LPGA commissioner Mike Whan remains confident about the LPGA’s long-term health despite the current scheduling problems due to Covid-19, which included the recent decision to cancel this year’s Evian Championship.
“No matter what sport or business you’re in, 2020 is the year of the asterisk. No matter how many events we deliver, it’s not going to be the season that the athletes, caddies, fans or staff expected. Nobody is going to walk away thinking 2020 was a great year for the LPGA,” said Whan in an interview on www.lpga.com.
“Knowing that, I’ve sent a very clear message to everyone I work with: Don’t win 2020 and lose long term. Because of that, I can tell you without question that our 2021 schedule will be the biggest you have ever seen on the LPGA Tour. We will play in front of more fans, for more money, with more television than anything we’ve ever done before.”
Whan noted that they have managed to line up new sponsors for the LPGA Tour next year. “The reason I know 2021 is going to be so good is because everybody who was with me in 2020 is still with me in 2021, plus we’ve added some new sponsors that we haven’t announced yet.
“I feel comfortable saying to my athletes, my caddies, my staff and most importantly my fans, if you can put up with 2020, you’ll like what you see in 2021 and 2022,” he stressed.
As it currently stands, the LPGA Tour is scheduled to resume in late July with the Marathon Classic presented by Dana in Sylvana, Ohio. This will be followed by two events in Scotland, the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Ladies Open (August 13-16) and AIG Women’s British Open (August 20-23), before a hectic last third of the year which will see 15 events in less than four months including three postponed Majors – the ANA Inspiration (September 10-13), KPMG Women’s PGA Championship (October 8-11) and US Women’s Open (December 10-13). The 2020 season is slated to end with the CME Group Tour Championship at Tiburon Golf Club in Naples, Florida the week before Christmas. Click here for the latest schedule.
2019 Evian Championship winner Jin Young Ko (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)
The Evian Championship was originally scheduled to take place the first week of August but was cancelled due to ongoing travel restrictions and quarantine requirements in France. The Major championship will return to the LPGA Tour schedule in 2021 at its perennial venue, the Evian Resort Golf Club in Evian-les-Bains.
“I have been incredibly impressed by the entire team at The Evian Championship. They worked so hard to host this global event despite the obvious challenges,” said Whan. “They know that high-pursed, career-changing events like The Evian are more important than ever, especially in an LPGA year that has been drastically reduced due to Covid-19. I know this was a tough decision for everyone involved, but it’s one that we had to take given the restrictions we faced.
“It is disappointing to miss a Major championship but Evian’s strong history of showcasing the best female golfers will continue once again when we return in 2021. We look forward to being back on the mountain in Evian next year and for a long time to come.”
