The Brand Promise

New LPGA Commish Caroline Bivens rolled out the 2006 LPGA schedule and served up an MBAism that only Tim Finchem could love.

We're launching the LPGA Playoffs at The ADT next year, which will add only more drama and excitement to our Tour on a weekly basis, and when you combine all of that with some new and challenging host venues, we are certainly fulfilling our brand promise of showcasing the very best of women's professional golf.

And there were other fine moments from the transcript.

We love the fact that when you look at those 10 first time winners, they come from a variety of different countries; with our first time ever winner from Colombia and from Chile.

Hey, don't forget Korea!

But what you are also going to see is an effort to improve what we're calling the stages that these women play on.

You will see us upgrading the quality of the golf courses at every opportunity that we have.

Why couldn't you just say courses the first time? Sorry, carry on.

So some of the things that you'll see, some of things that you won't see, but what has happened with the LPGA over the course of the last eight months, has put them on an incredible trajectory. I'll call it the old hockey stick, where they've gone along and a lot of people invest in a lot of years and a lot of effort, including Ty and the previous five commissioners before him.

The old hockey stick? Okay.

The Longs Drugs moves from Sacramento to Black Hawk. That's one of the courses that illustrates what I'm talking about when I talk about elevating the level of the courses that the women play.

Hey, what about the Office Depot played at Trump National LA, the course that's better than Pebble Beach?

Q. Did you lose any events from last year?

CAROLYN BIVENS: Office Depot.

Well you didn't have to be all succinct about it. But the gals had so much fun there!

Oh here's a new one that Commissioner Finchem may want to add to his list:

...what most affects our ratings, and we an absolutely go back and track, where is it prepromoted? Where are the programs that come before and after that, somewhat similar. And that people know where to tune in.

Nobody these days we don't have a viewer in the world that if they can't find their program, whatever their program is, nobody is going to sit there and flip through all of the channels and try to find you. So we've got to be able to prepromote and be easy to find.

I've always said, you're nothing if you don't prepromote. And cross promote too:

I have been quoted as saying that there is something for every one on the LPGA. I believe that.

You've got the Pat Hursts and the Carin Kochs who are balancing raising kids on the Tour, and who are very good inside the ropes, rank at the top of the Money List.

You've got Rosie Jones, who I don't believe for a second I'm not going to let her retire. Rosie Jones is a huge RV enthusiast.