LPGA Commissioner Carolyn Bivens May Be Out the Door

The rumors were rampant at the AT&T National - this weekend's PGA Tour stop - that LPGA Tour Commissioner Carolyn Bivens may well be on her way out of a job.  I heard this rumor from multiple sources.  Some were not certain on the timing, but another source indicated that Commissioner Bivens may not make it past the US Women's Open this week in Bethlehem, PA.

Reader Bill Jempty and our SB Nation LPGA blogger Hound Dog referenced the Life on Tour blog, written by an LPGA Tour caddy named Larry.  His most recent post today hints at what may be to come.

Hold on to your seats! May have some good news by the end of next week.

"Don’t ever take sides with against the Family …" – Micahel Corleone.  Out here, more than likely, you’ll get the axe. Happened again.

Seeing as though most of the LPGA officials that were in office when Ty Votaw was commissioner are now gone, the only name that could possibly fit the rumor is Carolyn Bivens.

SI's Jim Gorant has this report (hat tip to Geoff Shackelford) that several LPGA players dined together to discuss the Tour's future - with or without Bivens.

Is her demise imminent?  On things like this, where there is smoke, there is fire.  But, let me add this very good summary of Bivens' term from SI's Alan Shipnuck.  He sums up my thoughts on the Commissioner very well - no matter what happens.

It's clear Bivens's hard-charging personal style has rubbed a lot of players and corporate types the wrong way, but you can't fault her original vision: raise purses, improve the pension and retirement benefits, and expand the tour's TV presence. The problem seems to be that Bivens has stuck to her hard-line negotiating even as the economy has imploded. Sponsors are hard-pressed to maintain their current commitments, and she's asking for them to pour in more money for next year and beyond. Something had to give, and it's being reflected by the tour's contracting schedule.