USGA: Chief Commercial Officer Out On Day One Of The Mike Whan Era

Mike Whan suggested he’ll have a better feel for the USGA after 100 days on the job.

So it’s not saying much for Navin Singh that his time as Chief Commercial Officer ended before the new CEO knew where to find the Coke machine.

Golfweek staff penned the news first:

The USGA also confirmed to Golfweek that Chief Commercial Officer Navin Singh has left the organization to pursue other professional opportunities. Singh was responsible for creating, directing and implementing the USGA’s commercial strategy, which included the broadcast production of USGA championships as well as the organization’s digital media rights portfolio and its digital media products.

Singh joined the USGA in 2016.

Given Singh’s willingness to leverage the USGA’s business with Golfweek Custom Publishing to complain about stories he didn’t like (including some of mine), it was probably wise no one at Golfweek put a name on this story should Singh pop up in another golf job. And given the propensity of golf organizations to go to the been-there-done-that “talent” well, he’ll probably land somewhere. With a raise.

But as I’ve written in recent Quadrilaterals here and here, the U.S. Open’s over-commercialization grew embarrassing in recent years. Under Singh’s watch we got Lexus courtesy cars in play and dreadful digital media products like this year’s U.S. Open apps. And with the move back to NBC and Golf Channel (where Singh worked), the USGA got railroaded into being part of Peacock rollout to the inconvenience of viewers, all while flooding the broadcasts with USGA partner messaging. Other than that…

Whan On The Way Out: "We write a check six times a year to be on network TV."

Al Lunsford of Links chatted with Mike Whan on his way out of the LPGA Commissionership and into the USGA CEO job, where he says his immediate priority is to learn the rules and ask questions.

But his response to a question about the biggest obstacle to LPGA Tour popularity is a good reminder about what his successor faces:

I’ve always struggled with, “You just don’t deliver the viewership of the others.” Well, they’re paid to be on network TV 35 weeks a year; we write a check six times a year to be on network TV. If you asked me to run a 100-yard dash but I have to start 170 yards back, I don’t expect to win many races. We’ve closed the gap—virtually 12 years of viewership increases in the U.S. and around the world—but we’ve still never been given an equal playing field. It’s hard to engage with athletes you don’t see very much.

His comment about the LPGA having to pay to get on networks has been made before, but it’s still fascinating to hear given the recent gender equity talk.

Also noteworthy: Whan essentially says being on the Golf Channel means the tour is not seen very much. Psst…Mike, they host all of your new job’s events. Be nice!

Quadrilateral: U.S. Open News And Notes, June 10, 2021

Random is the theme here from thoughts on the momentum going into this U.S. Open, to Golf’s Longest Day coverage, to the 2008 U.S. Open rebroadcast and Mike Whan’s possibly controversial take on rangefinders.*

Check it all out here and this weekly edition is a reminder as to why you should up for free.

*Sorry free subscribers, I screwed up and clicked the wrong button. You should not be able to read it via the link.

On Mike Whan Landing The USGA's CEO Gig...

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My latest for the Quadrilateral’s subscribers. Because I know how much CEO news is, this one went out to all subscribers.

Mike Whan To Step Down As LPGA Commissioner In 2021

Mike Whan has undoubtedly enjoyed offers in recent years after having righted the LPGA Tour following the debacle that was the Carolyn Bivens era. So his decision to step down—transition—after 11(!) years is welcome approach to helping the LPGA Tour find a suitable replacement.

One job of note that Whan could be a candidate for: the USGA CEO job. However, he’s not shown great enthusiasm for some of the issues the USGA will look to their leader to champion (distance), which might make it a less than perfect fit.

Anyhow, For Immediate Release with Whan’s lovely sentiments as he leaves with grace and noteworthy optimism:

LPGA Commissioner Mike Whan to Step Down in 2021

“One of the hardest jobs of a leader is to know when their work is done”

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., Jan. 6, 2021 – After completing his 11th year as LPGA Commissioner, Mike Whan has notified the LPGA Board of Directors that he has made the difficult decision to transition out of the LPGA in 2021. While no firm date has been set for his departure, this announcement begins the start of a thorough and thoughtful Commissioner succession process.

