Golf World vs The LPGA and the Nabisco Championship

Despite being a big fan of women's golf, I've been highly critical of the LPGA which runs the women's tour in the US. Its a badly managed organization, click here and here for a few examples.

This year the LPGA did another of their seemingly never ending blunders. A dispute over press credentials, and whether photos and articles done by news organizations belonged to the press or the LPGA.

It's safe to say the last full week of February 2006 won't be commemorated by the LPGA Tour and Carolyn Bivens, who encountered the biggest hurdle of her nascent tenure as commissioner. Any grumbling over the new Rolex Women's World Ranking seemingly grew fainter when the LPGA and various media outlets found themselves trying to work out differences regarding the tour's revised credential regulations.

The issue was precipitated by the LPGA's inclusion of new language governing use of stories and photos at its events. It came to a head when the Associated Press, Honolulu Star-Bulletin and Honolulu Advertiser did not cover Thursday's first round of the Fields Open in Hawaii after being denied media credentials for declining to agree to the new stipulations. The AP and LPGA reached a compromise regarding editorial usage Friday, and the AP resumed normal coverage along with the two local papers through the tournament's conclusion.

I side with the media. They do the work, the photos and stories belong to them, not the LPGA. This is such a dumb issue, that I got bad feelings already about Ms. Bivens and her reign at the LPGA. If the organization continues like this, I fear Professional Women's golf could die in the United States.

While the LPGA resolved the dispute with some media outlets, Golf World was not one of them. I subscribe to this weekly golf magazine.

Golf World statement on the credential issue

The LPGA imposed new photography requirements last week that made demands well beyond the accepted standards of the PGA Tour and the ruling bodies of other sports. As a result, the only coverage of the LPGA's Fields Open in this issue is the scoreboard on page 40. Golf World -- along with its sister publications, Golf Digest and Golf For Women, owned by Condé Nast Publications -- are in negotiations with the LPGA and remain hopeful that coverage will resume in coming weeks.

Its sad that a major golf magazine had to ignore one of the world's golf tours for approximately a month. However I agree with GW, they had to stand up to the LPGA.

With the Kraft Nabisco Championship being played this weekend, I began to wonder if the dispute would continue through that event. Yesterday I emailed Brian Wacker, Editor of Golf World. He was kind enough to email back, Golf World has re-commenced its coverage of Women's golf. Some kind of settlement was agreed to with the LPGA.

Today Ron Sirak wrote a kind of preview of the Nabisco. While Annika Sorrenstam is the favorite, Sirak notes correctly the many other contenders for this major championship. Paula Creamer, Christie Kerr, Michelle Wie, Meena Lee and others.

Golf for Women writer Stina Sternberg has begun a blog that mostly talks about women's professional golf. Stina seems to think Annika is a lock this weekend. I think Ms. Sternberg has a case of idol worship, no one is certain lock to win a professional sports event.

We'll just have to watch and wait this weekend. I took Annika in the Pakpicker. You can't argue with her record.

Open Post- Outside the Beltway, Bright & Early, Adam's Blog,