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Tour Talk - LPGA, The American 9, Michael Whan's solution    Back to Topics  Page: 1 of 9     
From: misterbogey2008 (1 of 84)   10/30/2009 7:38:11 PM
To:
Despite all the naysayers and negativity, I humbly believe the LPGA will break out in the next few years. We have 9 American female golfers who are all attractive, appealing and have great back stories and good to great golfing pedigrees:

Cristie Kerr
Natalie Gulbis
Paula Creamer
Morgan Pressel
Michelle Wie
Stacy Lewis
Vicky Hurst
Amanda Blumenherst
Alexis Thompson(not professional, but I think she will turn pro at 17-18)

Michael Whan is a smart man, he will recognize this potential. The LPGA's main audience is still American men, and American men want to see appealing American female golfers and I believe these 9 American golfers will all populate the top 30 in the world rankings in the next 2-3 years. Michael Whan will find American sponsers who will love this and I hope he will aggressively pursue them, 30-35 tournaments a year with greater TV coverage. The age of Bivens is over, thank God. I hope Michael Whan sees the potential of these 9 American ladies.

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From: curran90 (2 of 84)   10/30/2009 9:11:12 PM
To: misterbogey2008 In response to Post 1
You are spot on but how do you get one or two of those ladies to be a consistent winner. I don't believe he can dictate that Americans win a certain amount of tournaments but the solution is to have the American's win more.
BTW I don't believe if all the Koreans spoke perfect english and were fan friendly that it would make a lot of difference. We have accepted a foreign players being the top lady golfers. Annika, Ochoa, Webb, Pak and the rest. What they won't accept is to have an entire foreign country dominate the tour and that is the problem and I haven't a clue as to how a commissioner can solve this problem without putting some restrictions on the foreign players and if he does that the foreign press as well as the US liberal press will pour hot colds on his head.
I am sure there is a solution out there somewhere and hopefully he can find it. I wish him all the best and he is going to need it.

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From: MrGood (3 of 84)   10/31/2009 5:06:31 AM
To: misterbogey2008 In response to Post 1
I agree that any idiot could market these ladies. Why more hasn't been done is beyond me.

However, you have to also be careful in changing or creating a new marketing focus to not alienate your current market. A large percentage of LPGA revenue has to be coming now from Asia, specifically Korea and Japan.



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From: Doc Holliday (4 of 84)   10/31/2009 5:15:49 AM
To: curran90 In response to Post 2
"What they won't accept is to have an entire foreign country dominate the tour and that is the problem and I haven't a clue as to how a commissioner can solve this problem without putting some restrictions on the foreign players and if he does that the foreign press as well as the US liberal press will pour hot colds on his head."

I'm far from.... yeeech, I even hate saying the word... Liberal, but I would think it would be wrong to put any type of quota on the number of foreign ladies allowed to play in tournaments.

First, I just plain think it's wrong. The LPGA is supposed to be out there for every woman to see who the best is.... just as the PGA is for the best player.

Second, to do so would be an admission that the American gals just aren't good enough.

Third, quotas are counter to fairness. Let those who are best participate, regardless of age, race, or country of origin. Quota systems have been around in many areas, and I find most of them discriminatory.