Whan shared his decision today with LPGA staff, Members and sponsors in the attached letter, including the following messages:

“When I first joined the LPGA, I told the Board it would be a four-year term, giving me time to help the organization achieve its immediate goals. Now, as the longest-serving LPGA Commissioner, I look back on these 11 years with enormous pride and satisfaction at what we’ve accomplished together to provide opportunities for women to achieve their dreams in golf.

“You may be wondering why I’ve made the decision to step down – and why now? In many ways, this past year – with all the pandemic challenges – was also the LPGA’s most triumphant. We are entering 2021 on a wave of momentum – a strong schedule with record purses, new events/sponsors, double-digit viewership growth, and a talented team that demonstrated exceptional skill, resilience and capability to lead through challenging times.

“I simply wouldn’t leave the LPGA if I thought the future was uncertain or not trending straight up. In fact, even after the challenges we faced in 2020, the LPGA has NEVER been more financially secure, deeper in leadership talent, or more anchored by passionate, diverse sponsors from all around the world. The LPGA is poised for even greater heights; and as such, I’m excited to hand the baton to the next leader and become their biggest supporter.

“One of the hardest jobs of a leader is to know when their work is done. If the COVID-19 pandemic taught me anything, it was that the LPGA executive staff has full control of our business and is capable of incredible things. We have leaders who are visionary, compassionate, collaborative and humble. You may not agree with every decision they make, but they have led our Tours to new heights virtually every year.”

LPGA Board Chair Diane Gulyas said, “Mike Whan has been a transformational leader of the LPGA and we’ve been fortunate to retain him for 11 years. When he told of me of his intention to step down this year, I had two reactions: First, can we persuade him to stay? And, when that wasn’t possible, to fully respect his decision and begin a seamless transition.

“Mike’s leadership legacy will be felt for years: in the LPGA’s financial strength and value proposition; in its global reach; in the breadth of programs and services it now offers for women and girls in golf; and in the diversity and quality of companies wanting to partner with the LPGA. He has effectively guided the LPGA through a range of economic cycles and challenges, including the COVID 19 pandemic. And, he has been the voice of our Association and its commitment to opportunities for women in golf.”

“Mike has absolutely been the right leader at the right time,” said Vicki Goetze-Ackerman, the LPGA Tour’s Player President. “He rebuilt the Tour – and then reimagined its future – by bringing new events, new sponsors and a new value proposition around diversity and inclusion to the LPGA. He has that rare ability to get people of all ages and backgrounds excited and on board with his vision. We’re grateful for his leadership over these 11 years and know he’ll remain an advocate for the LPGA long after he departs.”

Marvol Barnard, President of the LPGA’s 1,800 teaching Professionals, said, “When Mike joined the LPGA in 2010, we were essentially a Tour and a Teaching division. Today, we are a bigger, broader, integrated organization dedicated to women in golf of all ages and abilities. Mike will always be an incredibly important person in the history of the LPGA Professionals, and we will always be grateful for his leadership, vision and guidance.”

Gulyas said the Board will establish a Commissioner Selection and Transition Committee and consider candidates from the LPGA’s talented executive staff as well from outside the organization. “It’s clear the LPGA today is a very different Association than the one Mike joined in 2010,” said Gulyas. “Our commitment to the LPGA – and all of our stakeholders – is to find the right leader to guide the Association through this next chapter in its storied history.  

“We are so grateful for Mike’s passion and leadership of the LPGA over more than a decade of service as our Commissioner. He will leave the LPGA well positioned for continued success, with an outstanding team of leaders and a strong and sustained culture – Act Like A Founder - that will endure for years to come.”

Great Listen: Fried Egg's Podcast Stories, The Ball

Fine, fine work by The Fried Egg’s Garrett Morrison to present the history of the golf ball in fresh fashion and format. I highly recommend all three episodes and his effort to educate audiences to the remarkable strife and conflict the matter of selling golf balls has delivered to golf.

