The past couple of weeks, Paula Creamer has talked about her desire to see a "Women's Masters" at Augusta National, claiming that the patrons would love to have two weeks at Augusta and that it would be good for the game of golf. I don't necessarily agree with Creamer's sentiment, and I have five big questions that prevent me from getting on board with the idea of a Women's Masters.
1) Does Augusta National Care About The LPGA Tour?
Whether or not Paula Creamer or the rest of the LPGA wants a Women's Masters is irrelevant if Billy Payne and the members of Augusta National doesn't want it. Payne has been more progressive than his predecessors in his role of chairman - he has allowed female members for the first time in history, and he helped create and host the Drive, Chip, and Putt contest at Augusta National. Still, Augusta National is a "good ole boys" club that takes themselves very seriously. I can't imagine any of the Augusta brass sitting down and watching the LPGA at any level, and if they don't care about the product, I doubt they would put the time and energy into hosting a tournament for them.
2) Could The Ladies Play The Course Well?
There are a lot of words I would use to describe Augusta National - iconic, legendary, beautiful - but "difficult" would not be at the top of that list; however, it seems that Augusta's attempt to strengthen their course just means they will add more length. For the PGA Tour, that means nothing - they are hitting it father than ever, so lengthening the course will only help the big hitters and eliminate anyone who can't average over 300 yards a drive. For the LPGA players, however, lengthening the course means the entire field is laying up on par 5's and hitting woods into the par 4's. Of course, they probably wouldn't be playing from the sticks, but I doubt they would play from the member's tees, either. It would be rough to watch the ladies play the same course as the men, only to see the men play it in -12 and the ladies play it in +6. That would be harmful to the LPGA Tour product.
3) Does The LPGA Need To Copy The PGA?
Let's call a Women's Masters what it actually would be - piggybacking off the success of the men. The only reason this event would exist is because a similar event exists on the men's tour. To me, that goes against what we have heard so often from the LPGA - that they are different. In fact, their slogan is "See Why It's Different Out Here." They already have a women's version of the Open Championship and a women's version of the US Open, which they even played on the same course as the men last year. This year, the PGA of America will take over the LPGA Championship, so by adding a Women's Masters, you have a copycat of all four men's majors. The new slogan should be "See Why It's Kind Of The Same Out Here." I understand that the PGA Tour is more popular than the LPGA Tour, but the LPGA should be trying to find an identity of their own, not trying to be a female version of the PGA Tour. There is so much more that this Tour could offer.
4) Shouldn't The LPGA Strengthen The Majors They Have?
The LPGA Tour already has five majors. Adding a sixth would be laughable, and no one would take the majors seriously if you had six opportunities to win one. Instead of adding one onto the schedule, perhaps the LPGA should work on strengthen the five majors they already have. The ANA Inspiration used to be the flagship event on the LPGA Tour, but their attendance has plummeted and the event is no longer suited for Rancho Mirage. Commissioner Mike Whan has talked about creating a major in Asia now that the sport has grown in that area of the world and Asian players make up a majority of champions on the LPGA Tour. ANA, or All Nippon Airlines, is based out of Japan. Now is the perfect time to move the ANA Inspiration to Asia to test the idea of an Asian major. Asia supports women's golf more than the US does, and putting a major in Asia would be a great way to reward that support. The Evian Masters became a major two years ago, and very few currently see it as one of the majors. With the right marketing, Evian could become the new flagship event. The grass always looks greener on the other side, but the LPGA Tour has five very good events that they could easily strengthen to prove that they don't need a Women's Masters.
5) Would The Patrons Truly Support A Women's Masters?
Let's say everything works the way Paula Creamer wants it to. Billy Payne gets on board, the ladies can play the course under par, the LPGA dumps one of their other majors, and they are able to secure a Women's Masters at Augusta National sometime in the peak season in Georgia. Would the patrons show up at the event like they do at The Masters? Sure, you will have some show up because it's Augusta National, and any opportunity you have to see that course, you would take, but I also doubt the patrons would be as lined up as they are when The Masters tees off. Of all the hypothetical scenarios, the one that would hurt the LPGA the most is if they play in front of a weak crowd only weeks after they came out in waves for the men's tournament. It would show the lack of support for the LPGA compared to their male counterparts. The LPGA has made several huge strides in the past couple of years, and the last thing they need is to be reminded that they're not as supported as the PGA Tour.
No comments:
Post a Comment