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From: curran90 (5 of 84)   10/31/2009 6:09:56 AM
To: Doc Holliday In response to Post 4
Doc, on paper I agree with everything you say. In reality you must put a product out there that the public wants to see and as I have stated before if the American Public wanted to see a lot of Asians play golf they can go on their computer and get the Asian tour.
The American public had no problem with Pak coming over here an dominating the tour for a few years. They had no problem with Webb, or Annika or Ochoa. What they won't accept is a field that is 50% Korean and where the top ten players on the leader board are Korean tournament after tournament. As the old Hollywood saying goes, If they won't come we can't stop them.
There are many places where people can spend they sports entertainment dollars and a tournament in a US town that is totally dominated by lady golfers from Korean isn't one of them. As Tiger would say, it is what it is. People don't come to a ladies tournament or watch it on TV to see the best golfers in the world because the best golfers in the world are the men golfers. They turn in to watch the ladies because they are pleasant to look at, play a decent game, one more closely related to their game and to pull for their favorite golfer. If their favorite golfer can't make it onto the leader board and all they see on the leader-board are Kims, Lees, Paks and Parks, notice these are plural because in anyone tournament you can have four or five of each the American public just isn't going to buy tickets or watch on TV and the sponsors know this which is why they have pulled away from the tour. Playing a tournament in the US doesn't make it a US tournament. Having players from the US in it and having a chance to win makes it an US tournament.
I am not blaming the Koreans. They are a victim of their own success. I am blaming the US golfers for not being good enough. I love to watch Wie, Gulbis, Creamer, Lewis, play but it makes no sense showing them on TV when they are 7 or 8 strokes back. By the same token it makes no sense showing two Kims and two Lees fight it out down the stretch when you don't know who is who and could careless as to who wins.
The first step to solving a problem is to define the problem.
Currently there are a bunch of liberals in this country and around the world that don't want to admit that the Talented Asians vs the not so talented American players is a problem to get people through the gate and to watch on TV. If they won't recognize the problem then they can't solve it and if something isn't done the problem will cure it self as more and more tournaments will disappear and then the tour will disappear. The Asians will go back home because there isn't any place to play in the US. A small ladies tour with a small purses will start up and be dominated by young Women golfers and we can start the who process all over again.

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From: Robopz (6 of 84)   10/31/2009 6:44:54 AM
To: misterbogey2008 In response to Post 1
RE: "The age of Bivens is over, thank God. I hope Michael Whan sees the potential of these 9 American ladies. "
+++++++++++++++++++

I certainly agree with you that Bivins wasn't good for the tour, but I also hang some of the blame on some of the very 9 ladies you highlight.

I'm just an outsider looking in here, but IMHO, I believe there is a reason they don't win. It's not talent... its the lack of willingness to work on their games enough to compete day-in and day-out at a top level.

Take the following three: Gulbis, Creamer, and Pressel.

I believe those three spend so much of their effort being "mini-corporations" and endorsement machines, they lose sight of what got them there. I believe those three are so involved in their (pick any 3) clothing, fragrance, equipment, accessories, personal appearances and calendars, golf becomes secondary. Anika seemed to be able to put her "off course" interests in their proper perspective, but I don't believe these girls know how to do that.

The girls you mention have the look... but it's just not enough to try to promote them on looks alone. They have to display more "game" then they have been. I believe if any, or all of them would just put golf first for a couple of years... at least a few, if not most of the ones you list have the potential of being at the top of the leaderboard week after week.... and that could be a HUGE element in the "fix" the LPGA is grasping for.

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From: Weddgie (7 of 84)   10/31/2009 6:50:25 AM
To: curran90 In response to Post 5
"Currently there are a bunch of liberals in this country and around the world that don't want to admit that the Talented Asians vs the not so talented American players is a problem to get people through the gate and to watch on TV."

Once again if it is anything contrary to your opinion is a "liberal" idea or position. Do you have any idea that this type of thinking is just blaming some other group for the reality of the situation. It's not a liberal position. To blame the quote "liberals" for any independent thought or position. Blaming one side or the other is ludicrous. It is a reflection of your narrow mindedness.

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From: threeballputter (8 of 84)   10/31/2009 8:04:37 AM
To: misterbogey2008 In response to Post 1
dreamer... people have been saying the same thing with different names for years. bottom line is the LPGA is now a second tier sport televised basically on a niche network. that's where it is and that's where it will stay.
Edited 10/31/2009 8:05:00 AM by threeballputter

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From: ahunt01 (9 of 84)   10/31/2009 8:10:49 AM
To: misterbogey2008 In response to Post 1
The best marketing these ladies can do for themselves is to win some tournaments and get that Asian foot out of their rear ends. Until that happens I don't care who the commissioner is.

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From: mrscanoehead (10 of 84)   10/31/2009 8:36:14 AM
To: Robopz In response to Post 6
Bang on.

The LPGA can market blonde Americans till they are blue in the face.

It may intially attract some new fans but if the Americans don't win many of those fans will turn away.

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