I learned a lot and felt unabashedly reassured that some form of golf ball regulation would be a really good thing for the game. But that’s me. I’m guessing even those who do not agree and place the perceived profit impact of a few companies over what’s best for the sport, will still feel more intelligent after listening.

Check out wherever you get your podcasts or listen here:

Guardian: Premier Golf League Delivers Player Offer Letters, European Tour Talks Continue

There were glimmerings of possible Premier Golf League activity recently when Jon Rahm was overheard discussing something team-driven to Viktor Hovland (perhaps influencing why the world No. 2, on the cusp of moving to No. 1, did not make the Memorial Featured Group coverage).

Now The Guardian’s Ewan Murray reports several interesting developments: formal offer letters have been sent to players, the European Tour issued a soft non-denial denial over possible partnership discussions, hundreds of millions in guaranteed money are on the table despite the global pandemic, and Murray even references the PGA Tour’s new TV deal possibly funding “commercial incentives” to players.

Those who have been linked with the breakaway include Phil Mickelson, Adam Scott, Henrik Stenson, Brooks Koepka, Justin Rose, Rickie Fowler and Paul Casey. The PGL declined to comment on recent events when approached. Yet whether the PGL can convince elite golfers to offer a commitment against the PGA Tour in particular remains to be seen. As part of a recently agreed broadcasting deal, the PGA Tour agreed to offer commercial incentives to players who provide the greatest value.

The idea of directly paying some players would be a new path for the PGA Tour after remaining principally an independent contractor-driven organization.

Meanwhile in Europe, Chief Keith Pelley has been largely dismissive of the concept even though his Tour and the PGL seem like a potential partnership fit, particularly now that the pandemic has hit the Tour especially hard. This week’s British Masters is playing for 1,250,000 Euros.

As recently as June Pelley told the McKellar podcast that partnership conversations with the PGA Tour have never been stronger.

Intriguingly, Raine is also understood to have held talks with the European Tour. This at least infers an increased willingness to involve golf’s existing stakeholders in the PGL plan. When asked about such discussions, a European Tour spokesperson said: “For the past couple of years we have been proactively sought out by a number of private equity companies, all of whom recognise the strength and influence of the European Tour across golf’s global ecosystem.”

Hardly a denial.

The heightened efforts of the league’s backers were first reported here at GeoffShackelford.com in January and have been declared dead on arrival at various points after Rory McIlroy, Brooks Koepka and Jon Rahm all pledged their preference to play the PGA Tour.

Meanwhile, another Raine Group-backed enterprise, the Premier Lacrosse League, makes its second season debut tomorrow in the United States on NBC.

Mike Whan: "I can’t be thinking, 'I rebuilt the LPGA, now I am going to cash out and go to a bigger platform.’"

GolfChannel.com’s Randall Mell talked to Commissioner Mike Whan about his intention to stay with the LPGA for a long time.

“My wife says, in time, God answers prayers, but maybe not in the way we expect,” Whan said. “I really believe, in some strange way, he answered my prayer. I wanted to raise and impact a young woman’s life, but there was another plan, another way to do that.”

A primary focus of Whan’s purpose going forward will be to address big, complicated issues.

Now, Whan can’t imagine leaving his adopted daughters with this larger purpose still to pursue, with women’s empowerment a cause he is committed to champion:

Growing the game to where half the golf population is female.

Growing the profile of his players with more network TV opportunities.

Narrowing the gender pay gap.

They’re all more aggressively in his crosshairs today.

“I can’t just let that be somebody else’s problem,” Whan said. “I can’t be thinking, 'I rebuilt the LPGA, now I am going to cash out and go to a bigger platform.’ That would feel wrong. You’re either in this, or you’re not.”

His comments are also notable given the pending renewal of media deals that certainly may lead to a bonus.

LPGA's Whan Signs "Long Term Contract" Without Knowing Length, State Of TV Rights

The LPGA Tour’s turnaround and success under Mike Whan can’t be questioned given the dumpster fire he inherited his predecessor, Carolyn Bivens.

