Commissioner Mike Whan recounts his early days at LPGA Tour
Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Commissioner Mike Whan, who is believed to have put the Tour on the right path in recent months, said in his latest interview that his success should largely be attributed to a completely new strategy that he put into practice right after taking over his position.
Whan is thought to have breathed new life into the LPGA that had been struggling to boost its image for years. With its influence having made its way into countries like China and South Korean, the LPGA Tour is now better than ever before.
Once hit by sponsorship woes and lack of viewership, the Tour, thanks to Whan’s relentless efforts, has now managed to lure several corporate giants making its events more special for spectators and players.
Whan recounted his early days in the Tour, saying things were in a bit of a mess as there was no solid strategy to keep things running smoothly. The LPGA Commissioner said that he was quick to diagnose the issues that had long been hurting the Tour’s credibility—and he came up with a new strategy.
“I hope I haven't waited three years to lead. … But thank goodness that was the strategy. I'll never forget my first tournament owners association meeting, which was a bunch of title sponsors in the room, and I asked them, 'If you were me, what would you be working on?' And that list was so different than what I thought. … I turned my list into their list, and I think that's how we got the ship going in the right direction,” Whan mentioned the days when the LPGA officials were trying to prop up the Tour.
“That led us to a phrase we call 'role reversal,” Whan added.
The LPGA Commissioner went on to say the only thing that concerned him right from the start of his tenure on the LPGA Tour was marketability. He said that since there are plenty of sports being played across the globe, putting women’s golf on the scene felt like an uphill task, but things became easy as he worked on expanding the influence of sports in countries other than the United States and Europe.
Tags: