On Tuesday the LPGA announced the addition of a new tournament, the Sybase Match Play Championship. The LPGA re-signed Sybase, a database technology company, to a three-year sponsorship agreement. The $1.5 million event will be take place May 20-23 at the Hamilton Farm Golf Club in Gladstone, New Jersey.

Now, there are 25 events on the 2010 LPGA Tour schedule — which is good news, but the new contract didn’t come without concessions (hence the asterisk in the headline).

The tournament will feature 64 LPGA players competing in a bracket-style match play format. According to an LPGA official, eligibility for the field is as follows:

• The top-48 players from the 2009 LPGA Official Money List
• 10 players not otherwise qualified will have the opportunity to qualify in the first two rounds of the Bell Micro Classic (essentially it’s a 36-hole qualifier and top ten finishers who didn’t finish in the top-48 on the money list will be eligible).
• The top-four players not otherwise qualified from the above criteria from the 2010 LPGA Official Money List through the Bell Micro Classic
• Two sponsors invites

Newly-deigned Commissioner Mike Whan weighed in via the press release:

We’re pleased that Sybase has enabled the LPGA to bring a prestigious women’s golf event back to the Greater New York area. It is especially gratifying to continue the momentum that the LPGA has been enjoying since the end of last season, thanks to great partners like Sybase and Octagon.

Sybase was the title sponsor of the Sybase Classic from 2001 through 2009, but last fall it was announced the event was not returning. According to an industry insider, ShopRite, the presenting sponsor of the Sybase Classic for the past three years, opted not to extend its contract. Shortly thereafter it was revealed that ShopRite, which ran a successful tour stop for twenty years, was bringing back the ShopRite Classic to the Seaview Resort in Atlantic City.

Without a presenting sponsor, Sybase was unwilling to bear the full financial responsibility to hold a full field tournament — which explains why the new event is limited to 64 players vying for a $1.5 million purse, down from $2 million the previous two years.

An LPGA official noted, “The new format was the essential element in keeping Sybase on the schedule.”

It’s a sign of the times. The Tour must compromise to accommodate the sponsor’s requests — which is a very different plan than what disgraced former commissioner Carolyn Bivens envisioned when she took over in 2005 — but practical (the LPGA will take what it can get, right?).

But at least a new deal with Sybase was successfully negotiated. The better news is there are now two tournaments in the New York area on the schedule, rather than one — even if one of them is a limited field event with a smaller purse. Perhaps under Whan’s watch this is just the start of more good news to come.

I’ve been very lucky to attend quite a few pro golf tournaments this year. I went to the LPGA Sybase Classic, the US Open, the US Women’s Open and then The Barclays last week. Now it looks like I’m going to the Deutsche Bank Championship this weekend.

Since I’ve only been blogging about golf for five months, it’s all new and pretty exciting for me. I’ll admit I’m still a little wide-eyed and in awe when I meet some of the players (but I’m sure I’ll get over it soon enough). I’ve had great experiences at each of the tournaments. I especially enjoy going to the practice rounds. There are smaller crowds. The players are more relaxed. I love scoping out the course and simply watching the pros practice. Last Tuesday I had a particularly great day at Liberty National. In fact, I couldn’t have asked for a better one.

Not the Game, You Talkin’ About Practice?

• I walked inside the ropes (which I’d never done before) with Ryan Moore, Bubba Watson, Aaron Baddeley and D.A. Points. I got to banter with them strolling down the fairway. It was interesting listening to them talk about the course and how the holes were playing. My favorite comment of the day came from Bubba on the 9th teebox. While Ryan was lining up his drive, he was telling Aaron and me a story. Bubba interrupted him and said, “Come on, let’s go. We’re playing at the pace of a 6-hour round.” You had to be there, but it was hilarious. I remember a post-round interview a few months ago where he was baffled by slow play.

• On the third hole, there was a backup. I was standing near the walkway between the tee and second green. While I was waiting for the guys to hit, the group behind approached and stopped next to me. To my surprise, Rory Sabbatini struck up conversation and we chatted for a few minutes. Even more surprisingly, he was really nice. I’d always heard negative stories about him and he has a rep for being kind of a jerk (maybe it’s because he’s not the most chipper person?). Anyway, he seems like a good guy. Now if he’ll just get rid of those awful sunglasses…

• Ryan only played nine holes that day because he had a press conference. The ninth hole is probably the furthest point away from the clubhouse (one of this year’s major champions was overheard “joking” that it was designed that way because no one would play a full round if the ninth hole went back to the clubhouse. Zing!). So, we took a shuttle back to the players’ parking lot. We were walking up the stairs when we ran into none other than Fred Couples — my favorite player and childhood hero. Freddie stopped to congratulate Ryan on his win at the Wyndham. Ryan knows I’m a huge fan and introduced us. He told him I was also from Seattle and we grew up playing junior golf together. I don’t remember the rest of the conversation very clearly — mostly because I was caught off-guard by the run-in and trying not to say something stupid, like, asking him to marry me. Anyway, he was friendly, gregarious and as cool as everyone says. I’m not going to lie, meeting him made my week. Yep, it’s all about the little things.

