How many of you watch the LPGA on a regular basis? There has been a bunch of post over the decline of the Champions tour but not the LPGA. I rank watching the LPGA right up there with professional bowling....or in other words...I rather be beat like a baby harp seal then watch the LPGA. I mean last week the talk was all Wie....DQ'd..... and it was like the LPGA almost forgot to mention that Annika won again.
Great timing Scott, the PBA starts on ESPN next weekend at the PBA Tulsa Championship....can't wait to see if Patrick Allen can back up the super year he had last year.
actually scott, the lpga is alright. there are some hotties out there. the women also have great swings and it is pretty impressive to watch the distance on some of their shots. granted it's not like watching the mens golf but it's far better than bowling.
and yes, the media got it wrong last week - the story should have been about annika winning by eight strokes for the fifth time(or around there) not some overpaid rookie getting DQed during her pro debut.
I agree with dieter. FWIW, sports fans(male sports fans) like their female athletes to be attractive and I can't recall a time when the LPGA had this many good looking women amongst it's top players. Many of us OGs can remember the popularity of Jan Stephenson, back in the day. Today she'd be just another face(albeit a pretty one) in the crowd. I think the LPGA's future is brighter than it's ever been.
LPGA = All the "buzz" is either about the physical appearance of the players or Michelle Wie. Maybe when somebody steps up to challenge the most dominating player in women's golf I'll start watching. Until then........what channel is that bowling on?
Never have understood this. To me, it's the same as "the public" starting to think a particular actor/actress is attractive because all of a sudden their face is plastered everywhere and the media is constantly saying they are.
I find watching the LPGA the same as the PGA. It's just that there are more "stories" or drama built up by the media, where as they still don't publicize women's events the same way. Watching anyone swing a club on television ends up being the same to me. You can't really watch anything except what they force down your throat of course.
I mean really, is a 35 foot putt by Tiger actually better to watch than a 35 foot putt by Davies? Or any other "lower ranked" player?
Usually one of the ESPN channels. It's kind of sad to see what's happened to that game.
If you don't market a sport effectively and attempt to reach out beyond a certain demographic that's what happens. The Professional Bowlers Tour is basically become a second-tier sports league. And your right, it's sad. I can remember when the PBA Tour was part ABC's Wide World of Sports.
yeah, i remember jan stephenson - she's still a hottie as far as i'm concerned.
this years rookies are looking pretty good (competitively) to challenge annika next year. there are a bunch of asians coming up on the lpga that are on the brink of domination as well. paula creamer, natalie gublis are right on the brink as well. there are some pretty solid players out there - give 'em a look. it's still better than watching a bunch a guys with bad wardrobes tossing a large black ball down an alley.
Personally, I'd watch the LPGA over the Champions any day. They look at lot better. Now as far as bowling...I don't know. I did find myself watching 9-ball the other day on ESPN, or was it the duece, or was it on the "ocho" (Dodgeball reference there)?
If you don't market a sport effectively and attempt to reach out beyond a certain demographic that's what happens. The Professional Bowlers Tour is basically become a second-tier sports league. And your right, it's sad. I can remember when the PBA Tour was part ABC's Wide World of Sports.
Now I catch it down here on ESPN 2 in Mexico.
Funny, I just realized, I can watch bowling over the Champion's Tour.
That conversation about "relating" to the players may be a true I guess.
I really would only recognize maybe 3-4 of the players on the Champions Tour.
Bowling though has changed for me. I was more interested when people like Earl Anthony were "rollin", but now it's "let's see if I can smash the pins through the back wall" throwing going on now.
For all the people who say it's the same between watching PGA or LPGA, I've gotta tell ya, from what I've seen, there's a world of difference.
The men are there competing for a TON of money, and they play like it. It's amazing how many eagle shots from 150 yards out go in or get within a couple of feet. It's amazing how close to the pin the guys HAVE to get just to stay on the green, due to tucked away pin positions within 3-4 yards of the edge.
Cut to LPGA tournaments, where the pin is pretty much in the centre of the green, and the players still have trouble sticking it close. They're not exactly playing for chump change or anything, but it's seriously inferior to the men's wages. I'm not here to get into a gender debate, but comparing men's and women's tours is a classic case of apples and oranges. Sure, Annika dominates over the LPGA with several wins with 8 shots or more separating her from the field, but what happened in the '03 Colonial? Oh, that's right. #1 woman golfer in the world couldn't cut it with the big boys.
I think amateurs watching the LPGA would have just as much fun watching the Amateur tours, for the reason that they would enjoy watching the LPGA: it's a class of golf that's more down to our level. These are still exceptional golfers, but their scores and habits regarding course management/distance/accuracy/putting/several other facets of the game, are more readily accessible to the weekend golfer than, say, Tiger Woods' 200-yard 6-iron bunker shot onto the green over a lake in the Canadian Open several years back, or one of Kenny Perry's several eagles from the fairway.
October 19th, 2005, 03:16 PM
All the "buzz" is either about the physical appearance of the players or Michelle Wie. Maybe when somebody steps up to challenge the most dominating player in women's golf I'll start watching. Until then........what channel is that bowling on? 
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