China’s golf course ban, late-night TV broadcast: LPGA can’t catch a break

The LPGA Tour returns to the U.S. for this week’s ShopRite LPGA Classic but unless you’re an East Coast night owl, you won’t see any of the action until the weekend. That’s because Golf Channel will broadcast a taped version of Friday’s first round of the 54-hole Atlantic City tourney between midnight and 2 a.m.(EDT).

Meanwhile, half a world away, the Chinese government’s ban on golf course development threatens to put another hole in the LPGA’s already spotty 2011 calendar. The developer of the Imperial Springs project in Guangzhou, Guangdong province asked commissioner Mike Whan to reschedule the August 4-August 7 Imperial Spring LPGA tourney for the fall, according to Golfweek’s Beth Ann Baldry.

Citing environmental and other concerns, China put a halt to the construction of golf courses in 2004. With the Colin Montgomerie-Brit Stenson-designed Imperial Springs an operational facility, it’s unclear what exactly forced the developer to request a new date.

Indeed, the event was never a question mark for Whan, who learned only recently via its partner, IMG, about the problem, according to LPGA spokesperson David Higdon.

"We’re still seeking answers and solutions," Higdon said in an e-mail.

LPGA commissioner Mike Whan seeks replacement for scratched China golf tourney (Photo: Getty Images)

Whan, who recognizes the importance of the enthusiastic Chinese market, told Baldry he was "100 percent committed" to staging the Imperial Springs event but said that it might have to wait until next year.

In the meantime, the commissioner was scrambling to come up with a substitute place and date for a fill-in tourney. The only fit for a fall contest would be September 29-October 2, a week after the Solheim Cup, which, Baldry noted, would not go over well with Solheim Cup participants traveling from Ireland to China.

A replacement event could take place stateside between August 8-August 14, but Higdon noted that issues such as venue and sponsors were still to be determined. With the LPGA struggling to obtain sponsors for regularly scheduled competitions, it would appear to be a long shot for Whan to secure corporations to foot the bill on such short notice.

As for the ShopRite, you may catch the action on Saturday and Sunday between 5p.m.-7 p.m. on Golf Channel.