It’s a Trip

• I jumped on the ferry to get back to the city, only to walk into a boatload of players. I’m sure I looked completely shocked. (I didn’t realize until Wednesday that it was the “special” ferry, but apparently I had access.) Right away I spotted Ernie Els. I also recognized Mathew Goggin, Kevin Stadler, Nathan Green and DJ Trahan. Now it’s a small boat, so I guess you could say I made a few new friends. Shay, a caddie, started chatting with me. I walked with him, Stadler and Nathan from Battery Park to Soho where they were staying. They couldn’t have been nicer. It was awkward and at the same time amusing because Ryan had beat Stadler in a playoff only two days before. I waited a good 15 minutes into the conversation and told him Ryan was my friend. I made a smartass comment. He laughed.

• On Wednesday, I showed up at the ferry dock and realized I’d forgotten my pass. Well, lucky for me I spotted Goggin and even luckier he remembered me from Tuesday evening. He was kind enough to bring me along.

• The ferry ride back that evening was a similar story to Tuesday, but more players, including Padraig Harrington. Again, Ernie was there. The list goes on. I talked with DJ again, who is probably the friendliest guy I met — just a genuinely nice person.

Well, those stories might sound silly, but it was awesome for someone like me who is new to the scene. And, I always get a kick out of random and unexpected happenings. I’m sure (or hope) there will be many more in the future. Next time I’ll have to snag interviews.

First of all, congratulations to Anna Nordqvist on winning the LPGA Championship! The rookie’s snagged her first career victory after ONLY five starts. She shot 68 in the final round and finished at 15-under-par besting runner-up Lindsey Wright by four shots. You could say she pulled a Se Ri Pak on the 18th hole - Anna knocked her approach shot to a few feet on the 18th hole, which was reminiscent of Pak’s when she won in 2006.

Tip of the cap to the Golf Channel now working in collaboration with the LPGA, in doing an incredible job covering the tournament. In February, Commish Carolyn Bivens struck a 10 year deal with TGC, which gave the network exclusive broadcasting rights. It’s not in effect until 2010, but it’s obvious that there’s already a vested interest to improve the telecast.

I posted this video on Friday - it was taped the week of the Sybase Classic in May. Coincidentally, some of Paige Mackenzie and Anna Grzebien’s suggestions were applied!

Throughout the week, the commentators, Dottie Pepper, Brian Hammons and Rich Lerner showed tweets by some of the players, most of which was fun and interesting. But they would NOT stop cracking cheesy jokes about Twitter, saying that they were too “old” and how “all the kids were doing it.” With all due respect, many of the tweeps I follow or “converse” with are the same age as them. I’m not going to sugarcoat it - their commentary about it became pretty old half-way through the first round. However, Rich had done his homework and was able to do a good job explaining it to his broadcast partners and the viewing audience. I understand it’s a new concept for them, and to their credit, they are doing their best to embrace Twitter. I especially have to applaud the LPGA. It’s a tremendous step forward that they’re utilizing social media to connect with fans and promote both the players and the Tour.

I already said it several times this week, but miking Christina Kim during the first and second rounds provided amazing entertainment and enhanced the viewer experience. And since she was playing with Michelle Wie, we saw the cheery and funny side of Michelle that we don’t necessarily see (unless you follow her). I also thought it was great that they chatted with players in between nines to gather their insights. Pulling the ladies into the box for interviews after they finished was another excellent addition.

As for future telecasts, the analysts should ask viewers to tweet questions @lpga or @[tournament name] and they could select a few to answer. I have no doubts that TGC and the LPGA will continue to work together to make further improvements.

Hats off to all parties involved.

I had a fun contest to give away a Sybase Classic hat autographed by various LPGA players. I asked readers to send in their best story about how they got an autograph from a celebrity or person they admired. I received quite a few great anecdotes (thank you to everyone who sent them), but the one from Larry really stood out. It’s an excellent read, not to mention inspiring. Trust me.

My wife Melissa and I met at a mixer in Houston in August 1978.  I immediately asked her out, our first date was to a Houston Astros-St. Louis Cardinals baseball game at which I had front row seats behind the dugout.  I brought my camera and took lots of photos, including a nice close-up of a young Keith Hernandez leaning on the railing a few feet away.  We got were engaged in January 1979 and married in May — we just celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary.  That summer, after developing the photo, I sent two 8X10 copies to Keith care of the Cardinals: one for him to keep and one for him to sign and send back to me in a return envelope I provided.  I explained the photo was from our first date and that we later married.  He autographed the photo: Best Wishes Larry and Melissa, Keith Hernandez.  It was a photo that I framed and hung, but that’s not the end of the story.

