Michael Whan named LPGA commissioner
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The LPGA has its new commissioner.
Michael Whan, a former marketing executive in the golf and hockey equipment industries, was introduced as the LPGA’s new commissioner at a news conference at Madison Square Garden in New York on Wednesday.
Whan recently was the president of Mission-Itech Hockey and has had positions with TaylorMade Golf, Wilson Sporting Goods and Procter & Gamble. He takes over for interim commissioner Marty Evans in January.
Increasing fan and sponsorship interest in the tour will be one of Whan’s primary goals. Over the last year, the LPGA’s money events list has dropped from 34 to 28. A loss of title sponsors was a major factor in former commissioner Carolyn Bivens’ dismissal in July.
Still, Whan is upbeat about the 2010 schedule, which will be released next month.
‘If that’s a downturn year, then this brand’s more resilient and strong than I even thought coming in, and I was pretty confident going in,’ Whan told the Associated Press. ‘The LPGA is just fine.’
-- Austin Knoblauch
