On the basis that anyone who provokes the ire of Lorena Ochoa is in serious trouble, the bell must surely be tolling for Carolyn Bivens, whose tenure as commissioner of the LPGA Tour has been marked by a decline in the economic fortunes of women's professional golf and a number of controversies that might politely be described as self-inflicted.
According to Ron Sirak of Golf Digest, Ochoa (officially, the mildest mannered world-class athlete in modern times) is one of 15 LPGA players who have signed and sent a letter to the tour's Board of Directors calling for Bivens to stand down.
Sirak writes:
A group of 15 LPGA players -- including Lorena Ochoa, Paula Creamer, Morgan Pressel and Cristie Kerr -- have signed and submitted a letter to the LPGA Board of Directors requesting the resignation of commissioner Carolyn Bivens...
Concerned about canceled events in 2009 and a dwindling 2010 schedule, the players met over dinner at the Owens Corning Classic. At issue are added costs imposed on tournaments by Bivens' Vision 2010 business plan that have caused several sponsors to pull support from the tour.
Not that I'm an expert in LPGA politics but it strikes me that it is now impossible for Bivens to remain in her job, given that she been so publicly criticised by so many of the tour's big names.
Beth Ann Baldry of Golfweek says the letter was written after a players' meeting prompted by the sudden cancellation last week of the Kapalua LPGA Classic in Hawaii later this year due to a lack of sponsorship. The tour has lost a number of sponsors both this year and next year.
A letter then was sent to the LPGA Board of Directors calling for Bivens' resignation and an establishment of new leadership, a player who received a copy of the letter told Golfweek on Monday. Players stated in the letter that all of the tour's problems can't be blamed on a poor economy and expressed a desire to rebuild relationships with longtime sponsors.
Bivens, who took over as the head of the LPGA in 2005, has been a somewhat controversial figure, which is putting it mildly. Infamously, she attempted to introduce a rule requiring all players to pass an oral evaluation of their English-speaking skills or face a suspension. When journalists pointed out this was "un-American" and lawyers suggested it may be illegal, Bivens abandoned the plan.
More recently, she got herself into trouble by suggesting players should Twitter mid-round - another brainwave that was quickly dropped when it was pointed out that it might breach the rules of golf.