In 1995, after retiring from baseball, Keith wrote a book analyzing two baseball games, pitch by pitch, entitled “Pure Baseball.”  By that time, we had moved to San Francisco and I was working in the East Bay.  I saw that a great local bookseller, Cody’s Books in nearby Berkeley, was having a book signing with Keith for his new book.  I fished out the old negative and had a photographer friend make two very nice 16X20 prints, which I took to the book store for the signing.  Keith told a great story about doing the book, working as a broadcaster in NYC and baseball in general.  He grew up in the Bay Area (Capuchino High on the Peninsula), his father John was for many years a firefighter in SF, and had recently passed away, but Keith’s mom and sister were in the audience.

After he finished speaking, we all lined up to have our books signed.  I bought three, for me, my brother and nephew.  When my turn came, I presented him first with the two photos, one for him, one to be signed, along with the first photo he signed for me, and the books.  He looked at me, looked at the photos and actually remembered the photos being sent and signed!  The first thing he did was take the new photo back and gave it to his mom, saying, “Damn, I was good looking!”  Then he signed the books and the new photo: Best Wishes Again, Larry and Melissa!  Keith Hernandez.  Both photos hang in our bedroom, and I never tire of telling this story to visitors.  I hope you also enjoyed it and can see how much the autograph means to us.

I’m not going to lie, I get sentimental over stories like this. But really, how could you not? A tip of the cap to Keith Hernandez for being such a good sport and playing a role in Larry and Melissa’s wonderful marriage. Thanks again and Happy Belated Anniversary!

I caught up with PUMA athlete and the hottest rookie on the LPGA, Jeehae Lee, at the Sybase Classic in Clifton, New Jersey. Jeehae chats with me about various topics, such as her fantasy foursome, Twitter, and the hip gear she sports on Tour.

Check out the video interview on the PUMA Golf blog HERE!

OMG! it’s a contest! I have a few Sybase Classic hats that are autographed by LPGA players, including Suzann Pettersen, Meg Mallon, Se Ri Pak, Janice Moodie, Lisa Strom, Julieta Grenada, Ai Miyazato, Vicky Hurst, Morgan Pressel, Kelli Kuehne, Paige Mackenzie, Christina Kim, Jeehae Lee, and others.

I figured I’d have a little contest each week to see who gets a hat. This week, I thought I’d ask you, the readers, to submit your best story about the lengths you went to get an autograph from a celebrity. I like funny ones, but it doesn’t really matter. Email me at steph [dot] wei [at] gmail [dot] com. The deadline is Wednesday, May 27.

I thought it’d only be fair if I shared a few of my own stories.

So, remember the glory days of the Seattle Sonics? Throughout most of the ’90s? When George Karl was the coach? I sure do. The best starting five ever - Gary Payton, Shawn Kemp (before he had like, 25 kids and got fat), Detlef Schrempf, Sam Perkins and Hersey Hawkins..oh, and I can’t forget Nate McMillan, the fifth man!

But I digress. When I was 12 or 13, I was that loser kid who got to every game two hours early to watch the guys warm-up and shove cards or memorabilia in their face to autograph. Or, sometimes I’d get to Key Arena so early that I’d be the kid who waited for them to open the doors. Yeah, true life. (Go ahead, judge me!) However, throughout the years, I did manage to get autographs from each of the ballers I mentioned above.

My second story is less embarrassing. At the ‘98 PGA Championship, I was behind the 18th green when Tiger Woods finished his round. Mike “Fluff” Cowan, his caddy, was giving away Tiger’s ball. He made several attempts to hand it to the kids who were closer than me, but to no avail. On his third try, the ball bounced right into my hands! SCORE. I still have the ball which has “TIGER” inscribed on it.

OK, your turn! Ready. Set. GO!.

While I was at Sybase, I was out of the loop on the other happenings in the golf world. Good thing I can rely on fellow golf bloggers/writers to keep me posted. Here are a few links from around the interwebs this past week:

