round coverage of the McDonald’s LPGA Championship presented by Coca-Cola. Kim will be paired with Michelle Wie and Shanshan Feng. Live coverage will begin Thursday at 12:30 p.m. ET, with a prime-time re-air at 7 p.m. ET. This will be the second LPGA event in 2009 GOLF CHANNEL will mic a player during live tournament coverage. Kristy McPherson was wired for sound during the opening round of the LPGA Corning Classic, where she also played alongside Michelle Wie.

Considering her Tweets of late, this could be good.

"Taking the temperature of the LPGA Championship provides a fairly accurate gauge of the state of the tour."

Ron Sirak tries to figure out the LPGA's goals and mindset as they prepare to say goodbye to Bulle Rock and move their major to a site TBD.

The modest goal for the LPGA seems to be to put together a 2010 schedule in which there are not more off weeks than on weeks, and right now the break-even number of 26 appears to be a stretch. With Corning gone, Ginn gone, Phoenix and Kingsmill in doubt and others up for negotiation, where the LPGA Championship is played next year and by what name is a key to what the future of the tour holds.

Steve DiMeglio reports that a wet spring has left the course playing super long, wet and nasty.

Memorial Ratings Success; LPGA Not So Hot

Tod Leonard on the weekend ratings:

Tiger Woods is back in the winner's circle, just in time for the U.S. Open and for golf's stagnant TV ratings.

With Woods winning in comeback fashion Sunday at the Memorial, the overnight numbers for CBS were a 3.8 rating and a 9 share. That is double what the Colonial received (1.8/4) the week before when Steve Stricker own a three-man playoff. Anything doubled is huge for the networks.

The golf also doubled up the French Open final, with Roger Federer winning his 14 major title.

The LPGA Tour made a rare appearance on network television on NBC, and though the finish was bunched, it didn't have big names, and the ratings were low. In-Kyung Kim's win Sunday drew an 0.6, or half of what the Prefontaine track event did for NBC, also on Sunday. Not a promising sign for women's golf

"Comments that I made in a conversation with a writer last week regarding the importance of social media and tweeting have been taken out of context"

Randell Mell reports that the Brand Lady is in full retreat mode saying her "I'd love it if players Twittered during the middle of a round" remarks were taken out of context by Bloomberg's Michael Buteau and Mason Levinson.

Apparently the context was another value-engineered module not called the LPGA Tour. Happens all the time.

LPGA Commissioner Carolyn Bivens released a statement saying she isn't advocating players use Twitter to communicate during rounds.

"Comments that I made in a conversation with a writer last week regarding the importance of social media and tweeting have been taken out of context," Bivens said. "We have not discussed tweeting or the use of handheld devices during tournament rounds with the USGA, or even within the LPGA, nor do we intend to. Our players will not be tweeting during the rounds of LPGA events.”

The statement created a stir amid questions about whether tweeting during rounds would violate the Rules of Golf.