Aza wins on the LET

[Mr22putt]

I know things are really slow when the only active thread (that has past the century mark) is whether Meghan is natural or inflated. :taunt:

 

 

Aza also wins a Richard Mille RM 007 watch worth 38,500 euros.....just a little more than her 1st place winnings of $37,500 euros.

 

 

Aza has not played well this year and has still yet to qualify for the season ending CME.

Her putting has been holding her back and luckily had many tap-ins birdies during her final round.

 

Charley Hull was T4 at the start of the day playing with Aza but slipped to T10.

I was surprised Hull W/D from stage II Q-school to play on the 2014 LET and gain invites to LPGA events....she's still wearing her Yankees cap without any visible new endorsements.

[gvogel]

Aza, Beatrix, and Belen make the LPGA scene interesting for me.

Charley Hull - now there's someone to watch for the future. Loved her demeanor in the Solheim. Loved watching her ask for Paula's autograph after trouncing her. Loved watching her pick a club, walk up to the ball and just hit it. No caddie line up, no dilly-dallying all day waiting for inspiration, just set up and go.

Love it.

[Mr22putt]

[quote name='gvogel' timestamp='1380478599' post='7928069']
Aza, Beatrix, and Belen make the LPGA scene interesting for me.

Charley Hull - now there's someone to watch for the future. Loved her demeanor in the Solheim. Loved watching her ask for Paula's autograph after trouncing her. Loved watching her pick a club, walk up to the ball and just hit it. No caddie line up, no dilly-dallying all day waiting for inspiration, just set up and go.

Love it.
[/quote]
And I'm sure if the 3 Spanish Killer B's contended each week for the wins....Americans would stop complaining about the Asians dominating or not having a US #1.

And ya gotta like Hull...she sports Titleist blades.
Her favorite saying....."Hit it, find it, hit it again"

Or how about these beauties too.
[url="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/golf/article-2408355/Solheim-Cup-heroine-Charley-Hull-finds-fame-downsides.html"]http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/golf/article-2408355/Solheim-Cup-heroine-Charley-Hull-finds-fame-downsides.html[/url]

After trouncing Creamer 5-4 @ the Solheim.
"I played her, I beat her, I shook her hand"

Or replying to all the booing at the Solheim.
"I'll show you, I'll show you how to spank the Yanks"

Ole Ole!!!

[G N R]

[quote name='gvogel' timestamp='1380478599' post='7928069']
Aza, Beatrix, and Belen make the LPGA scene interesting for me.

Charley Hull - now there's someone to watch for the future. Loved her demeanor in the Solheim. Loved watching her ask for Paula's autograph after trouncing her. Loved watching her pick a club, walk up to the ball and just hit it. No caddie line up, no dilly-dallying all day waiting for inspiration, just set up and go.

Love it.
[/quote]

Belen is good to follow on Insatgram............she posts regularly.

[tbowles411]

I'm back!!!! I had to take a break from the LPGA for a while. Now, I'm ready to go!

[LOVE4LPGA]

[quote name='Mr22putt' timestamp='1380477845' post='7928031']

I know things are really slow when the only active thread (that has past the century mark) is whether Meghan is natural or inflated.

[/quote]

And this forum is best one of the well worn golf DBs, with a dedicated LPGA slot no less, featuring maybe nine of us driving over 80% of the posts.

So when I read someone say that an LPGA player can just get a lot of TV time and her sponsors are all "[i]yippie[/i]," I am shaking my head.

This is a struggle within a striving and wrapped in a yearning.

[Leftagain]

[quote name='LOVE4LPGA' timestamp='1380668714' post='7939675']
[quote name='Mr22putt' timestamp='1380477845' post='7928031']
I know things are really slow when the only active thread (that has past the century mark) is whether Meghan is natural or inflated.

[/quote]

And this forum is best one of the well worn golf DBs, with a dedicated LPGA slot no less, featuring maybe nine of us driving over 80% of the posts.

So when I read someone say that an LPGA player can just get a lot of TV time and her sponsors are all "[i]yippie[/i]," I am shaking my head.

This is a struggle within a striving and wrapped in a yearning.
[/quote]

So you think the TV time the girls get doesn't influence the sponsorship handed out or are you saying that given there is little TV following it's irrelevant?

If it's irrelevant I'm failing to see why any of the girls are sponsored at all, beyond TV who is going to see the sponsors Logo? The crowds aren't big enough to drive sponsorship dollars so what else is there?

[LOVE4LPGA]

[quote name='Leftagain' timestamp='1380680264' post='7940585']

So you think the TV time the girls get doesn't influence the sponsorship handed out or are you saying that given there is little TV following it's irrelevant?

If it's irrelevant I'm failing to see why any of the girls are sponsored at all, beyond TV who is going to see the sponsors Logo? The crowds aren't big enough to drive sponsorship dollars so what else is there?

[/quote]

Good questions.

- Firstly, and I knowingly adamant about this point because I was in the business during both Wood and Wie hey-days and saw this first hand: sports gear is a [b]HERO sale[/b]. Unlike shelf brands like Tide and Colgate, where we have to buy detergent, so having a BRAND literally hammered into my psyche by exposure and repetition makes me feel favorably towards it, sports gear is an entertainment | luxury | impulse | feelings | emotions purchase. Hence, I am not moved by the Brand Exposure model that is the basis for Case Studies in Marketing class.

