On Finishing What You Start & Getting Paid for Your Work

Yesterday, both of America's major women's golf tours faced odd weather situations.  In Mobile, the Bell Micro LPGA Classic saw weather that made the course unsuitable to play the final round of the 72 hole event.  The LPGA Tour then declared the event to be contested over the 54 holes already played. 

Unfortunately, three players - Se Ri Pak, Brittany Lincicome, and Suzann Pettersen - were tied after 54 holes.  That meant that the Tour declared a three-way playoff to determine the champion.  Having taken four inches of rain the night prior, the LPGA was only comfortable playing 18 repeatedly until there was a champion.  Eventually, Se Ri Pak picked up her 25th career win after making birdie on the third playoff hole.  Pak is now 6-0 career in playoffs.

Of course, to have a playoff as the only real golf action on a final day seems lousy.  After all, the Tour could have waited to finish the event on Monday.  A player may have been able to catch the leaders had the ladies been able to finish.  Defending champion Angela Stanford (see our LPGACam interview with her from Wednesday) had made three birdies in four holes during the attempt at the final round. 

Afterward, she tweeted about her displeasure, saying, "Didn't think I would only play 4 holes on a Sunday and be leaving on a plane at 5:00 to a blue sky...kinda makes u wonder."

The Monday scenario ultimately would not have worked for the LPGA Tour, though, for two reasons: the inclement weather was to continue on Monday and they had to move shop up to New Jersey for this week's Sybase Match Play event.

It certainly must be frustrating for the players that thought they could have made a move. 

An equally bizarre scenario unraveled in Kansas City on the Duramed Futures Tour.  Inclement weather postponed rounds two and three of the 54 hole event there.  Tournament officials then took two bizarre steps: they declared the tournament to be 18 holes and paid out the tournament purse as official money. 

A similar situation occurred on the PGA Tour several years ago at Riviera.  With the tournament shortened to 36 holes because of dashing rain, Adam Scott was declared champion - but the win and prize money were unofficial because of the lack of golf played.  In this situation, though, Ryann O'Toole - the 18 hole leader - was declared official champion and paid money that counted to the money list. 

Every player that earned money, though, was only given half of what they would have made had the event been played out in its entirety.  She won $7,000 instead of the $14,000 she could have won.  Certainly that is still a big boost for O'Toole on a tour where money is everything, but her move could have been even bigger.  Money is money, but this was an opportunity lost for many players on the Futures Tour.  With the news that the Futures Tour is expanding its field size by six slots, the competitive balance will shift on the Tour and make money an even tighter commodity.

In both cases, the weather and the decisions making of the respective tours led to scratched heads, frustrated players, and disappointed tournament officials.