Looking for a Commissioner

It’s been 110 days since a group of players sent a letter to the Board of Directors asking for the resignation of Carolyn Bivens. On July the 13th. she left the tour so the LPGA could find someone else to try to recover what had been lost for quite a bit: sponsors.

Bivens was named Commissioner in 2005, and became the
first woman to assume the position.

The pressure from players like Lorena Ochoa, Cristie Kerr and Paula Creamer gave everyone the sense that the “new kid in the block” should be someone who could not only lead but be a passionate and capable of giving the tour some peace of mind.

The LPGA Board of Directors decided to hire Marsha Evans, who had led the Red Cross and the Girl Scouts of America. The former Navy member became the Interim Commissioner, while golf legend, Annika Sörenstam, was named Advisor to the Board of Directors.

After all the movements and 3 months of expectations, it seems like the wait is finally over and there are two prospects for the job:

Jonathan Ward: he has nothing to do with golf or even sports. Actually it’s been said that he didn’t fill one of the requirements set: “ideal experience”. Never the less, he’s the Senior Advisor for the investment firm  Kohlberg & Co; and he has served to the Board of Directors of Sara Lee since 2005. Sources say that  55 year-old Ward didn’t have help to get the interview, he did it by himself.

Peter Bevacqua: until a few days he was the toughest contender and his odds went sky high when Donna Orender from the WNBA announced that she had no interest what so ever in taking the job. Bevacqua is the current Chief Business Officer for the USGA and has been working there for 9 years, which gives him a plus since he knows golf a and has strong ties to people involved in the sport.

No matter who’s “the chosen one”, the thing is there’s a huge challenge ahead and the tour is at it’s worst crisis ever. The lack of capital and sponsors makes it’s 60 year history shake.Some sources even assure that some of the so-called committed events haven’t signed a contract, which puts them in limbo.