LPGA Plans New Series Within A Series

May 28, 2008

The LPGA was out in front of the PGA Tour on a season ending championship. The ADT Championship playoff series predates the FedEx Cup by a year. Now it seems that Carolyn Bivens is stealing another march.

The LPGA is getting closer to piecing together the puzzle that it hopes will land a five-year network television agreement beginning in 2010.

Tour executives met with numerous television and marketing executives two weeks ago while the tour was staging the Sybase Classic in New Jersey.

Plans call for a competition series that would exist within the LPGA’s seasonlong calendar of events. The series would consist of eight events, likely including at least one major and one event outside the United States. Players would qualify for a championship event based on their performance in the series.

That championship could be a new tournament scheduled during the first quarter of each year as a lead-in to the LPGA season. Sources said the weekend before the Super Bowl was being considered

NBC is believed to be interested.