"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: