It's golf's offseason, which doesn't really mean much for fans and players alike except there aren't any majors, and the competition dwindles. It also gives media and players a chance to reflect on the bigger picture. Players evaluate their years and see what could be improved, promising to work on that before next year rolls out. Media has the opportunity to hand out awards, evaluate certain tours and find flaws in those tours. That is where this concept came up, about the LPGA and their struggle to gain identity. You could argue that women's golf is the second most important female sport, behind tennis, but it still seems that women's golf has struggled this decade to resonate with sports fans, even some golf fans. Annika Sorenstam had moments where she became a story bigger than golf, but most of that dealt with a missed cut and a skirt, the latter being more of a Fred Funk prank than anything.
So, why can't the LPGA become more popular? Why is it losing sponsors and tournaments and money? Is it because of a down economy that has made a run of damn near everything? Yeah, that has something to do with it. But what seems to be the bigger issue is the ability to market the faces of golf. Plain and simple ... the superstars on the golf course aren't the same superstars that companies are turning to. It's confusing the fan base. It's making it strange to see no-name golfers hold the trophy. The LPGA is in need of a marketable superstar.
The problem is, it hasn't panned out. I'm one of the first people to jump to Wie's defense when people scream about her inability to win golf tournaments, but the bottom line is she still hasn't won a professional event, and she's been making money in golf since 2005. She was the LPGA's Bright Hope, and while she is improving and becoming more of a factor (she finished in the Top 10 seven times this past season), she still isn't hoisting trophies and making cuts on the PGA Tour. It's the thing that we wanted to happen, it just hasn't come through yet.
What we are looking at are tournament-winning golfers with no appeal. That is superficiality at it's best, but it's true, and the fact that Tiger became such a presence in the world of sports had just as much to do with his million-dollar smile and bicep reconstruction as it did with his ability to hit drives 300 yards and fist-pump with the best of them.
When you think of the top LPGA golfers, who do you think of? Lorena Ochoa, Wie, Natalie Gulbis, Paula Creamer and Cristie Kerr? Serious golf fans are familiar with the names Jiyai Shin and Angela Stanford, but that's stretching it.
Well, here are your Rolex Women's World Golf Rankings as of November 2.
1 -- Lorena Ochoa MEX
2 -- Jiyai Shin KOR
3 -- Suzann Pettersen NOR
4 -- Yani Tseng TPE
5 -- Cristie Kerr USA
6 -- Paula Creamer USA
7 -- Angela Stanford USA
8 -- Ai Miyazato JPN
9 -- Karrie Webb AUS
10 -- In Kyung Kim KOR
11 -- Na Yeon Choi KOR
12 -- Song-Hee Kim KOR
13 -- Anna Nordqvist SWE
14 -- Catriona Matthew SCO
15 -- Michelle Wie USA
16 -- Eun-Hee Ji KOR
17 -- Shinobu Moromizato JPN
18 -- Sakura Yokomine JPN
19 -- Sophie Gustafson SWE
20 -- Helen Alfredsson SWE
Ochoa is tops, which makes sense. Everyone knows her as the Tiger of the LPGA, even if she "only" won three times this season.
Kerr is fifth, Creamer is sixth and Wie is 15th. That is it. Fans are familiar with about 20 percent of that list, and have no clue about the other players.
The easiest way to judge popularity, in this day in age, is Google. Using the search engine, we come to find out that Wie runs way with hits in a generic search, of nearly 1.72 million, while Pettersen, third on the Rolex Rankings, has just 187,000.
On the PGA Tour, the two top guys are your most popular. Tiger is obviously Tiger, but Phil Mickelson, ranked second on the Official Golf Rankings, is just as much of a crowd pleaser as Woods.
The LPGA has to battle to get their faces up the leaderboard. Hell, Wie and Gulbis didn't even qualify for the U.S. Open this year!
