LPGA gains global exposure after it rides out economic troubles
Commissioner of LPGA (Ladies Professional Golf Association) Tour, Michael Whan has said that the Tour has managed to ride out economic troubles and is set to stage upcoming events in a more effective fashion.
Whan, who travels extensively with other LPGA officials, was keen to point out that the Tour has expanded its footprint far beyond its traditional strongholds — the United States and Europe.
Speaking to the media about the current position of the LPGA, Whan informed that the Tour officials have been flying back and forth, making visits to different regions.
He said that the last year has been very hectic, as he visited over 17 countries for different events.
LPGA has recently boosted its image by staging tournaments in Asia — a region ripe for golf.
The US and Europe have long been hot spots for featuring golf events but the decision to pay attention to other regions is improving the Tour’s credibility among players and sponsors.
"I would say in the last 15 years, LPGA has successfully gone global by bringing in players from around the world and by inviting sponsors from around the world," Whan said.
Whan recently made a visit to South Korea in an effort to find new sponsorship for the Tour.
According to the details and persons familiar with the LPGA, Whan was happy with the Tour’s progress.
LPGA’s current season also highlights that the Tour is winning loyalty of different regions. The first event of the season was staged in Australia — a move welcomed by fans and the players.
Right after the Down Under, LPGA headed to Thailand for the Honda LPGA Thailand.
Moreover, Singapore is also among the destinations chosen to stage LPGA events. According to the schedule, the Tour will move to the United States after staging tournaments in Asia.
In addition to that, Europe will again see a number of events being played on its soil for the 2012 season.
LPGA has also shown its resilience by facing tough economic challenges in the last few months.
Although last year, it faced some trouble in terms of cancellation of some of its tournaments, it still managed to stage most of the events.
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