Leading players call for LPGA Tour

commissioner to resign

A meeting of more than a dozen players has resulted in a letter being sent to the LPGA Tour's board urging that commissioner Carolyn Bivens resign.
Golfweek Magazine reported Monday that key players stated in the letter that all of the LPGA Tour's current woes cannot be blamed on a poor economy. They said the tour should find a new leader to rebuild relationships with longtime sponsors.
Among those at the meeting last week in Toledo, Ohio, were Lorena Ochoa, Paula Creamer, Cristie Kerr, Morgan Pressel and Natalie Gulbis, among the most prominent players in women's golf.
Golfweek said players in favor of Bivens' resignation attached their names, although it didn't say how many signed it. Bivens is a member of the board, which has received the letter.
LPGA Tour spokesman David Higdon said Bivens would not be available to comment.
"This week we are focused on the U.S. Open and it's not an appropriate time to discuss internal LPGA matters," Higdon said. "We all care deeply about the tour and are working hard for its long-term success."
The meeting came two days after the LPGA Tour lost another tournament when the Kapalua LPGA Classic asked for a year off to find a title sponsor. Instead, the LPGA said it would use all legal remedies to hold Kapalua to the remaining four years of its contract.
The tour has left two stops -- Rochester, N.Y., and Toledo -- uncertain if the contracts will be renewed for next year, and it has already lost the popular Corning Classic. Also up in the air is the Michelob Ultra Championship in Virginia.
The LPGA has lost seven tournaments since 2007. Hawaii will not stage an event in 2010 when not so long ago it held three a year.