A New Driver at the LPGA

By Kristina Dell

Morgan Pressel might have been a tennis player. It was in her genes. Her mother was a teaching pro, and her uncle is Aaron Krickstein, the Bollettieri Academy--bred kid who reached No. 6 in the world. But tennis is no longer the only sport affording women a nice living, and Pressel's decision to practice bunker shots over drop shots at age 8 is starting to pay off. She's currently third on the 2007 LPGA money list, with $432,833, after winning the Kraft Nabisco Championship this month, becoming the youngest woman, at 18, to take a golf major. Uncle Aaron holds the same record in men's pro tennis, except he was 16. "Aaron was so excited for me, and that was cute to see," says Pressel. With her ranking skyrocketing to fourth in the world, Pressel is on the cusp of greatness.

Her sport would like to claim the same status. Over the past five years, an army of young talent from South Korea to South Florida has invaded the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA), stealing the limelight from overtanned veterans with a splash of color, short skirts and high-flying ponytails. They've ditched the ice skates for their fathers' drivers, blasting pink balls over greens at Tiger Woods-size distances.

To match this brawn and beauty, the LPGA tour is sharpening its own game, which in 2005 generated about $67 million in revenue. Commissioner Carolyn Bivens--the first woman to hold the job--hasn't been afraid to take some divots out of the LPGA's old business plan. She's reorganized the tournaments, the staff, even the television production. The goal: close the purse and popularity gap with the men's tour (PGA), as women have done in professional tennis.

She has got the goods: the LPGA field is deep and young. Of the top 10 women on the 2007 LPGA money list, only two are older than 27; the remaining eight have an average age of 22. In addition to Pressel and grand dame Annika Sorenstam, today's talent includes a 21-year-old blond, blue-eyed beauty who just won her second major (Brittany Lincicome); a young Mexican (Lorena Ochoa) on the verge of dethroning longtime No. 1 Sorenstam; a teen phenom, now 20, with a penchant for pink (Paula Creamer); a Japanese rock star trailed by a swarm of photographers (Ai Miyazato); and a swimsuit-calendar model with her own reality-TV show (Natalie Gulbis). "My decision to leave college and turn pro was one of the best decisions I've ever made," says Gulbis. "I'm living my dream and having so much fun." And let's not forget Michelle Wie, that stylish, 6-ft. Hawaiian palm, currently sidelined with a wrist injury, whose $20 million endorsement contracts rival those of tennis queen Maria Sharapova, even though she's spent more time trying to qualify (unsuccessfully) for men's tourneys. "These women aren't afraid to exploit their sexuality a little bit," says Rob McNamara, golf professional at Farmington Country Club in Charlottesville, Va. "But these pinup girls can play championship-level golf, and that's the key."

Bivens, 54, a former advertising executive at USA Today and president of Initiative Media North America, a press service agency, is poised to make the most of her coterie of cuties. She's promoting a marketing campaign with the tagline "These girls rock" and signed on a personal branding coach, Wendy Newman, who helps players hone their image. "We don't want to cookie-cutter-stamp anyone," says Bivens. "Part of this is to play up their differences."

The allure of pretty women in candy-colored outfits has boosted interest in the sport. While the numbers still pale in comparison with men's golf, attendance at LPGA events rose 5% in 2006, and it's up 10% since 2001. Daily average television viewership for LPGA tournaments broadcast on cable (not including the Golf Channel) reached 417,000 households in 2006, up 59% from 2005, while network viewership last year rose 14%, to 1.7 million households. "The numbers are small, but the percentages are large," says Bivens. Women's golf is one of the few sports that can boast double-digit television growth in the U.S. over the past two years.

With fairways resembling Benetton ads, Bivens must focus on growing the sport internationally as well as capitalizing on impressive U.S. results: of the first six tournaments this year, Americans won five; Ochoa captured the sixth. "What's going on is eerily similar to when women's tennis blew up a decade ago," says John Mascatello, president of SFX Golf. After years of a few players dominating, the arrival of the Williams sisters spawned a Tiger Woods effect, heightening global competition. Today, Asia is the fastest-growing sector in TV, with women's golf in Japan garnering double the ratings of the men. That's one reason Honda is the sponsor of the LPGA's new Thailand tournament.

To take advantage of the improving climate, the LPGA is trying to get more control of its destiny. Bivens has upgraded tournament courses and involved the LPGA in the television production of events. In addition to the Solheim Cup, a team competition in which top Europeans take on top Americans, the LPGA owns and operates the year-end ADT Championship. There it can control the fan experience, like having more player interaction, and set broadcast agendas with a focus on player vignettes. By running tournaments, as opposed to licensing them, the LPGA earns money from ticket sales, food and merchandise. The plan is still a long iron from success. LPGA tournaments have to buy network time, sell their own ads and cover production costs. But the LPGA underwrites half those expenses for ESPN and the Golf Channel, ensuring that all tournaments are televised.

Bivens' approach has not been bogey-free. Since her arrival, seven members of her senior staff have resigned or been fired, including three top executives who walked the same day. Her relationship with the press has been rocky at best. To protect the LPGA's content, Bivens distributed press credentials that tried to limit the use of photos by media organizations. Some refused to sign up. One result: the 2006 Fields Open in Hawaii was virtually blacked out by the media. The differences have since been worked out, but Bivens hasn't really budged. She says she's standing firm to protect how her players and the LPGA are marketed.

Bivens' next controversial move was to push for heftier service fees at LPGA events. She upped the price to tournament owners sevenfold, charging them as much as $100,000 across a three-year period instead of the $15,000 they had been paying. She reasoned that the LPGA had substantially increased its value by offering better service and exposure. Besides, tournament fees had not increased in 10 years. The dispute ended with only two tournaments dropping off the LPGA roster--in part because of scheduling conflicts--and new ones quickly filled the void. "It's a difficult job to please everyone," says Mascatello. "She is responsible for the events and the players, and there is an inherent conflict because someone must pay for increased benefits." Next on Bivens' agenda: securing health care for players and boosting LPGA retirement funds.

For the kids on the tour, thoughts of retirement are worth a giggle. Pressel had other issues. The week after her big victory, she played poorly--Lincicome won the Ginn Open. But one bad week isn't going to set her back. "That girl is tougher than a nickel steak," says golf pro McNamara. And so is Boss Bivens. They are ready to tee up a new game.