Julie Inkster says LPGA not given due credit....

[Vinsk]

http://www.golfchannel.com/news/golf-central-blog/inkster-champions-womens-golf-we-dont-get-credit-were-due/?cid=Email_MondayNL_20170821

[DaveP043]

Quote

“I just don’t understand how all these companies get away with supporting PGA Tour events and not supporting the LPGA. It makes me a little upset, because I think we’ve got a great product. I think we do a lot of things really good. And I think the golf is fantastic. We deserve our due.”

I don't think Ms. Inkster quite understands how the market works.  More people want to watch men's golf.  Therefore more companies are willing to advertise (and sponsorship is advertising) on men's golf.  I understand completely that the women are outstanding players, but what matters for sponsors and advertisers is the number of eyeballs they get their name in front of.

[David in FL]

“If we play well, the courses are too short. If we don’t play well, we’re not good enough.

Yep.  That pretty much describes the LPGA...

 

[Patch]

On another note, I wonder how many male, amateur golfers have a better golf game than the LPGA golfers when they play those longer courses. 

[Vinsk]

@DaveP043, @David in FL, I agree completely with both of you guys. I think Inkster 'knows' the reality of the situation but continues to be frustrated by it. The men (PGA) are simply more entertaining to watch. Period. Nobody, well most I believe, are saying the women are lousy, their golfing skills are poor..yada yada..I actually think they are getting exactly what credit is due. Julie needs to come to Jesus and realize that's the way it is and will forever be. The LPGA in and of its own entity has excitement, interest and marketability. However when they start to compare themselves to the PGA is where it gets lost. Most viewers are not going to find Lexi Thompson hitting a 300yd drive on a 380yd par 4 over and over exciting. It's odd though, once Tiger came out and starting hitting it long...all of a sudden the concept of 'Tiger proofing' came along. If Lexi, and others can hit drives 280-300yds ( which is longer than a lot of PGA players) then make them all step up. Make the courses longer. So you're a short knocker? Tough, that's your problem which is exactly the sentiment on the PGA. Why continue to baby the LPGA golfers? Make them truly show what they can do. Because playing tournaments with multiple par 4's less than 400yds and par 5's less than 500yds isn't going to spark excitement. 

[boogielicious]

While I agree that the PGA is far more marketable, I still did not watch any of the Wyndham. When I had golf on, it was the Solheim Cup. That was a well run event. I also watch LPGA majors over PGA tournaments for the most part. I never watch the Web.com and rarely the Senior Tour anymore.

[Vinsk]

20 minutes ago, boogielicious said:

While I agree that the PGA is far more marketable, I still did not watch any of the Wyndham. When I had golf on, it was the Solheim Cup. That was a well run event. I also watch LPGA majors over PGA tournaments for the most part. I never watch the Web.com and rarely the Senior Tour anymore.

I can see that, and find myself the same often. However, maybe the Wyndham field had something to do with that? I mean the Solheim was fun to watch (but honestly the ladies ran away with it so I lost interest after Saturday)  this year..but if I had heard Fowler, Spieth, DJ were leading the Wyndham...I would've switched over. 

[David in FL]

24 minutes ago, boogielicious said:

While I agree that the PGA is far more marketable, I still did not watch any of the Wyndham. When I had golf on, it was the Solheim Cup. That was a well run event. I also watch LPGA majors over PGA tournaments for the most part. I never watch the Web.com and rarely the Senior Tour anymore.

So you're the one!

I didn't watch a minute of the Solheim.  For me, the most compelling/entertaining golf of the weekend was the US Am.  Coming down the stretch, both Ghim and Redman both hit 3-woods on their 2d shots on the 585 yd uphill par-5 14th to about 30 feet.  Amazing.  Sorry, you just won't ever see anything like that from the ladies.  No matter how "good" they are, most men just aren't in awe of what they can do on the course.  

Inkster's statement, really is true...

[MacDutch]

I watched hours and hours of the Solheimcup. Liked it a lot and want to see more lpga golf.

 

And....... I want to marry Anna Nordqvist 

[Jeremie Boop]

Honestly, I've lost a lot of my previous interest in watching golf on TV at all. I don't know what it is, but I just don't really enjoy it. I don't discount how good the women professionals are, heck I've played with ladies from a local University here that I know can kick my butt any day of the week, but what they do isn't "impressive". They hit it a bit shorter, but straight. Hit greens and make putts. Pretty much "ho-hum" golf. Don't get me wrong, if I could play "ho-hum" golf I'd be pretty happy, but watching it is not entertaining.

