19th Hole
Major sponsor tears into LPGA leadership over dinner fiasco
Having had a record-breaking year for prize money, the 2023 LPGA schedule sees the threshold broken yet again, with players competing for the best part of $100 million.
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With each tournament carrying a minimum purse of $1.5 million, and the five majors accounting for almost $38 million, the tour seems in as good a place as it has ever been.
- Related: Report: Details of Mickelson’s ‘deeply offensive’ act against Pat Perez are ‘so inflammatory’
It may well be that, similar to the PGA Tour, the hefty rise in prize-money results from the unquestionable threat of the LIV Tour and the temptation of the lucrative funds available, even to those well-beaten week-to-week.
Whatever the cause, LPGA Commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan enthusiastically announced the news earlier this week:
“Our athletes are playing for more total prize money than any time in history, and we have over 500 hours of broadcast television. All those things combine to make the LPGA the leading women’s professional sports property in the world.”
She continued, “The LPGA Tour has never had better or more committed partners who see the commercial value in investing in women’s sports and who understand how their partnerships elevate women and girls on and off the golf course.”
That partnership must be a two-way streak, though, and Samaan is being called to task almost immediately, on this occasion by one of the LPGA’s most trusted sponsor – the CME Group – funder of this week’s season-ending CME Group Tour Championship and the season-long Race to CME Globe.
Golfweek’s Beth Ann Nichols filed a report on Saturday, clearly stating that CME chief, Terry Duffy, was unhappy with the way the tour conducted itself at the pre-championship dinner.
CME are the largest backer of events on the LPGA and the flamboyant dinner should have been a chance for politicians and business moguls to honor the select number of players invited to the shindig.
However, according to Nichols, “when Duffy asked for the houselights to be turned on so that he could applaud the players in the room, the only people standing were those serving the tables.”
“Not a single player showed up,” she confirmed.
Having invested heavily into the tour for 11 years, Duffy rightly felt this was a snub.
“It’s an embarrassment to a company of my size and an embarrassment to me personally.”
And he feels Samaan has a lot to answer for, just hours after announcing the lucrative schedule.
“I am exceptionally disappointed with the leadership of the LPGA. They better get their act together because they’re going to lose people like me over stuff like this.”
When asked by Golfweek to respond to the accusation, Samaan replied,
“There hasn’t been any greater supporter of the LPGA than CME Group and Terry Duffy”
“There was clearly a disconnect,” she continued. “And it’s my responsibility to make sure that this doesn’t happen. So on this particular issue, I’m taking full responsibility as a leader of the organization to make sure that doesn’t happen again.”
Despite being the major part of the 2023 fund, Duffy is not pretending the money comes easy.
“I’m concerned about the future of the tour,” he said, “because the leadership needs to work with their players to make sure that everybody has a clear understanding of how we grow the game together, along with sponsors and others. There’s no one person, no two people who can grow it alone.”
“You need everybody. They say it takes a village, and I think their village is getting a little fractured.”
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19th Hole
“Is it a Titleist?” – Jerry Seinfeld shares never-before-heard details of iconic scene
On Thursday, legendary comedian Jerry Seinfeld joined the Rich Eisen Show and shared an awesome story from a “Seinfeld” episode titled “The Marine Biologist.”
In the episode, a golf ball goes into the blow hole of a whale. According to Seinfeld, that was never in the episode’s script.
Seinfeld recalls saying the night before the filming of the episode, “What if what puts the whale in distress is Kramer’s golf ball?”
“He’s hitting golf balls at the beach. George is at the beach with a girl, we haven’t connected them!”
“We write that speech the night before at two o’clock in the morning…The sea was angry that day my friend.”
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Kramer finishes the iconic scene by asking “Is it a Titleist?” Seinfeld told Eisen the show sought Titleist’s permission to mention its name, saying the ball had to be a Titleist. Fortunately for lovers of the iconic show, the company agreed.
If (somehow) you’re unfamiliar with the scene, check it out below.
More from the 19th Hole
- Phil Mickelson drops big retirement hint; Says LIV will grow the game “on a much more global basis”
- 2-time major champ announces shock retirement from the sport at age of 33
- Tiger explains why golf has “negative connotations” for daughter Sam
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19th Hole
Phil Mickelson drops big retirement hint; Says LIV will grow the game ‘on a much more global basis’
While speaking with Bloomberg, golf legend Phil Mickelson acknowledged that he is inching close towards retirement.
“I’m 53 now,” Phil said, “and my career, you know, it’s — if I’m being truthful, it’s on — it’s — it’s — I’m a — it’s towards its end.”
Mickelson added that one of his focuses now is helping other young players.
“Now, I would like to help others find the same enjoyment and fulfillment that the game has provided me. I’d like them to experience that as well.”
The six-time major champion credited LIV with reaching new markets in golf to help it grow.
“I think that’s exciting for everyone involved in the game because we are going to reach markets that we didn’t reach before. I think it’s going to inspire more golf courses, inspire more manufacturers selling clubs and equipment, but also inspiring young kids to try to play golf professionally. I just see that the game of golf is going to grow on a much more global basis because of the excitement and the presence that LIV Golf has.”
Mickelson is playing at this week’s LIV Singapore and shot a first round 72 (+1).
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- The wild reason why Mark Wahlberg was initially denied entry to an Australian golf club
- 2-time major champ announces shock retirement from the sport at age of 33
- Edoardo Molinari reveals the latest PGA Tour golfer to turn down ‘good offer’ from LIV Golf
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19th Hole
Tiger explains why golf has ‘negative connotations’ for daughter Sam
While Tiger Woods’ son, Charlie, has certainly inherited his father’s love for golf, his daughter, Sam, has not.
On Wednesday, Tiger made an appearance on The Today Show with Carson Daly and explained his daughter’s relationship with golf.
“Golf has negative connotations for her. When she was growing up, golf took daddy away from her. I had to pack, I had to leave, and I was gone for weeks. So, there were negative connotations to it.
“We developed our own relationship and our own rapport outside of golf. We do things that doesn’t involve golf. Meanwhile, my son and I, everything we do is golf related.”
The nine-minute interview touches on plenty of other subjects, such as Tiger’s relationship with his late father, Earl.
It’s arguably the most open we’ve seen the 15-time major champion in an interview and is most definitely worth watching.
Tiger Woods sits down with Carson Daly to talk about golf, growing up in Southern California, his father and his new apparel line, Sun Day Red. pic.twitter.com/2TFbSNxzxq
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) May 1, 2024
More from the 19th Hole
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- 2-time major champ announces shock retirement from the sport at age of 33
- Edoardo Molinari reveals the latest PGA Tour golfer to turn down ‘good offer’ from LIV Golf
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