Mike Whan says he is committed to improving LPGA
The Commissioner of the LPGA (Ladies Professional Golf Association) Mike Whan said his years at Procter & Gamble taught him how to tackle crisis, which later helped him take the challenge to turn the Tour around.
Speaking to Forbes during an interview, Whan said that the LPGA had been through a pretty rough time when he joined it, and that the point he really needed to put his foot forward in order to serve golf and
players.
He added that he had had two alternatives at that time: go to pieces or make all-out efforts to turn things around. Luckily, he had been able to prop up the Tour, expanding its scope.
The LPGA appears to have ridden out bad times, as the prize money offered to players has started to see a rise once again. Just 3 years back, the overall purse stood at a mere $60 million, which further dipped
to $41 million a year later.
Although officials worked rigorously to put things into order, the Tour still pained a gloomy picture, as the total prize money tumbled to an alarming $40 million last year.
When asked how he managed to improve the Tour’s position, the Commissioner said: “One of the things that appealed to me about this job was that the business was in trouble. I like that challenge. When I was
with Procter & Gamble, I was put in charge of Crest toothpaste, which was then getting crushed by Colgate”.
He went on to say that good crisis management skills caused him to work passionately, with a clear strategy. Whan pointed out that the Tour was offering merely 23 events in a year, which was not enough.
“When things aren’t good in a business, the inertia against change is low. I remember being at the Tour Championship in late 2009, just before I took over. They announced the 2010 schedule. There were 23 events,
but four of those events didn’t have title sponsors”.
The Commissioner then mentioned some recent setbacks the Tour had been facing. He told that the LPGA was in trouble a few months back, as two of its tournaments were cancelled due to sponsorship issues.
The women’s golf has not been as lucky as men’s when it comes to sponsors and fan following. However, Whan said that things have now started to improve, thanks to the efforts of LPGA officials.
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