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 Michael Whan held his first Southern California press conference at La Costa Resort and Spa, the site of the LPGA Tour's Kia Classic Presented by J Golf. When Michael Whan was announced as the LPGA Tour’s new commissioner last October, one of the most common responses to his appointment was, “Who?” But now that he’s been in office for a few months, other responses have surfaced: “Energetic professional” and “great leader” are now two of the phrases being used for a man who has demonstrated “vision and passion” in steering the LPGA “in the right direction.” Whan, 45, has all of the qualities needed for the tough task ahead — he’s motivated, funny, affable, knowledgeable and willing to cooperate with others. These traits have created a recipe for success in his personal and professional lives. He’s raising three young sons — Austin, Wesley and Connor — with his wife, Meg, and has risen to prominence everywhere he’s worked, including Procter & Gamble, TaylorMade-adidas Golf in Carlsbad and most recently at Orange County-based Mission Hockey, which he helped merged with Itech Sports. Instilling prosperity on the LPGA Tour could be his biggest challenge. The players want to play and the fans want to support them, but the schedule is too small and there is a need for damage control in the wake of economic woes and strained relations fostered by Carolyn Bivens, the commissioner who was forced to resign last year after a player-fueled revolt. “This might make me a little weird, but I wouldn’t be excited about being commissioner if I didn’t feel a little pressure,” Whan said during an interview at La Costa Resort and Spa. “I feel responsibility more than I feel pressure. I feel the responsibility to make sure we put the Tour on the platform it deserves to be on. And because of that responsibility, I feel pressure.”  Based on his interests and upbringing, Whan picked an ideal forum to deal with that pressure. In addition to having a life-long love of golf, the self-proclaimed sports nut grew up playing football and baseball and now prefers mucking it up in basketball and hockey with “a bunch of old, fat white men just like me.”After spending his formative years in Naperville, Ill., a suburb of Chicago, Whan moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, during high school and took a summer job assisting the greenskeeper at Coldstream Country Club. He had an opportunity to work in the pro shop, but the lure of receiving better tips and meeting members couldn’t match the opportunity to finish work by 2:30 in the afternoon and play free golf afterwards. When his tenure at TaylorMade began in 1995, Whan lived in the Aviara residential community, close to the renowned Four Seasons layout. Then, upon moving to Orange County in 2002, he found a home in Coto de Caza, close to the 36-hole private facility bearing that same name. He’s played top courses and dealt with top players (among them Ernie Els) in his role as North American general manager at TaylorMade, but besides those experiences, golf has been an important relationship builder for him and his family. “It’s more than just a sport for me, it’s kind of been a way of life,” Whan said. “My mother, father and I have had conversations on a golf course that we just haven’t had at the dinner table. The golf course has been kind of like a utopia. I see my kids growing up and doing it, too.” Whan believes the devotion he has for golf is mirrored by the members of the LPGA Tour, which helped ease his decision for coming on board. “It’s always been in my blood, and quite frankly I view this as a chance to kind of pay it forward, to give a little back,” he said. What’s been encouraging so far during his tenure is that he’s already beefed up the LPGA’s 2010 schedule, which at the start of the year had only 24 events — the leanest it’s been since 1971. He’s added the Sybase Match Play Championship in May, reeling back in a title sponsor that ended its relationship in 2009, and also secured title sponsorships for the October tournament in South Korea (Hana Bank) and the inaugural full-field event this month at La Costa in Carlsbad (Kia Motors). What was an atmosphere of uncertainty following Bivens’ departure a year ago has evolved into one of optimism in a short amount of time. The fact that Whan was able to bring three sponsors on board in less than two months isn’t surprising considering his background. “I walk into the LPGA as a former sponsor. When I was at Procter & Gamble, I wrote big checks for sporting events and NASCAR, and when I was at TaylorMade I understood buying into different events,” he said. “I want my staff to understand the people that sponsor these events. This is not something that they buy, then we show up and go home. This is something we do together.” His aim for camaraderie was enhanced at the LPGA’s Orlando, Fla., headquarters when he was assigned his parking spot. Living up to his teamwork theme, Whan forcefully removed the “Reserved for LPGA Commissioner” sign out of the concrete, a task so arduous he hurt his back in the process. “I’m a guy who likes to change things up, and that’s not always the right fit for some places,” Whan said. “If you’ve decided that you’ve got it all figured out and you need somebody to maintain it, I’m a bad choice.” It’s unlikely the LPGA Tour will quickly restore the peak schedule of 43 events it had in 1997, but Whan is confident he can amplify the docket to at least 30 tournaments. “If I didn’t believe that, I wouldn’t have come,” he said. Whan has a long list of improvements he’d like to make while in office, but it starts with tournaments and title sponsors, a task that’s been reinforced in his discussions with past LPGA commissioners such as Charlie Mechem. “What players really want more than anything else is the opportunity to play in a lot of places for more money and be able to focus on the game,” Whan said. “And if I do my job right, they get to do more of that.” And the more opportunity the players have to play, the more opportunities fans have to learn about the talent in women’s professional golf and the eclectic range of players’ backgrounds. With an array of talented professionals who are very accessible and whose personalities come to light through avenues such as wearing a microphone during televised events, Whan said there are many opportunities for the LPGA Tour to step into the spotlight. “One of the things you have to do when you’re in this business is appreciate that you’re in this business and have fun with it,” he said. “The girls have fun playing, so we should have fun promoting them.” A CLOSER LOOK AT MICHAEL WHAN Born: February 10, 1965 in Chicago, Ill. Vitals: Named LPGA Tour commissioner October 28, 2009 (took office January 4, 2010); business experience includes positions at TaylorMade-adidas Golf, Mission-Itech Hockey and Wilson Sporting Goods; has resided in Aviara and Coto de Caza. Best round ever: 74 at Turtle Point Golf Course in Kiawah Island, South Carolina. Favorite movie: “Brian’s Song,” based on the relationship between Chicago Bears running backs Gale Sayers and Brian Piccolo. Other three members of his ultimate foursome: Arnold Palmer, Nancy Lopez, and his dad, Dennis. Did you know: Last year, Whan authored a novel called “39 Days” based on a true story told to him by a police officer. Also, he’s never drank a cup of coffee or smoked a cigarette in his life, instead choosing to imbibe “about 14 Diet Mountain Dews a day.” ALSO SEE: LPGA Tour kicks off 2010 season in Southern California Kia Classic Presented By J Golf — Information Kraft Nabisco Championship — Information Five LPGA Tour players to watch |
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What happens if Lexis Thompson wins a LPGA tournament. Is her play still limited and will she still have to qualify on Mondays? This is sent on Apr. 30/2011 when this is a real posiblity.
| Comment at 4/30/2011 |
