LPGA prepares to double up events in ‘the year of the asterisk’

Of all the leaders of any tour Mike Whan is the one that you would probably look forward to listening to the most. In an interview with Golf Channel the head of the LPGA Tour has suggested that there is the possibility of doubling up the odd event, something that would tick a lot of boxes.

“Could you have two sponsors come together in one event, so instead of playing each event for $1.5 million, you’re playing one event for $2.8 million? Yeah, I think you could.”

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To date the LPGA Tour has cancelled or postponed six events including the year’s first major, the ANA Inspiration which, given the heat in California, will likely be towards the back end of the year.

So we might see a postponed event twinned with a forthcoming one and with seven blank weeks on the calendar there would be scope to stage some of the other tournaments in their own week.

“I don’t think you could expect to see a heavy dose of that (the two-for-one event) but I think you can expect to see at least one,” Whan added. “This is going to be the year of an asterisk. There’s no getting around that. To say we’ve always done something a certain way is no longer an acceptable answer. Everything is on the table.

“You should assume we won’t have any open dates on our schedule once we begin teeing it up again.”