The solution is obviously an early impossible one to conquer. Have someone that is damn good at golf, can win tournaments in a professional setting, and can make the generic viewer interested. If Wie starts winning, she can become this. If she doesn't, the LPGA will continue the search for its marquee player. It just seems right now, the women's golf tour could use that person to step up.
Comments (Page 1 of 1)
It's the Korean tour; but they have zero star power and what corporate sponsor wants them speaqking broken english about there product?!
I agree, seems like there are so many non speaking english golfers you have no idea what they are saying and if you see them playing from the back they almost look like boys. Who wants to watch then?
How about the topless tour......sell the sex angle, then men will tune in.
There is nothing exciting watching women that look like men playing from the shorter tees and playing like a poor male club pro.
The issues are very simple. Corporate sponsors want players who can work the sponsor's activities including the pro-ams. The corporate sponsors aren't interested in nameless, charisma challenged, and non-English speaking players. Corporations expect to gain marketing and provide an entertaining environment for clients and company management. The LPGA isn't providing these traits to corporations and that is why more and more LPGA events are losing sponsors. The solution isn't nearly so simple. The previous LPGA commissioner wanted to expand the use of English by tour players and that was met with great indignation. The presentation of the increased use of English was not very eloquently delivered in the press. The requested policy was a business decision but trampled on some people's concepts of freedoms. The LPGA must make good business decisions if it is going to survive. The Korean players are great players. But from a business standpoint one should ask the question – How successful would the movie “No Country for Old Men” have been if all the characters spoke in Korean or any other language for that matter without subtitles? Charisma is also a major factor. On the PGA, Tiger Woods could speak any language and still be immensely popular because he has charisma. The LPGA has had charismatic players in the past and it is important that they continue to cultivate charismatic players. This is much easier to say than to do. The LPGA will have a very difficult time trying to survive if they continue to lose sponsors.
I'm a big fan of the LPGA and enjoy it just fine with Asians and other foreigners, many of whom indeed don't have great english skills, dominating the scene. Some very narrow-minded thoughts have been expressed on this board and I believe some of you clowns need to expand your minds in general and not spend so much time looking down your noses at others who don't meet your own arbitrary and fairly irrelevant standards. In fact, one could make a very good case that's the crux of the problem with LPGA fans and followers in general.
Hey, brideymurphy, keep up with current events. The Lpga is getting their behind kicked in the corporate sponsor department. This America not some commie regime.
The mens tour is watched by golfers who are men. Men who golf. Alot of men golf, how many woman golf? Plus not having a american superstar on the womans tour really hurts ratings. Tiger and phil fuel ratings for mens golf. Who furls ratings for womans golf?
you go murph32. couldn't agree more. I really didn't think Gulbis looks like any guy I've ever seen.
Let's call it like it is. Shane brought teh stoopid on this one.
http://mlyhlss.blogspot.com/2009/11/paging-shane-bacon.html
Murph, WAKE UP!! I am glad you like the LPGA. I like the LPGA. But corporate America doesn't like the LPGA and they are the ones who provide the funding. Read Matt's comments and then if you have pulled your head out, maybe you will understand. WAHE UP you moron.
I like the LPGA just as much as the men. I think the ladies are amazing. I will never be a Tiger Woods but I think it
is great to see ladies who can out drive, out put and do the other parts of golf that men wish they could do. There are thousanda of ladies who play golf. We really need some American women to get the hunger that the Foreign women have. It's all about the drive and without it we will continue to be second to them. I guess someone needs to start a European league so we will have winners at home we can understand when they are interviewed. If things don't change quickly I believe the only course for the ladies is to try to qualify and play with the men. LPGA is a great organization and we need it just as badly as we do the men. I think it's up to the ladies in the USA to decide if they want to keep ladies golf or not. If you do, then its time to buckle down and start playing some golf or go home. Please take the first option because you are needed and there are thousands of people pulling for you. Lets make a deal. You do the playing and we will do the cheering.