AN LPGA ANNIVERSARY NO ONE WANTED TO CELEBRATE.Byline: Gregory J. Wilcox The LPGA Championship The LPGA Championship, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the McDonald's LPGA Championship presented by Coca-Cola, is the second-longest running tournament in the history of the Ladies Professional Golf Association surpassed only by the U.S. Women's Open. thrust women's golf onto the front pages of sports sections for all the right reasons this year. It wasn't easy though, because last weekend was the first anniversary of the ``Ben Wright affair.'' Wright is the former CBS (Cell Broadcast Service) See cell broadcast. commentator who last year at this tournament, one of the four majors on the women's tour, said that lesbians were stunting commercial growth of the Ladies Professional Golf Association. Then he denied the statements attributed to him by Valerie Helmbrick, a reporter for The News-Journal of Wilmington, Del. She went through an unpleasant year and Wright eventually went into the Betty Ford Center in Rancho Mirage for treatment of alcohol dependency. Helmbrick, it turns out, was right. And Wright was wrong. But those comments have dogged the tour ever since. Now Jim Ritts, the LPGA's new commissioner, is trying to drive a stake through the heart of this beast of a story. He acknowledged before play commenced last week that, yes, it was an anniversary of sorts. But now it's time It's Time was a successful political campaign run by the Australian Labor Party (ALP) under Gough Whitlam at the 1972 election in Australia. Campaigning on the perceived need for change after 23 years of conservative (Liberal Party of Australia) government, Labor put forward a to move on to more worthwhile endeavors rather than revisiting the past. He's right, too. Golf is a game for sunshine, so let's everyone walk away from Wright's shadow. ``If the 1995 tournament was the opening chapter in this saga, then the 1996 tournament was the closing chapter,'' Ritts said on Wednesday at Glendale's Oakmont Country Club Oakmont Country Club is a prestigious "top five" country club and the "oldest top-ranked golf course in the U.S.".[1] It is located in the Pittsburgh suburbs of Plum and Oakmont, Pennsylvania, USA. , which returns to the LPGA LPGA abbr. Ladies Professional Golf Association schedule next year after a decade-long hiatus. Women's golf is prospering, despite the wide-ranging coverage of the Wright controversy and the fallout, which included MuffinSpencer-Devlin's announcement in a ``Sports Illustrated'' story that she is gay. Her sponsors did not run for cover or abandon the tour. ``In the past 12 months our business has not stagnated and has not receded. In fact, we've probably enjoyed our best 12 months,'' said Ritts, who took over as commissioner Jan. 1. As proof he notes that tour members are playing for an all-time high $26 million in prize money and three events were added to the schedule this year, bringing the total to 40. Of this number, 24 increased their purse. Oakmont, which will host the Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. Women's Championship in February, is one of six new events planned for next year. It will feature a $650,000 purse and have 18 co-sponsors. The tour last stopped here in 1987 and Ritts said he's glad the LPGA is coming back. Back then the LPGA offered $11 million in prize money but was hard to find, especially on television. Next year, though, 35 women's tournaments will be televised, including Oakmont's. Don Andersen, the tournament's chairman, said that negotiations are under way with ESPN ESPN Entertainment and Sports Programming Network , ESPN2 and Prime Ticket. The tournament will be sponsored by AJ Sports Inc., a Los Angeles company that has been involved with the LPGA for 23 years. Though the tour is adding events, some problems, like scheduling, remain. This year three of the four major championships will be played before mid-June, which can dim interest. And next week the tour takes a divergent course we probably would not see on either of the men's tours. Most of the women will be in Western New York
