LPGA players vs PGA

[soxngolf]

This is one of my favorite things about the LPGA:

GOLF / TOD LEONARD
LPGA's players make extra effort to be fan-friendly
By Tod Leonard
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
2:00 a.m. September 22, 2009

There were dozens of moments last week at the Samsung World Championship at Torrey Pines that highlighted the striking differences between the LPGA and PGA tours, but none was better than the scene after play had finished Sunday.

About 45 minutes after South Korean Na Yeon Choi won her first title with a final-hole birdie, a quiet and orderly line of 60 people, mostly Asians, had formed behind the media center adjacent to the 18th green.

Choi eventually emerged, and she stood there patiently signing until every autograph request had been filled and every photo taken.

When's the last time you saw Tiger Woods do that after he won the Buick Invitational?

Woods can't do it, of course, because riot squads on horseback would have to be summoned to quell the chaos. But it did make the point loud and clear: If you want accessibility in your pro golfers, the LPGA Tour is where you can find it.

Comparing the LPGA and PGA, Torrey Pines head pro Joe DeBock, who has worked at the course for 21 years, said it was “night and day.”

“There was an intermixing with the women players, whether they were walking down to the range or even going from hole to hole,” he said. “You could get up-close and personal with them. It was really casual. The atmosphere was so friendly.”

DeBock remembers the days when Davis Love III spent time getting to know DeBock's little boy, and how champions Mark O'Meara and Phil Mickelson lingered with fans and sponsors after their victories at Torrey Pines.

But Woods has won five of the past seven Buicks, and that has changed everything.

Having personally dealt in the past with some of the most media-savvy athletes ever in women's pro soccer, I have come to believe that women are generally better at interacting with reporters and fans. But it is a demeanor that no doubt also comes from being the constant underdog in the battle for media, fan and sponsor interest.

“The men wouldn't last a week doing what we do,” veteran Juli Inkster said.

If you are truly a golf fan and chose not to attend the Samsung last week, you missed something special. The golf was superb, the conclusion dramatic, and the access impressive.

Some examples of scenes I've never seen at the PGA Tour event here:

•Players signed autographs and posed for pictures going from the putting green and driving range to the first tee.

•When fans offered congratulations on a good shot or putt, players looked them in the eye and said, “Thank you.”

•To help out their caddies, players carried their own rakes and pulled flagsticks at times, and in Paula Creamer's case, she lugged her bag down the fairway at one point, bad back and all.

Creamer, easily the most popular American player, displayed numerous acts of kindness. After her round Saturday, she kneeled to pose with a reluctant little boy of no more than 4 while Dad snapped pictures.

“Give her a kiss on the cheek,” the dad said, but the little boy turned away, embarrassed.

Bet the kid regrets that someday.

Creamer played with her signature pink golf balls Sunday, and so she also practiced on the range with pink balls. When she was done, workers scooped up the balls with instructions to give them to kids on the golf course.

“But try to spread them out,” requested Creamer, who preferred not to have 100 balls to sign after her round.

My lasting impression is that it's too bad the women don't get more recognition while making 20 percent of what the men do. But that is the reality in a tough economy and with a TV contract that doesn't make them money.

 

[ClairefromClare]

Great story, Soxy--thanks.

 

[provisional]

Those "Champions Tour" folks are also fan friendly when it comes to a little conversation, and/or autograph. :clapp:

 

[JB]

They are picking on Tiger but at the PGA events we saw guys like AK, and many others stand and sign for quite a while.

 

[Diane]

Soxy - I think the comparison is silly as are Juli Inkster's comments - sounds a bit like sour grapes to me. There is no way you can compare men and women in general and the PGA and the LPGA specifically. I thought this one paragraph summed it up without the need for a full article.

Having personally dealt in the past with some of the most media-savvy athletes ever in women's pro soccer, I have come to believe that women are generally better at interacting with reporters and fans. But it is a demeanor that no doubt also comes from being the constant underdog in the battle for media, fan and sponsor interest.

 

[Sean]

I took my son to the Deutsche Bank a few years ago during a practice round and was surprised at how standoffish the players were. When asking for an autograph you would think they were getting a root canal without anesthesia. They would sign and not even look at the person or engage in any kind of conversation. The exceptions were Davis Love III and Sean O'Hair.

Perhaps we just had a bad day, so to speak, but I found many of the player's behavior/attitude just rude. On the other hand, the demands on their time must be enormous and if they get too "friendly" they'd never make it to the next hole.

I just don't know the answer.

 

[JB]

I just do not think you can compare the two. The PGA has as many fans at a practice round as the LPGA has during their final rounds. They have more recognizable names and have tighter security at the tournaments.

At Doral and Transitions this year, the PGA players signed for hours. In past years when the LPGA had an event in FL, we saw their players sign as well. But lets remember that the LPGA MUST be more fan friendly because they have to, to survive at this point. Its the nature of the beast.

But got to a WNBA game and compare it to an NBA game and you will see it is not a male vs female thing. THe WNBA players are known to be less friendly across the board and during my time working with the NBA and WNBA, this was a normal thing that the league had to address.