[GolfLug]

51 minutes ago, MacDutch said:

And....... I want to marry Anna Nordqvist 

That's not nice.. 

[boogielicious]

54 minutes ago, MacDutch said:

I watched hours and hours of the Solheimcup. Liked it a lot and want to see more lpga golf.

 

And....... I want to marry Anna Nordqvist 

Danielle Kang is adorable. 

[Valleygolfer]

1 hour ago, boogielicious said:

While I agree that the PGA is far more marketable, I still did not watch any of the Wyndham. When I had golf on, it was the Solheim Cup. That was a well run event. I also watch LPGA majors over PGA tournaments for the most part. I never watch the Web.com and rarely the Senior Tour anymore.

I am here with you but I am also with @vinsk on the fact that the big pga names would have taken presidence.

Quote

“I just don’t understand how all these companies get away with supporting PGA Tour events and not supporting the LPGA. It makes me a little upset, because I think we’ve got a great product. I think we do a lot of things really good. And I think the golf is fantastic. We deserve our due.”

 No one takes it really seriously, sorry. A lot of the best golfers in the in the Lpga retire or talk retirement at a young age while still plenty of good golf to play. I'm saying this as someone who regularly watches too.   Why watch someone juggling hoops when there's someone juggling flaming chainsaws.

Anna Nordqvist? Bleh. Jaye Marie Green is where it's at. @MacDutch

[Midpack]

There are jobs where women make more than men, is that unfair?

If Juli Inkster wants to make her point, just let some LPGA players enter some PGA events and they'll get paid exactly the same as the men where for where they finish. Sorenstam and Wie tried and mostly failed to make the cut (Wie made the cut once for an Asian tour event, never for a PGA event, in thirteen tries). Frankly I'm surprised no woman has ever made the cut and just placed in a PGA tournament yet.

If an LPGA event provided a better return for sponsors than a PGA event, sponsors wouldn't hesitate. They're after a return, not a moral crusade. And women viewers don't seem to be demanding any change from sponsors.

I hope Ms Inkster doesn't think women should be paid the same as men for playing a 54-hole tournament on a shorter course that doesn't draw the same crowds and sponsors. It's not rocket surgery.

Quote

As for whether the women would be welcome to tee off with the men in the future, the PGA's executive vice president of communications, Ty Votaw, said, "While no woman has attempted to compete in a PGA Tour event recently, PGA Tour regulations do not preclude women from participating in tour events."

 

Edited August 21, 2017 by Midpack

[todgot]

I think the LPGA gets the exact amount of credit it's due.  Men are simply more sports obsessed than women and enjoy watching men's events more.  I would say even the majority of LPGA watchers are men but have not seen the demographics published. My wife golfs a bit but would not watch an LPGA event if her life depended on it... Last week I had to explain to her who Michelle Wie is and why some people don't like her.  She's pretty much oblivious to every sport and I think she's pretty typical for the average woman.  She spends way more money on hair and face products than she spends on golf. 

There is also the increasing Asian Dominance of the LPGA Tour.  I watch them on TV occasionally and I have a hard time keeping any of the Asian players names in my head.  I don't know them and don't think they will be household names in America.  American's are interested when Americans are winning or have a chance of winning.  I would say interest in the LPGA in America has waned as the dominance of the Korean players has increased. 

I did follow the Solheim Cup on my phone but didn't watch on TV.  I had never heard of half of the European players and I think the significance of this cup is in jeopardy with the dearth of top players in the field.  An interesting event right now would be Asia versus the World.   

[MrDC]

I'm a fan and watch the LPGA all the time, I'll take that tour over the Champions any day. And I think most know how good the ladies are- very good.

But the bottom line is most fans of the game are men, and most men only want to marvel at the very elite players of a sport, they want to see the player do things they simply cannot do, and that's the PGA, sorry ladies but even your best is not as good as the men and that will always keep the LPGA from getting as much "credit" as the PGA.

Edited August 21, 2017 by MrDC

[StefanUrkel]

Waahh.  No one cares, Julie. Supply and demand. I bet she doesn't care about 99 percent of on death work related jobs being men

[Midpack]

LPGA players can enter many PGA events if they want to, might be a place to start toward equal prize money/sponsors. I wonder if Ms Inkster would let PGA pros or senior men enter LPGA tournaments and take some of their prize money?

Edited August 21, 2017 by Midpack