DEAD SOLID PERFECT : American golfers need to step up on LPGA Tour
Posted on Thursday, July 10, 2008
The LPGA needs a wake-up call.
After watching a South Korean woman win for the third consecutive week on the LPGA Tour, something needs to change.
It was never more apparent than at last week’s P&G Beauty Northwest Arkansas Championship at PInnacle Country Club in Rogers. It was a nicely run tournament with a fantastic finish, coming down to the final putt.
And no one outside Arkansas and South Korea seemed to care.
Attendance wasn’t good, and television ratings were awful.
That alone should tell the LPGA something needs to change. And it better change quickly or the LPGA Tour is going to go the way of the WNBA, a well-run professional league with very little interest from the general public.
Organizers said 25, 000 people attended last week’s tournament in Rogers, not counting children 17 and younger who got in free with a paid adult or residents of the Pinnacle Country Club, who were already on the grounds. But rarely was the small set of bleachers at either the 17 th or 18 th holes close to full.
Because of weather-related delays, the conclusion of the Northwest Arkansas Championship wasn’t shown on CBS, which signed off about two hours early to show the tape-delayed conclusion of the PGA Tour’s AT&T National.
Ratings were still low. Saturday’s rating was a 0. 7 and Sunday’s was a 0. 6. To compare, the AT&T National ratings were 1. 5 on Saturday and 1. 3 on Sunday. One ratings point equals 1, 102, 000 households, meaning fewer than 800, 000 households watched the second round Saturday and fewer than 700, 000 tuned in Sunday.
The LPGA will point to timing as the reason television ratings were down. I’d point to the fact that the LPGA Tour’s American stars like Paula Creamer, Morgan Pressel, Cristie Kerr and Natalie Gulbis were nowhere near the top of the leaderboard.
Until more players with more name recognition — and frankly more individual identity — get to the top, those ratings numbers aren’t going to improve.
The final four groups Sunday included: Jee Young Lee (South Korea ), Na Yeon Choi (South Korea ), Louise Friberg (Sweden ), Ai Miyazato (Japan ), H. J. Choi (South Korea ), Jeong Jang (South Korea ), Seon Hwa Lee (South Korea ), Kristy McPherson (United States ), Inbee Park (South Korea ), Eun-Hee Ji (South Korea ), Meena Lee (South Korea ) and Angela Park (Brazilian of Korean descent, who recently became an American citizen ).
So, counting Angela Park as an American, that meant that eight of the final 12 players in the field were Koreans.
Media members at the AT&T National asked K. J. Choi, a Korean born player, what he thought about the LPGA Tour. He responded: “Hard to keep track. Too many Kims and Parks.”
Don’t mistake what I’m saying. South Korea hasn’t done anything wrong. In fact, it has done just about everything right in the 10 years since Se Ri Pak won the U. S. Women’s Open. It has identified potential players at a young age and enrolled them in programs to further their ability to become professional golfers. The government then helps them get to America to participate in LPGA qualifying school, and it helps them to secure sponsors once they make it.
LPGA, are you paying attention ?
The South Koreans aren’t using up sponsors’ exemptions to try to get to the tour. Sixteen South Koreans went through qualifying school last year and three gained full status. Others gained partial status, and more are on the way.
If I worked for the LPGA, I’d host a clinic at a public golf course — or a First Tee location — the Tuesday of every tournament week. I’d ensure that at least three American LPGA professionals were there to run it, and I’d make it free for any girl who wanted to attend.
The LPGA is an extremely fan-friendly professional sport. I just wonder how much longer there will be fans to be friendly with.
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