The new commissioner of the LPGA is being presented Wednesday morning in New York City.
Clearly, indroductions are needed.
With a background that includes positions in the toothpaste, hockey- and golf-equipment businesses, the LPGA rolled out 44-year-old Michael Whan as its replacement for the ousted Carolyn Bivens, who resigned at midsummer amidst a nasty player mutiny.
If you said "What?" when you read Whan, you are not alone.
His name had not surfaced in reports and he wasn't on anybody's known short list of candidates. Not that many outlets were tracking the search, in all honesty.
Golfworld magazine said the hiring was "a bit of a surprise," which might be selling it short. There were numerous dalliances with more public sports figures along the way, including WNBA president Donna Orender, a former PGA Tour official who declined interest early in the search process, and Peter Bevaqua, the chief business officer at the USGA. Former U.S. Tennis Association president Arlen Kantarian was also considered, according to reports.
CBSSports.com learned at mid-summer that Cindy Davis, who runs Nike's golf division, was offered the job soon after Bivens retired. Bob Wood, who preceded Davis at Nike, said his successor wasn't even asked to interview for the position before it was proffered, but that she quickly elected to stay put.
While he has experience at golf manufacturers Wilson and TaylorMade, Whan's background also includes a stint at a company that made a teeth-whitening product.
He'll need to fast put a million-kilowatt smile on the fading LPGA to rescue the tour's foundering ship, which is what got Bivens ousted in the first place.
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