Lpga future
 

the guy who won yesterday, and was on national television all weekend, won $1,800,000.
the woman won the lpga event yesterday, wherever it was, won $300,000
I would say the LPGA is in trouble.

Just looking at it from the point of prize money, yes there is a great disparity in prize money, it doesn't matter which women's sports, it's always less than men. The President of the LPGA Mike Wham for the past 11 years is stepping this year and taking over the USGA because of his success. Your comments would of accurate ten years ago, but the difference he has made while in office have revitalized the women's tour.

This is from Golf Magazine January 6, 2021;

Over the past 11 years he rescued the LPGA from the brink and guided the tour through a series of financial challenges, most recently the coronavirus pandemic. The LPGA recently announced an ambitious schedule for this year, a 34-event slate that features new tournaments, new sponsors and a record $76.45 million in prize money. In 2010, the year Whan took over, the LPGA had only 24 official events – its smallest schedule in nearly 40 years – and just $41.4 million in prize money.


LPGA Commissioner Mike Whan to Step Down This Year | Golf Channel

If it doesn't draw the sponsors or fans what do you expect a free market to do. It's business not women's rights or "woke". Till they generate the $$$ that the PGA Tour does accept it. This isn't about inequality...it's about the gate!

You can't force equality...you earn it.

Wait till they allow transgender golfers on LPGA

Very true of most sports but tennis.

Wait
 

Well, I believe they do allow, actually. I remember reading LPGA was sued some years back because of their "born female" policy. However, I haven't yet seen an LPGA golfer with a big Adam's Apple and beard stubble. Not that I've been looking.

I agree with this analysis
 

The LPGA really went down after the financial crisis. Whan did a good job rebounding them. The TV contract and sponsored events raise less money than for the men so the purses are lower. That is just the way the finances work. Women's tennis has a unique situation with the men, equal purses which they fought hard with. It helps them that the events are at the same time at the same location, and that women tennis pro's are/were large enough stars in the publics mind.

It is getting better with more events and larger purses.

The LPGA is fun to watch but nowhere near as fun as the PGA. Main reason for money disparity. Similar to NBA vs WNBA etc.

Totally disagree, women have much more skill with their shots and finesse. They can’t pound it as far, swear or break clubs as easily but many aren’t into that anyway. Just another perspective...

I used to enjoy the LPGA just as much as the men's tour, other than I have always enjoyed the men's majors more. I can't say why. However, over the last few years as I've watched both the PGA and the LPGA, it has been my observation that as slow as the men are, the women are even slower. Really really slower. Especially on the greens. So slow in fact, I can't even watch it.

I enjoy both but defer to the pga because there aren’t as many dominate players as there are in the lpga. Seldom do you see a playoff in the lpga. That always adds to the excitement of watching the pga.

It’s all about the ratings generated, the sponsors willing to fund the purse, the Television Contract and advertising revenue. If there was the same interest in the LPGA as the PGA, the payday would be the same. The LPGA is not in trouble, it just operates at a different level of interest and $$$. The financial playing field could become somewhat leveled out going forward as the cash cow of the PGA (Tiger) future is in serious doubt.

Women golfers have much more skill and finesse than men? That is totally false.

The total purse for the PGA tournament just played was over $10 million compared to just $2million for the women's event. You can't pay out money that isn't there unless you are the Federal Government.

the LPGA needs a Tigress wood to help the ratings

If you compare prize money there is no comparison but what about sponsorships and endorsements. I would love to see how much some of the leading Korean women get just for playing in the LPGA. I bet it's big $$$$.

Women’s volleyball seems to get coverage, why is that?
 

:bigbow::bigbow:

Lpga
 

LPGA is based in Ohio and there are no male members. No male can say he is a LPGA certified instructor. Requirements of membership include being a woman at birth.

Woman can join the USGA.

Not true, according to this article.

LPGA Modifies Rules to Include Transgender Competitors | GLAAD.

Paige Spirinac.
 

After all it is just entertainment. I’m thinking Paige Spirinac.

If you want to watch the best golfers in the world.... it’s not going to be on the lpga. If you like watching women play golf....well, sure, you do you, no judgement here.

One sure way to get equal prize money as a women is to just compete against the men and beat them.

I’m sorry but that’s just not true. If you look it up there have been a total of seven woman who have played in a men’s PGA tournament, only one has ever made the cut. Annika Sorenstan, considered the greatest woman golfer of all time, and who I admire greatly, tried once and did not make the cut. After, she said there just to good. The men do hit it further but they play out of much thicker rough and much tougher playing conditions. Don’t get me wrong, the women are great players and I do enjoy watching them but playing under the same conditions and allowing for distance they cannot compete with the PGA pros.

Inappropriate

Equal pay for equal work....but not necessarily equal pay for not equal work.

I don't mean to disparage the LPGA in any way. They are a great tour and a great organization. But they are restricted to female players just as the Champions Tour is restricted to those over the age of 55.

The PGA Tour on the other hand is open to anyone that can play well enough to qualify. The Korn Ferry tour is also open to anyone that can qualify but is made up mostly of people that couldn't qualify for the PGA Tour. It is a sort of minor league.

