LPGA’s struggles continue -- but is Michelle Wie the answer?
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The LPGA, which muddied the waters earlier this summer with its ill-fated mandate (since reversed) that all players learn English or face penalties, lost another tournament sponsor this week.
ADT, sponsor of the ADT Championship, the season-ending limited-field event that gives $1 million to the winner, has pulled out for next season, leaving that tournament without a title sponsor.
As Beth Ann Baldry writes at golfweek.com, ADT is the fifth LPGA tournament sponsor to leave, joining Safeway, Bobby Ginn, Fields and SemGroup. The LPGA previously announced that the McDonald’s LPGA championship will not have a title sponsor next year.
And there is word that sponsorship of the Michelob Ultra Open in Williamsburg, Va., next year may be up in the air because of the sale of Anheuser-Busch to InBev.
In any event, the likelihood that the LPGA will be able to field a schedule as full as in 2008 is up in the air.
Perhaps at no time in the recent past has the possibility of Michelle Wie joining the tour been more important. Wie will try to earn her tour card in final qualifying in December. Right now, she might be the only player who can move the needle for the LPGA, bring it more into the sports mainstream and generate the interest that will attract additional sponsors.
-- Mike James
