Word: lpga
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...Academy--bred kid who reached No. 6 in the world. But tennis is no longer the only sport affording women a nice living, and Pressel's decision to practice bunker shots over drop shots at age 8 is starting to pay off. She's currently third on the 2007 LPGA money list, with $432,833, after winning the Kraft Nabisco Championship this month, becoming the youngest woman, at 18, to take a golf major. Uncle Aaron holds the same record in men's pro tennis, except he was 16. "Aaron was so excited for me, and that was cute...
...sport would like to claim the same status. Over the past five years, an army of young talent from South Korea to South Florida has invaded the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA), stealing the limelight from overtanned veterans with a splash of color, short skirts and high-flying ponytails. They've ditched the ice skates for their fathers' drivers, blasting pink balls over greens at Tiger Woods-size distances...
...match this brawn and beauty, the LPGA tour is sharpening its own game, which in 2005 generated about $67 million in revenue. Commissioner Carolyn Bivens--the first woman to hold the job--hasn't been afraid to take some divots out of the LPGA's old business plan. She's reorganized the tournaments, the staff, even the television production. The goal: close the purse and popularity gap with the men's tour (PGA), as women have done in professional tennis...
...goods: the LPGA field is deep and young. Of the top 10 women on the 2007 LPGA money list, only two are older than 27; the remaining eight have an average age of 22. In addition to Pressel and grand dame Annika Sorenstam, today's talent includes a 21-year-old blond, blue-eyed beauty who just won her second major (Brittany Lincicome); a young Mexican (Lorena Ochoa) on the verge of dethroning longtime No. 1 Sorenstam; a teen phenom, now 20, with a penchant for pink (Paula Creamer); a Japanese rock star trailed by a swarm of photographers...
...allure of pretty women in candy-colored outfits has boosted interest in the sport. While the numbers still pale in comparison with men's golf, attendance at LPGA events rose 5% in 2006, and it's up 10% since 2001. Daily average television viewership for LPGA tournaments broadcast on cable (not including the Golf Channel) reached 417,000 households in 2006, up 59% from 2005, while network viewership last year rose 14%, to 1.7 million households. "The numbers are small, but the percentages are large," says Bivens. Women's golf is one of the few sports that can boast double...