Any time that a sports league is restricted it is basically in the same category as a minor league.

The reason that the PGA Tour plays for so much more money is that their players are the best of the best. They are not the best men, or best women or best seniors or best juniors. The PGA Tour is open to anyone and everyone who can compete.

Because of this, The PGA Tour generates much more fan interest. More people are interested in watching the best players is the world as opposed to the best female or senior or junior players int he world.

Because there is so much more fan interest advertisers and sponsors are willing to put up a lot more money. When you can say that you have 7 million people watching, you can charge more for advertising than a tour that has 2 million viewers. That is where the purse money comes from. And 35% of PGA Tour fans and viewers are women.

Look at the television ratings and (when there is no pandemic) the crowds at the tournaments.

This has nothing to do with gender bias or any other kind of discrimination. It's simply about money. If you are an advertiser or a sponsor, your goal is to get your message to as many people as possible.

Sorry, but the LPGA Tour, The Champions Tour and all of the other restricted tours are the same as minor league baseball. You're not watching the best players in the world. Far more people are interested in watching the best in the world in any endeavor than the best (place a restriction here) in the world compete.

The LPGA Tour is not in trouble. It has always been basically a minor league tour and always will be. They will never play for the same purses that the PGA Tour plays for. When women can compete on the PGA Tour, they will get the same recognition as men.

Minor leagues in all sports are very successful. But people are not going to pay the same to watch the Pawtucket Red Sox or Providence Bruins as they are willing to pay to watch the Boston teams. Consequently, those players are not going to be paid as much.

I had a friend who was the major tournament agronomist for the USGA. His job was to set up the courses for all of the USGA's major championships. He told me that when setting up women's that he had to slow down and soften up the greens and keep the rough around the greens cut lower because the women could not chip and putt anywhere as well as the men.

What you're saying here is a complete myth. There have been women that have tried to compete on the PGA Tour and they have simply not been good enough in any facet of the game. When Annika Sorenstam and Michele Wie played in men's events, it wasn't their lack of length that was the only factor that kept them from being successful. Much of their lack of success was due to their inability to handle the faster and firmer greens.

The PGA and LPGA have nothing to do with the USGA. Women can join The PGA of America. In fact the last president of the PGA was Suzy Whalley.

I don't know about the LPGA allowing male members. But the more important point is that the PGA of America and the PGA Tour are two loosely affiliated but separate organizations.

The LPGA has a teaching division and and the LPGA Tour. I'm not sure of their relationship.

I believe I referenced distance in my earlier post. I would love to see matches between the women and the men on shorter courses just to compare actual skills vs being able to pound the ball further. It wouldn’t have to be for money, just head to head on course management and skill management. As far as women being slow putters, I think they are comparable to the men who stand over their putts wiggling their feet and their butts like that is going change anything.:icon_wink:

More interest, more prize money!!!

Exactly right.

Working tournaments for both PGA and LPGA and NBC Sports for 40+ years, the PGA has one person to thank for their money status: Tiger Woods. Once he came on the scene, everything changed: purses, hospitality at tournaments, security, ticket sales, all those salaries associated with running PGA tournaments, etc. One of the PGA personnel who trained me way back during my WGC Firestone CC days acknowledged the same to me. He gave credit to TW for his own uptick in salary.

That being said, once I worked an LPGA tournament, I will always defer to them vs PGA. More of a family atmosphere, players who are nicer to work with AND have a more relatable game. Heck, after a round of tournament golf last summer, Amy Olson was my pickleball partner at a local park! Other pros were there, too, but I understand Amy is acknowledged as best pball player on the LPGA Tour.

I would also comment that LPGA is a worldwide tour and in Asia, women pros rule! :bigbow:

If you take away the distance factor, the men will still outperform the women. There are lots of statistics that show that men play better than women in every aspect of the game, even at putting.

Last time I checked the LPGA was based here in Florida...Daytona Beach

GREAT POST❗️ I remember when I was in high school when the girls basketball team played they were lucky to have 100 people in attendance. When the boys team played it was standing room only. It’s always the folk who determine the market. :boom:

The best thing about the LPGA is short skirts!:shrug:

^^ This is probably right....at least according to this

U.S. Women's Open -- Who putts better, women or men?

And, if it is, you have to wonder why? Why can't women be as good as men around the green? Why can't they be better?

It's not just golf. Men dominate almost every competitive sport and game, even those that don't involve strength, like table tennis, billiards, and chess.

Yeah exactly...I just don't understand why. Now that you mention it....especially for something like chess. Female physicians do as well or possibly slightly better than male physicians. Obviously it doesn't apply to the long game....but the mid- and short game, women should be able to go toe to toe with the guys.

Comparison of Hospital Mortality and Readmission Rates for Medicare Patients Treated by Male vs Female Physicians | Health Care Economics, Insurance, Payment | JAMA Internal Medicine | JAMA Network

Joe

Oh they don't now?

Women are timed for their rounds and actually penalized for slow play
 

I don't find the women slower. And they actually penalize players for slow play, including the leaders. Never happens on men's tour. The women always play in threesomes and the men don't as often.