ABC is celebrating the 10th anniversary of Regis Philbin saving their network by having an eleven night reprisal of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? for the next couple of weeks.  As a game show junkie, I'm pretty excited about that.  I'm also excited to see the results of the search for the next LPGA Tour Commissioner.  Unfortunately for whoever takes the job, they won't be a millionaire in an instant.  Rather, they'll make somewhere in the area of $500,000 per year.  Nothing to scoff at, though.

Anyway, there was a decent amount of ink on the subject this weekend.  Wall St. Journal's John Paul Newport looked at the characteristics needed for the next commish and what their main priorities will be.  His piece somewhat verified what I wrote in my "If I Were LPGA Commissioner" column before former commissioner Carolyn Bivens resigned. The difference is that the people at the LPGA Tour verified it instead of me speculating about it.

On GolfChannel.com, Randall Mell looked at some possible candidates for the job. 

Cindy Davis: Nike’s Golf Division president, Davis was the company’s U.S. general manager for three years before being promoted in November of 2008. Before joining Nike, she was a Golf Channel senior vice president and held management positions with the Arnold Palmer Golf Company and the LPGA.

Cindy is now not a contender for the job.  She told Ron Sirak of Golf World that she was not interested.  "While I'm flattered that my name has been mentioned, I'm going to remain a strong supporter of women's golf from where I am now.  I remain very excited about Nike Golf, our long-term opportunity and being part of this great company.  That's where I want to focus my energy."

Donna Orender: President of the WNBA, Orender spent 17 years with the PGA Tour before taking the leadership role in women’s professional basketball. She served for four years as the PGA Tour’s senior vice president of strategic development in commissioner Tim Finchem’s office. Before that, she ran the tour’s TV and production division. She was an All-American basketball player at Queens College and three-time All-Star point guard in the now defunct Women’s Professional Basketball League.

Donna will likely not be taking the job.  As The Constructivist found from Sports Business International, Orender says, "I have had no discussions with the L.P.G.A. and I am 100 percent focused on what I’m doing right now."

Zayra Calderon: Just promoted to LPGA executive vice president of tournament development and worldwide sales, she takes over the key role of negotiating title sponsorship renewals as well as seeking new title sponsors. A former Cigna Healthcare executive, she went on to become owner of the Duramed Futures Tour and negotiated its sale to the LPGA. She almost has a chance to try out for the commissioner’s job in her new role.

Calderon very well could be in a trial run for the job of LPGA Tour Commissioner.

Chris Higgs: An Octagon Golf executive, Higgs was the LPGA’s chief operating officer for seven years before Bivens let him go near the start of this season. Given the controversy surrounding Bivens’ approach, Higgs’ departure wasn’t viewed negatively in the business as he was quickly retained by Octagon. He’s credited as the architect of the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings and worked with Jack Nicklaus’ Executive Sports and Golden Bear International before joining the LPGA.

Chris has some serious former LPGA Tour experience and really left under unfriendly terms.  After Biv's ouster, he may well want to return to the organization to right the ship.  He is also married to Sandi Higgs, Senior Director of New Media & Television for the LPGA Tour.  And, we're buddies on Facebook.  (That doesn't say much for me, by the way.)

Rob Neal: Executive Director of the Tournament Golf Foundation, which owns and operates the LPGA’s Safeway Classic in Portland and the tour’s Phoenix event, Neal was the LPGA’s vice president of business affairs from 1999-2005. Experience on both sides of tournament issues makes his resume appealing.

Neal was very vocal and active in trying to save the Phoenix LPGA event.  He knows the difficulty of the economy and trying to get sponsors for LPGA Tour events.

Paula Polito: Made her mark as a senior vice president at Merrill Lynch Global Wealth Development. Worked with Greg Norman in overseeing sponsorship of the Shark Shootout and has business ties with Annika Sorenstam. She was considered as a replacement for Ty Votaw before Bivens was hired in 2005.

In the search for Bivens, there were ultimately three candidates.  With the benefit of hindsight, Polito may well have been the best candidate for the job.  Does that hinder her interest now in 2009?

Heidi Ueberroth: President of the NBA’s global marketing partnerships and international business operations, Ueberroth helped oversee the NBA’s television reach into 215 nations. Her father, Peter, was the former commissioner of Major League Baseball.

Frankly, I don't see this happening, but her experience and lineage certainly are powerful statements about her capacity to market a sporting brand - something that the NBA arguably does better than any sport.

The lineup of candidates is definitely pretty diverse.  The best combines golf experience, business executive experience, and marketing experience.  Several of these candidates represent the LPGA's total package.