Still, I found his admission of a contract extension at the CME Globe finale fascinating on two levels: he claims to not know the length of his deal and this lands before the PGA Tour has announced a new television deal. You may recall Whan has farmed out the LPGA Tour’s next TV contract to PGA Tour negotiators as part of their effort to lock things up from 2022 and beyond.

From GolfChannel.com’s Randall Mell, who had the news first:

“It’s a long-term contract,” Whan said. “I don’t even know how long it is. I really don’t.”

LPGA president Vicki Goetze-Ackerman confirmed there’s a new deal in place.

“It’s a long-term contract,” Goetze-Ackerman said. “That’s all you’re going to get anyone to tell you. He has a vision for the future, and he wants to stay. He’s been fantastic, taking us from a dismal place in 2010 to where we are now, with a vision of an even stronger future.”

As for his legacy, Whan noted this:

“Whenever my tenure is over, nobody is going to remember who started the Founders Cup or International Crown. They are going to remember that there are a heck of a lot more women playing golf. In the next 20 years, you will see what’s happening in junior golf programs today happening in women’s golf. I think that’s what I’ll be most proud of when I’m sitting on a rocking chair someday.”

Evian Nightmare Continues: Lexi Leaves Passport In Her Golf Bag And All Hell Breaks Loose

As if the disaster that is the Evian-as-a-major hasn’t been embarrassing enough for the LPGA’s Commissioner. After all, Mike Whan forced the event into a new date to avoid September’s regular rains (so it rained) and the fifth major—designated so by him—was played last week as a precursor to this week’s Women’s British Open.

Nothing screams quality like back-to-back majors.

And it’s not like this is the first time for the Evian as a major…debacle.

Slow play issues went viral and course conditioning gripes plagued the event again, but mercifully this substandard product was seen in the wee hours on Golf Channel or CNBC, where the event had to go because the schedule had long been set with the Senior Open, WGC FedEx and Barracuda.

And now, this.

I could try to describe the scenario explained by Randall Mell at GolfChannel.com, but I’ll trust you to hit the link and find out how Lexi Thompson’s missing passport caused forty players to not have their clubs at the Women’s British on Monday.

Drive on!

LPGA's Whan Still Yearning To Get His Tour More Broadcast Network Airtime

Intriguing stance by Commish Mike Whan’s in believing network television is still the place to get more notoriety and purse growth for the LPGA Tour. From Beth Ann Nichols’ Golfweek story posted after Whan discussed the close on a two-year Golf Channel extension and the PGA Tour’s involvement in handling negotiations:

Whan points to current No. 1 Jin Young Ko as a prime example.

“If you gave me 39 weekends a year, I promise you I could make you love Jin Young Ko,” said Whan. “You’re going to get to know her story and swing. You see her five times a year, she’s just a name I can’t pronounce. That’s a shame. If you give me 39 weeks there’s a lot of guys on the PGA Tour I wouldn’t care about.… When they become people you know, you want to watch them.”

However, as the Nichols story points out, the U.S. Women’s Open on Fox was outdrawn by NBC network broadcasts of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur and the Diamond Resorts TOC, with strong Golf Channel and promotional tie-ins on other NBC outlets, suggesting that a mere broadcast network presence isn’t enough.

It’s also hard to see a broadcast network taking on the LPGA Tour at the PGA Tour’s negotiating insistence when even PGA Tour events do not all get broadcast network coverage. Seems obvious who will get priority in negotiations, but stranger things have happened.

Whan Admits Error In Moving Evian, Pledges Change

After one of the great disasters in modern major history, the beleaguered Evian Championship will be moving back to a summer date by 2019 according to the man who switched it, LPGA Commish Mike Whan.

Speaking to Damon Hack on Morning Drive, Whan admitted this year's rain-shortened event has him rethinking things. Randall Mell reports on this and other LPGA news from the interview.

“We will get Evian back to a summer date,” Whan pledged. “It may not be in ’18, but certainly by ’19.”

Whan said he believes in Evian as an LPGA major, but he regrets his decision to move the event to September, with its rainy season and its shorter days.

“The challenges we’ve faced are man-made,” Whan said. “And I’m the man who made them.”

Kudos to Whan for finally coming around and admitting to the mistake.