By mustang6560 on 3/16/11

After I just posted a story on the RR Donnelley LPGA Founders Cup, bducharm sends us a link about a possible PGA takeover of the LPGA (what a guy that bducharm!).

Historically, the ladies of the LPGA Tour have been against a merger with the PGA Tour because they were afraid the LPGA would be overshadowed. But with a new generation of female golfers has revamped the discussion.

Recent conversations with several prominent players from the generation that opposed becoming part of the PGA Tour revealed that their hard-line position has softened. They now see the enormous benefits the LPGA could reap from a relationship with the PGA Tour, not the least of which would be keeping the U.S.-based tour from being absorbed by the women's tours in Asia. Also, they say, the decreasing number of full-field events -- there are only 10 full-field non-majors this year, including the Founders Cup with no prize money -- shuts out second-tier players, something they say will hurt the growth of women's golf and the tour.

It's no secret the current business model of the LPGA is struggling. Attendance is down, sponsorships aren't easy to come by and nearly half of the sanctioned tournaments are not on American soil. And now seems to be like a good time to talk "merger" because the current TV contracts for the PGA Tour expire next year.

If the LPGA Tour did come under control of the PGA Tour, it could potentially benefit both tours. The LPGA would benefit from obvious reasons and it gives the PGA Tour an opportunity to change things up a bit. I think it would be cool to see some of golf's biggest male and female golf stars tee it up together in a best ball tournament. Another idea cited in the article was having both tours play the same course and alternate male and female groups.

I think there is great potential for this to work. But, if they do merge, I would not want to see a "battle of the sexes" tournament. To me, this is an overplayed theme and the women always come out on top because the men are put at a disadvantage. The men have nothing to gain and everything to lose.



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