The LPGA kicked off the week of the first major of the 2015 season with news that the tour’s board had inked commissioner Mike Whan to a six-year contract extension.
LPGA signs commissioner Mike Whan to 6-year contract extension
A new contract will keep commissioner Mike Whan at the helm of the LPGA Tour through 2020. A new contract will keep commissioner Mike Whan at the helm of the LPGA Tour through 2020.
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Whan, who is credited with bringing professional women’s golf back from the brink of extinction to the most successful run in its history, will remain at the helm through 2020.
“We’ve built a terrific team here at the LPGA and clearly we are seeing momentum build for all parts of the organization,” Whan said in a statement on Tuesday, ahead of Thursday’s start of the ANA Inspiration (formerly the Dinah Shore and Kraft Nabisco).
“I am excited about remaining a part of the future and look forward to accomplishing many more things as we continue to put the LPGA on a bigger platform.”
Under Whan’s leadership, the LPGA has grown dramatically. In addition to increasing the number of playing opportunities from 23 in 2010 to 33 in 2015, Whan has been instrumental in boosting purses from some $40 million five years ago to more than $60 million this year.
Television coverage has also skyrocketed under Whan’s guiding hand, growing from 200 hours of mostly tape-delayed telecasts per year, to 400 hours, with 90 percent of that as live coverage.