Western New York refers to the westernmost region of New York State. for the $600,000 Corning Classic. But four of the top players will be in Frisco, Texas Frisco is a city in Collin County and Denton County, Texas (USA). It is a northern suburb of Dallas. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 33,714, while according to 2007 estimate, the city's population is approximately 95,000. , for the JC Penney/LPGA Skins Game. Ritts says it's not an ideal situation, and it won't change soon. Corning, which is famous for its glass works, is the smallest stop on the tour. JC Penney is one of the biggest sponsors. It's a situation in which everyone works together. Television coverage of the Skins Game will include updates on what is happening in Corning. It's the fourth year for this arrangement and it seems to be working fine, said Corning Classic deputy chairman David Goff. ``We just felt we ought to bend over Bend over may refer to the action of bending one's body over, as in to pick up something, or, for example, as the hydra does in order to move when hunting, in dancing (like in the various breakdance moves), gymnastics, and sports (like snap football). backward to help the LPGA,'' Goff said. ``It was an opportunity for the LPGA to get some tremendous exposure and apparently this is the only window open. It's worked out fine for us.'' One change that can be expected on the women's tour involves the rules governing admission to the LPGA Hall of Fame. There are only 14 members, making it one of the most difficult sports honors to attain. The requirements are 10 consecutive years on tour; 30 wins, including two majors; 35 wins with one a major or 40 wins. A few players are close, but with the player pool and talent level increasing each year this is could be an impossible goal for some of the great young players today, like LPGA champion Laura Davies Laura Jane Davies CBE (born October 5, 1963 in Coventry, England) is an English professional golfer. She is considered the most accomplished English female golfer of modern times[1] [2] . Ritts agrees that the admission standards should be a reflection of the times in which a player competes. The issue is being studied now and the modifications could be announced by summer's end. About the only thing Ritts is certain of is that the number of tour victories will be lowered. It still won't be an easy ticket. ``It will be objective,'' Ritts said of entry into the Hall of Fame. ``You will earn your way into it, you won't politic your way in.'' Notes: It's qualifying season for the U.S. Open The term U.S. Open is applied to "open" United States national championships in a particular sport, in which anybody, amateur or professional, American or non-American may compete. These include:
Qualifying for the Senior Amateur at Poppy Hills were Ralph Rubenstein of Encino, Warren Ashman of Burbank, Gordo Gordo, the Spanish word for fat, may refer to:
Jason Gore of Valencia advanced to the U.S. Open sectional qualifying June 3 at Lake Merced Country Club in Daly City. Jim Tassano of Camarillo and J.T. Kohut of Simi Valley are alternates. THIS WEEK PGA TOUR MasterCard Colonial Site: Fort Worth, Texas Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas, 18th-largest city in the United States[1], and voted one of "America’s Most Livable Communities. . Dates: Today-Sunday Course: Colonial Country Club Colonial Country Club is a private golf club in Fort Worth, Texas (USA). It is host to an annual PGA Tour event. It is the longest running PGA Tour event to be held at the same site. (7,010 yards, par 70). Purse: $1.5 million. Winner's Share: $270,000. Television: USA (Today-Friday, 1-3 p.m.) and CBS (Saturday, 1-3 p.m.; Sunday, 12:30-3 p.m.). Last year: Tom Lehman holed 18- and 30-foot birdie putts on the final two holes for a one-stroke victory over Craig Parry. Lehman finished with three straight 2-under 68s for a 9-under 271 total. SENIOR PGA TOUR Cadillac NFL Golf Classic The NFL Golf Classic was a golf tournament on the Champions Tour from 1993 to 2002. It was played in May or June at the Upper Montclair Country Club in Clifton, New Jersey. It was a joint production with the NFL and attracted top NFL talent to play in a tournament within a tournament Site: Clifton, N.J. Dates: Friday-Sunday Course: Upper Montclair Country Club (6,816 yards, par 72). Purse: $950,000. Winner's Share: $142,500. Television: ESPN (Friday, noon-2 p.m.; Saturday, 2:30-4 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.). Last year: George Archer closed with a 2-under 70 for a one-stroke victory over Ray Floyd and Bob Murphy. Archer, who underwent hip replacement surgery last month, had a tournament-record 11-under 205 total. MEMO: Gregory J. Wilcox is a Daily News staff writer. The golf column appears on Thursdays in the Daily News. CAPTION(S): Photo, Box Photo: LPGA commissioner Jim Ritts says, ``In the past 12 months our business has not stagnated and has not receded.'' John McCoy / Daily News Box: THIS WEEK (see text) |
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