LPGA Tour: End Of The Line For ANA, Mission Hills and Poppy's Pond - Dog Leg News

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Tom Edrington

Tom Edrington spent the first 10 years of his misguided youth as a sports writer for the Tampa Tribune. His career brought him face to face with many of sports greatest stars -- Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Muhammad Ali, Don Shula, countless Hall of Fame NFL stars, more PGA Tour players than he can count. In 1980 he was honored by the Golf Writers Association of America for writing the best news story that year, his coverage of Jack Nicklaus' U.S. Open victory at Baltusrol. Today, 36 years later, golf is still a great part of his life, thanks to competitive playing days and the wonderful people he has met on this fabulous journey.

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6 Comments

  1. 1

    baxter cepeda

    This made the hair in the back of my neck stand up.

    First There’s no way this event in Texas will be a continuation of the Dinah; two very different things. This thing is starting from scratch…as a friggin major?!

    The question is why can’t the LPgA tour resign or add tournaments without making them majors?

    This continues a bad precedent for doing business with tournament title sponsors. At this rate we will have 30 lpga tour majors soon.

    And Why do we have to lose so much organic major championship history for less than 2 million dollars?

    Why can’t the tour hold on to the Dinah, even if it’s not as a major?

    The Dinah could have changed the date so amateurs don’t have to choose. There have been numerous weird conflicts in women’s amateur golf. Recently IMG Junior worlds ran the same week as the girls pga championship. Clearly some very negligent planning. The second the ANWA was formed, scheduling had to be adjusted. But it wasn’t.

    Makes sense it wasn’t because all the lpga tour seems to do in the planning department is allow whatever chaos results from a new sponsors wants.

    I always expected the Dinah to eventually lose major status; but only once the Women’s Masters was finally formed ….and once the ladies tour came to their senses about 5 majors.

    But instead we still don’t have a women’s Masters, we still have one too many majors, and now we lose all these amazing Dinah traditions —especially that iconic leap into poppy’s pond—for yet another Evian, aka a major which is not a major.

    At least the Evian existed before money forced it to be a major. All this Chevron event has is money. Money is great But it’s not enough to be a major.

    What it is is extremely frustrating.

    The lpga tour needs to realize if they are going to inch closer to the men’s game in fans eyes, the most important eyes, these bush league moves for sponsors money only damage credibility and integrity.

    This tour is at a place where it will benefit most by acting like a boss and sticking to its guns with sponsors.
    Sponsors will come even more if the logs tour shows more confidence in their product. Destroying decades of work for a few bucks is the women’s tours biggest problem right now.

    What the tour needs most to be careful of fans losing interest. I watch a lot of women’s golf and the real majors have always been absolutely must watch tv. The sad thing is there are only 3 must watch majors now.

    That alone makes the hairs in my neck very upset.

    1. 1.1

      Tom Edrington

      This reinforces my belief that the LPGA choice for the new commissioner was questionable at best….Yes Mike Whan is a very tough act to follow but the lady from an ivy league college? Well, she managed to land big money but as you seem to indicate, Baxter, that tour has sold its soul with this move…

      1. 1.1.1

        baxter cepeda

        Yes but let us not forget the great Whan set this precedent with Evian.

        This really is such a shame. Even I’ve been dreaming of a leap into poppy’s pond forever now. I can only imagine how all those girls and women motivated by a chance to win the Dinah and leap into poppy’s pond are feeling.

        Regardless of who’s Commish that’s two major sellouts now; and this latest one comes with a great cost in eliminating the best tradition in women’s golf.

        Unbelievable really.

        1. 1.1.1.1

          Tom Edrington

          Yes, it was a really great tradition, no other tournament has anything close…..take me back to Jerry Pate going into pond on 18 at TPC after throwing Deane Beman in…..

          1. 1.1.1.1.1

            baxter cepeda

            I always wonder why jumping in the water never become a tradition at the Players.

          2. Tom Edrington

            Any Florida pond is bound to have alligators!

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