The LPGA has been hit hard this year with cancellations and postponements, affecting six events so far on the schedule and with more announcements likely to come in the weeks ahead.
However, at some point, professional golf is going to come back. There will be LPGA Tour events and a schedule to resume. With a trio of postponements -- not outright cancellations -- already in hand, there will be opportunities for the LPGA to have a busy fall and perhaps early winter.
LPGA commissioner Mike Whan told Golf Channel that he's exploring all kinds of possibilities for when the LPGA schedule resumes, including the idea of combining postponed events together or with other still-planned events on the 2020 LPGA Tour schedule to create super events that combine their planned purses.
“Could you have two sponsors come together in one event, so instead of playing each event for $1.5 million, you’re playing one event for $2.8 million?” Whan said to Golf Channel. “Yeah, I think you could.”
Whan isn't looking at combining all of the postponed events with another event. Some sponsors will not get on board with that for various reasons, including the potential impact to their bottom line. However, Whan, who has been in contact with his players, including rookies, and sponsors throughout these last weeks, isn't taking anything off the table.
So far, the Honda LPGA Thailand, HSBC Women’s World Championship in Singapore and the Blue Bay LPGA in China have been cancelled.
The Volvik Founders Cup, Kia Classic and the ANA Inspiration, the year’s first major, are postponed.