• Can anyone say publicity stunt? Briny Baird won us all some free terrible faux Chinese food, courtesy of PF Chang’s!!! OMG!!! Thanks, but I’ll pass - not a fan of acid reflux, indigestion or food poisoning. [Devil Ball Golf]
• The High School golf team from The Brunswick School took a private jet to a golf tournament last week. There was just too much traffic! Oh, you might ask (as I did), where was the tournament? Wait for it—FISHER’S ISLAND. How fitting. (To my friends who went to Brunswick, I still love you.) [Golf FanHouse]
• Teen phenom Rory Mcilroy’s “critical” comments about the Ryder Cup has stirred up a frenzy among the press. Let’s be real - it’s not like what he said was blasphemous. Give the kid a break. [Waggle Room]
• It’s no surprise that the media room at Sybase was male dominated. Usually, I enjoy the 9:1 male to female ratio. But I agree that this needs to change. In related news, I had a nice chat with Patricia there one afternoon. Indeed, we were the only ladies. [Golf Girl’s Diary]
• “Drive for show, putt for dough” - a common golf adage. Fact. The Armchair Golfer wrote a piece about the secret formula to make putts. It’s a must read. [Armchair Golfer]
• If you thought you had to watch out for Bill Murray’s errant shots, then you haven’t seen Charles Barkley’s recent golf outing. Pack a hockey helmet if you’re within a mile radius when Barkley steps up to the tee. [Dogs That Chase Cars]

There’s been quite a bit of media coverage on the state of the LPGA recently. For the most part, it’s been about the challenges they’ve been facing, like losing sponsorships for tournaments. However, I see the amount of press that the LPGA is receiving in a positive light - people are paying attention and concerned about the future of the Tour and the players.

The LPGA has been forced to cut back their schedule by 5 events this season, from 34 to 29. Sure, that sucks, but look, the entire world is experiencing economic difficulties - The Tour could be in a much worse situation than it is - and the players do still have their jobs. And yes, there are less tournaments domestically, but, the purses have increased by almost 10% over the past few years (that is, until this year). The bottom-line is that the difference in their earnings isn’t as big of a deal as it’s made out to be.

On the upside, women’s golf has the potential to be a huge global sport. The Tour has a fan base that extends worldwide. Players hail from 27 different countries, all of which  have established fan bases. Ultimately, over the next few years, the LPGA schedule will become more global. They’ll play in select domestic events and then internationally, where the demand is great and for more lucrative purses. Of course, the downside is that they’ll have to travel more, but playing professional golf is the career they have chosen.

More recently, it seems the LPGA and the players are embracing this new trend. Undoubtedly, it’s an advantageous one - as global athletes, they’ll be more opportunities with sponsorships, endorsements, and paid appearances. The ladies, some more than others, are already celebrities of sorts and I could see more and more of them becoming household names outside of golf.

The question is how to gain more mainstream support. Social media outlets, like Twitter, Facebook and blogs will likely have a viral impact. But traditional forms of media, like consistent television coverage, radio and commercials (when was the last time you saw a commercial that featured an LPGA pro?) will still be important factors. Younger faces (a-hem) covering the tournaments and taking golf to a wider audience will have to be a strong selling point.

The biggest takeaway from my experience at Sybase was that the emerging talent will do wonders for the Tour. The energy was absolutely amazing. I’ve said it before but I’m going to say it again, these ladies are fun, attractive, stylish, dynamic and charming. The sponsors, the fans and the volunteers love them. They simply have a great product.

With that said, I don’t feel like there’s a need to press the panic button. It’s tough economically for all the Tours worldwide, at the moment, not to mention, other sports. Have you seen the attendance in baseball recently? At the end of the day, the LPGA will be fine and will emerge stronger than ever.

Watch out when 2011 rolls around.

I caught up with LPGA golfer Karen Stupples at the Sybase Classic. She chats with me about how she balances being a touring professional golfer, mother and wife. Talk about impressive!

Me, Paige Mackenzie and Christina Kim in the Clubhouse after the final round of the Sybase Classic.

Paige and Christina were paired together. I was excited to very excited when the pairings were released on Saturday. I’d been primarily following Paige all week. While I’d catch some of my other friends or players hit a drive or putt every now and again, I would have liked to see more of their rounds. But look, it’s tough to be 5 places at once. So, it was kinda cool that I got to “kill two birds with one stone” (so cheesy but couldn’t think of any better way to say it) yesterday.

I’d like to think that I was good luck. I mean, I showed up as they were making the turn, and on the next hole, they BOTH made birdie. OMMFG! I’d like to take credit for those, along with Christina’s chip-in for birdie on #2 and Paige’s clutch 12-foot putt to save par on the final hole. And of course, for their stellar rounds. I’d also like to take a cut of their winnings. 5% will do just fine. Thanks.

This was a pretty mind-blowing week. By that, I mean, it was one of the best weeks I’ve had in a while. It’s hard to explain and I won’t bore you with all the details, but it was like a collision of multiple and seemingly unrelated worlds. And it was fun (and interesting) being somewhat “inside the ropes” of the LPGA. I started my blog around 6-7 weeks ago for various reasons, but mainly to figure out if I did indeed want to pursue a long-term career in the golf industry and in which sector. Well, let’s just say that if I had any doubts or questions, most of them have been vanquished or answered.