Wed Oct 28, 2009 11:43 am EDT
Our long national nightmare is over. The LPGA finally has its commissioner, and it's former golf equipment exec Michael Whan. Selected to replace ousted commish Carolyn Bivens after a three-month search process, Whan comes to the LPGA following stints at TaylorMade, Wilson and Mission-Itech Hockey.
Whan comes to the LPGA with longtime golf experience: "I was that crazy high school kid cutting greens at 5:30 in the morning so he could play free golf in the afternoon and caddying on Sundays," he said during his initial news conference on Wednesday.
He's got two months to get his affairs in order; the gig starts in January. Marty Evans, the current acting commissioner, will remain on the job until then.
The Internet was -- what's the word for "five notches down from abuzz"? -- mildly intrigued by Whan's hiring. "His name had not surfaced in reports and he wasn't on anybody's known short list of candidates," CBS's Steve Elling wrote. "Not that many outlets were tracking the search, in all honesty."
Waggle Room speculates on the business reasons that got Whan hired. Golf Digest's Ron Sirak apparently had the scoop, and called Whan's hiring a "bit of a surprise" given all the hype surrounding Donna Orender, Peter Bevacqua and others.
Best of luck to Whan, who's going to need all the help he can get and all the business savvy he can muster to pull the LPGA out of its power-dive.
Whan named new LPGA commissioner [Golf Digest]
Devil Ball is a golf blog edited by Jay Busbee. Email him, and follow him on Twitter.

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15 Comments
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Ladies take care of your own. Speak up and disqualify this crook.
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Good luck Mr. Whan!
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Don't worry about us fans...we love the LPGA,and will continue to support it. :)
Worry more about the sponsers of these events,and how they can be retained...That is the most important thing right now in these tough times.
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In addition, I strongly disagree that the influx of Asians is bad for the tour, it certainly creates millions more potential viewers. The LPGA could also take its cue from the very successful European Tour and play even more events at foreign venues. For example the Honda Classic in Thailand is very successful. Going abroad more would create a far larger pool of potential sponsors, and once again would strengthen the benefit that the Asia golfers bring to the game. If you are not finding what you need inside the box, then it is time to start thinking outside of it!
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You know, I want to see the LPGA succeed. I truly do. How does this new Commissioner do it? Only time will tell. It will certainly help to have a Tiger/Phil/Jack/Arnie sort of personality and star power at the top. The current flashes of brilliance that come and go on the ladies tour is not cutting it for the U.S. fans. How about an Annika with an attitude? Or an Inkster with a hard driving passion for victory every tournament. You get the picture.
Jay, it must start with the players. Sports fans love players and love to hate them as well. The players make the game.
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"How about an Annika with an attitude? "
What about someone like Suzann Petterson?...She competes hard in every tournament she plays in,and she shows some emotion out there,but I wouldn't call it an attitude...She just wants results,like they all do.
"Or an Inkster with a hard driving passion for victory every tournament. "
They actually have quite a few that are shooting very well week in and week out.Anna Nordquist is one that comes to mind.She has won a major tournament and continues to shoot very well,and she is a rookie.I wish her the best.
Oh!...Let's not forget the Koreans...Jayai Shin is the front runner among them,and she has a great golf game.There is not a weakness in her game anywhere.That is impressive.
But if you are talking Americans,I would say Paula,Cristie,or Natalie have the best chance of capturing the American audience's attention.Michelle Wie has been playing very well this year,but she hasn't put in a win yet...I feel it will come soon.
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Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you're a mile away and you have their shoes.
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Paul gets his medicine for free from a local clinic and sometimes he forgets to take it. If he takes it he doesnt use the computer in the local library. If he forgets he sneaks out of the house and uses the computer and looks at dirty websites and then writes nasty posts and feels good about himself and goes home and sneaks in the back door and hides in his room and stares at his Christina Kim poster while his 102 yr old mother continually calls his name. "Pauul"! "Pauuul!" Dogs howl in the backround. Cats screetch. An old plane drones overhead. A loud motorcycle drives by. "Pauul!" the lonely old women calls...........
If Tennessee Williams had lived long enough he would have written his next play about Paul and his mother.
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Keep trying ajax-travis someday you may get within 100 miles of being right.
No one will ever know that you've had a lobotomy, if you wear a wig to hide to the scars and learn to control the slobbering.
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