It’s hard out here for an LPGA pro
Jerry Potter of USAToday has an excellent article about LPGA rookie Brittany Lang, who is among the largest class of 37 LPGA rookies this year. While still without a victory, Lang has done respectably on tour, placing 25th on the money list with $351,875. (By comparison, Mike Weir is 25th on the PGA tour money list with $1,815,323.)
To borrow from Three 6 Mafia’s famous title, it’s hard out here for an LPGA pro. In following the LPGA players last week, I realized just how hard. So many players get no media coverage at all; they are complete unknowns to the public. The women try their best every day, but the purses on the LPGA are modest, droping off to very low levels outside of the top scores. For example, at the Wendy’s last week, if you placed 23rd (a respectable finish), you earned less than $10,000. And the purses dwindle even lower after that.
Currently, the 120th player (Jennifer Rosales) has earned only a little over $40,000 for the year. At 130th, the income earned so far is barely over $25,000. At 135, it’s barely over $20,000 for the year — close to the poverty line for a family of 4. By contrast, on the PGA tour, 135th place on the money leaders currently has earned $438,669!
What does this mean? The LPGA has a lot of catching up to do. Michelle Wie should help, once she becomes an LPGA member. And for those who question if the LPGA should ever market the sex appeal of its players, c’mon get real: this is a business and people’s livelihoods, not just a game. The LPGA smartly has started marketing its players like any other business would.
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