2008 ADT Championship - 32 Go In, 1 Comes Out.

The last event of the 2008 LPGA schedule, the ADT Championship, will be a series of good byes. Good bye Annika. Good bye ADT. Good bye LPGA economic model. Annika's final US event will be bittersweet. I hope she can focus well enough to be in contention. If last week was a prelude, that isn't a problem. ADT says adios to tour sponsorship. This could be part of a string of withdrawls unless the world economy ticks upwards. Soon. Every company, even the few profitable ones, are reexamining their expenditures like Santa with his list. Realistically there's no reason to expect that pro golf will emerge unscathed while many of their business partners are contemplating survival. The LPGA especially, without the gravitas of it's PGA brethren, is treading on thin ice. OK, enough doom and gloom.

Thirty two women start on Thursday. (Full Field list). The field is culled to sixteen after the second round. After round three there's eight women left standing. The final eight play on Sunday with the winner emerging a cool million richer. How's that for a season ending playoff? Beats the FedEx Cup like a rented mule.

Who does Average Golfer like in this baby? Well, can't really go wrong with any of the 32. I'd like Brittany Lang, but she's just an alternate at this point. Ochoa defends. Annika's playing great. Yani Tseng's having a superb year. Angela Stanford is the hottest player in the field. Inbee Park loves big tourneys. So, it's basically a pick 'em.

Trump International Golf Club is the host. The Golf Channel broadcasts the first three days with NBC taking over for the final round. Check here for broadcast times. Be there for the final US event of the pro golf year.

Til' next,

*For in depth insight on the 2009 LPGA scheduling possibilities check out The Constructivist's latest post.

Michelle Wie Does the Right Thing - In Queue for Q-School.

Whether by design or default, the end justifies the means. After a turbulent start to her professional golf career, Michelle Wie has entered LPGA Tour Qualifying School. The truth is she had virtually exhausted her other options to gain tour status. Sometimes fate has the ability to steer us back to where we should have been in the first place. Damn, for Average Golfer that was pretty deep! The 1st stage is scheduled for Sept. 9-16 at Mission Hills Country Club, curiously the site of Wie's near win in the 2006 Kraft Nabisco Championship. That was a high. The lows were missed cuts in men's events, a barely explainable DQ, and a host of other odd career moves that seemed to defy logic and exist to satisfy the overblown egos of her handlers/parents. Q-school is a mulligan for Michelle, a luxury many of us aren't granted when making career decisions. Should she get through this stage, and I fully expect she will, the final rounds will be held Dec. 3-7 at LPGA International in Daytona Beach, FL.

I'm of the opinion that Wie is the only female golfer capable of competing on the men's tour, if competing is defined by making a cut. She's the only player with the length and strength to challenge a PGA tour setup. Armed with that knowledge, she barrelled ahead but lacked the experience and "golf savvy" to prove it. I by no means am suggesting that a men's event should be on her schedule in the near future, but am merely commenting on the size of her game.

If things happen for a reason Q-school for Michelle could be a boon for the LPGA. Having obtained her card the traditional way should remove some of the animus that's been directed at her. The LPGA would have a potential 20 year star at just the time they could use one. Everyone matures at a different rate. Maybe Michelle, on the cusp of real adulthood, will find herself steering her own ship. Regardless of the results, that would be a good thing. Are you listening Mr.& Mrs. Wie?

Til' next,

Bivens Backtracks, (and not a moment too soon).

This worked out great for me. I get to address a controversial topic after the fire was doused. No flames licking at my feet. I used one of my Dad's adages, "When in doubt, don't." Worked here. I really did see the impetus behind the LPGA's desire to force feed English down the throats of, and let's be real here, their Korean contingent. Let's not pretend that Hispanic and European players were part of the discussion. The LPGA, hearing the sucking sound of tournament money running away in a bad economy, figured they'd take zero chances and circle the wagons around a Anglo-centric tour and not let any more horses out of the barn. The problem is that the remaining horses don't finish first often enough.

To start, who were the legal counsels that ever allowed this Titanic-like decree to see the light of day to begin with? Where did they go to law school, Kmart? I'd hope they all have Monster.com user names by now. My dog could have won this case for the Koreans on any planet in the universe, and he hates court rooms. Ms Bivens and the LPGA deserve a top shelf PR firm to polish their wounded image. May I suggest mine, Laybach & Whackit. I'm certain the bulk of the rule reversal was due to it's indefensible position where it counts, lawsuits and money.

Perhaps an odd comparison, but I like it. The NBA is an African-American dominated league. Why pray tell? Because African-Americans play more competitive basketball, practice more, and devote themselves to that craft more than their Caucasian brethren. If the collective Caucasian community wanted more players on NBA rosters I would suggest the answer is simple, play better. Professional golf tours are merit based at it's purest. Play better, keep your card, make more money. If not, lose your playing privileges. The Korean's meteoric rise is because of this alone.

Let's get a little realistic. In the best of times the LPGA tour is a pimple on major sport's rear ends. TV ratings, dollars generated, and the associated trappings of big time sports will never be the LPGA's strong suit. Losing Annika is just a harbinger of what a "Woodless" PGA may face some day. It's a wonderful venue to showcase the world's best female golfers and have a nice little business to boot. Golf viewers, men, want to watch men. They want to see the people that hit it the farthest and score the lowest. That's men. Sorry Ms Steinem, that's the facts. I love women's golf, but if I could only watch one tour......well, you know.

I submit to the LPGA that they focus on what they do well. Showcase women's golf, but don't let PGA envy and huge dollars be your goal. Be realistic in your projections and grow the game internationally. Play year round. It's always warm somewhere. Make some money overseas. For crying out loud, the rest of the world is doing it to us. Try to buy a piece of clothing or electronics made in the good 'ole USA. Go with the inevitable flow and market your product where the fans and advertisers live. In the meantime, search yourselves and ask why more home grown talent isn't making it into the ranks. It sounds like the recent controversy has given the LPGA an opportunity to reexamine, albeit through the back door. Let's hope they make some lemonade out of those lemons.

Til' next,