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The Honolulu Advertiser

Posted on: Thursday, March 3, 2005

Saturday finish could boost LPGA's ratings

By Bill Kwon
Special to the Advertiser

Jennifer Rosales earned her second LPGA victory on Saturday and still made the time to hold a clinic Sunday at Ko Olina Golf Club.

Bruce Asato • The Honolulu Advertiser

Timing is everything. Just ask Cristie Kerr, who felt that her chance to overtake wire-to-wire winner Jennifer Rosales in the final round of the inaugural SBS Open on Saturday ended when her group was clocked for slow play.

Being on the clock didn't bother Rosales, who went on to capture the LPGA Tour's official 2005 season opener at the Turtle Bay Resort's Palmer Course, which drew raves from the players who were happy to be back in Hawai'i again.

For impeccable timing, though, you couldn't beat the Ko Olina Golf Club. It got an A-plus by lining up Rosales to give a clinic the day after her second career victory.

How's that for fortuitous timing? How often are you going to get that kind of a break? And how often do you see a player taking the time to fulfill a commitment, right after such an emotional victory?

"We got lucky with that. Jennifer did it because of the kids. She could not have been any nicer," said Greg Nichols, Ko Olina's director of golf.

The clinic was part of the Ko Olina Golf Academy's "Play Golf America/Catch the Bug" program, according to Nichols, who isn't taking credit for the presence — nor prescience — of mind in inviting Rosales before the SBS Open started.

He credits Jehu Fuller, a PGA apprentice who is the pro shop's merchandise manager, for setting it up.

"We do a lot of business with Bally, a high-end golf line, which Jennifer represents," Nichols said.

Still, the fact that she won and yet showed up for the clinic says a lot about her, according to Nichols.

"It could have been easy for her not to. She already had her clubs sent ahead to Mexico for the next tournament," Nichols said. "She was great with the kids, helping them with their golf swing. She also talked to two of our best young players, Mari Chun and Britney Choy, who asked her about college. Jennifer, who went to USC, told them to 'stay in school for four years.' "

That the 54-hole SBS Open ended on Saturday instead of Sunday made it possible for Rosales to make the appearance.

Which brings up a future possibility as a result of good timing.

The reason why the SBS Open, sponsored by the Seoul Broadcasting System, ended on Saturday was to provide live television coverage to South Korea, which is a day ahead.

In other words, a Sunday finish. It is also why the LPGA Takefuji Classic in Las Vegas in April also ends on a Saturday for a Sunday finish in Japan.

Both events are geared for TV audiences in Asia, and it is very likely that if Hawai'i hosts a second LPGA event next year as expected, it makes sense that it, too, ends on Saturday. An early guess is that it will be sponsored by a Japanese company.

The players favor a Saturday finish as long as it is a 54-hole tournament. There are nine of them on the LPGA calendar this year.

"Nobody would have a problem with it," said former University of Hawai'i golfer Cindy Rarick, who won the first of her five career LPGA victories when Turtle Bay hosted the 1987 Tsumura Hawaiian Ladies Open.

"It would give us an extra day to get to the next tournament," said Rarick, who thinks it would be great if Hawai'i can secure two events in 2006.

"Two weeks in Hawai'i? You won't see me complaining," said Leta Lindley, who has played in LPGA events at Waikoloa, Ko Olina and Kapolei but thinks the Palmer Course is the best of them all.

"Every hole is different. It just looks different. I find it to be very challenging and it doesn't have the appearance of your typical Hawai'i course. I don't know if it's all the trees out there (on the back nine) but it really suits my eye."

The possibility of more LPGA Saturday finishes would be good for the tour, according to Mark Rolfing, local television producer and NBC golf analyst.

"It actually helps the LPGA in the Far East. And if the LPGA could get it shown in prime time back East in the states on a Saturday, it would be great," he said.

Right now, the women can't compete with the PGA Tour in the TV ratings if both of their tournaments bump heads on Sunday. But think about the possibility of an LPGA finish on Saturday and a PGA windup the following day.

Talk about a double dip for golf fans. When golfers watch golf on television, they spend a lot of time at it, according to Rolfing. He pointed out a study that showed 53 percent surveyed said they watch golf "all the time" and 46 percent said "some of the time."

"Excitement in Saturday finishes and more action on Sunday should help TV ratings a lot," Rarick said.

"It would work for the sponsor and it'll give us more coverage with the men playing on Sunday," Moira Dunn agreed.

The women's majors — especially with Michelle Wie playing in all four of them this year — figure to have no trouble drawing television audiences with a Sunday finish even if the men are on the tube.

The ladies finishing on Saturdays could be a win-win situation for both tours if they can work out some kind of a TV package deal.

Bill Kwon can be reached at bkwon@aloha.net.