- Secondly, golf is a Second Tier sport in all but Japan and South Korea. So to get past just Golfer Awareness takes a powerful player impression. OTOH, a Phil M or Annika or SeRi Pak can impress the Golfer Fan to levels of Purchase Inspiration because they are dominant and | or massively multiple WINNERS. Hence a "hero" to us; "I will consider what they play seriously because they are top of their craft." So I am not dismissing the role of branding, exposure, and player endorsement out of hand. Phil is framed as "professional golfer" in non-sport ads. Michelle was specifically called out as an "LPGA player" in her brief Mac D run. Outside of golf fans, even prominent golfer celebrity-status figures just do not carry much horsepower. But they do have a positive disposition. So [i]nice[/i] Phil and [i]wholesome[/i] Michelle make good company image layers, but hardly barn burner retail sales.

- Finally, look at the only Transcendental golfer image of our time, Tiger Woods. No context necessary. Even the teenage tweeting girl at the mall, who has no idea what a wedge does, can pick Tiger out of a portfolio, tell you "golfer", know that he rocks his game, and feel a "hero" connection to any brand he is pushing. Michael Jordan. Arnold Palmer. RARE among sports people pitching outside of their game and almost never happens in golf (exceptions for SeRi Pak in Korea and Ai Myazato in Japan, where golf is a Tier One sport).

So LPGA players can "sell" to gal golfers. If they are great players, they can "sell" to sports fans, esp golfers. Those are the "hero" connections. Not just merely an "impression" or "image count" on TV. That is why we can safely say NIKE, and the others, are going to be extremely shy about throwing millions at a gal golfer after the Wie story. Until said LPGA golfer is on some sort of incontrovertible record setting, headline roll, of course. Until then, there are just too few strong venues for the LPGA player to command clout. And little to no chance of a Transcendental Role in marketing. The worst thing that happened to Michelle was precisely the hype before accomplishment; she had to be Transcendental out of the gate, but is barely an also won couple times. This is specific to [b]selling sports gear[/b]: brand on TV is not cutting it for the sponsor if the moment is another inteview about why no wins. Again. And again. And again. And that is what Michelle became: Negative Brand Exposure.

Lydia?

Bottom line is the bottom line. Some critical mass has to be inspired to drive to mall, walk into a store, and lay down money for stuff because on some level the pro golfer got in subject consumer's head to do all that.This is specific to [b]selling sports gear.[/b] no amount of Marketing 101 modeling can mute the immutable facts about sports: WINNERS SELL. Until she is making those amazing headlines as a PRO and truly becoming a figure people talk about outside of Golf Forums, I don't see her having any chance at guaranteed $6M in the Post Wie era. She could make a contract with that amount tied to bonuses, corporate outings, etc. And if she takes off, of course we could well see teenage gals take up golf, wear Techie glasses like she sports, etc. This is the power that can come with a Transcendental figure. I don't say it could never happen.

Closest thing the LPGA has to this is Paula Creamer. Gulbis is known for being Sexy-for-a-Golfer; nice but hardly a broad base appeal. Creamer almost put the whole package in place: major, multiple wins, image, sexy, wholesome, etc. It did not rise to the Transcendental, however.

[Leftagain]

While I agree generally with what you're saying, it makes sense, the question begs, how do those outside of the 'Hero' status (namely most everyone) negotiate terms with sponsors? What do they have to sell that makes them attractive when they are not 'heroes'?

Basically everyone has sponsorship to some degree, even those who don't do that well get some money. What are they selling?

[LOVE4LPGA]

[quote name='Leftagain' timestamp='1380712272' post='7941447']

Basically everyone has sponsorship to some degree, even those who don't do that well get some money.

[/quote]

Not nec very much. Or maybe more gear credit than cash. Forrmer co-worker of mine that did the Guy "mini" tours for two seasons said players are sleeping in cars and eating peanut butter by the case. But they have bags, hats, gloves, and some clubs with branding. So you might think they are "paid" to play that brand, but it might be just free stuff. He got free bags (brand unknown), free gloves (brand unknown), free PV1 balls (Titleist), and free wedges from Cleveland.

The Korean gals on their minor league tour are known for cooking in the hotel rooms.

So think of "selling" in quotes and meaning general promotion, with the Heroes being the ones that earn those headline sums off course and actually do create some notable retail effects.

As someone pointed out in one of these threads, the journalists state aggregate high end amounts that usually involve performance goals and stipulations. No way it should be assumed those headlines are typical of the pro golfer experience. Nor should anyone assume that every player moves needles just because some giant company exercised risk | reward in their direction.

To wit, a $1M in major OEM expense is repaid by about $3M in retail sales. [i]Then [/i]the ROI begins.

[ctmason_98]

I don't mean to threadjack, LOVE4LPGA, but some very insightful posts. As someone who has been involved with sponsorship of events in other sports (though not athletes), is it also fair to say that there is a fair amount of ego involved in the dollars flowing to a player from a company? I saw this all the time with different companies wanting to be involved in events or other promotional sponsorships just because a competitor was doing something similar or involved in the sport in some way.

I think that's one way that the dollars going to a player for promotional contracts can be out of whack to the player's ability to sell product. Companies don't always make decisions -- much less marketing decisions -- based on sound research. Shocking, I know.

[hankmoody]

I enjoy the LPGA too. Wish there were more full rounds on YouTube.

Belen is a twitter fiend. So is Michelle and Christina Kim. Some of the American ladies should get more engaged. Morgan Pressel (who I think is terrific) doesn't twitter, and others have accounts but are not that active.

And i wonder if the LPGA has decided who they are "selling" to, women or men.

[Hifade]

Gotta love the Spanish Trio. Aza is hotta!

[jmvargas]

I know things are really slow when the only active thread (that has past the century mark) is whether Meghan is natural or inflated. :taunt:

 

 

Aza also wins a Richard Mille RM 007 watch worth 38,500 euros.....just a little more than her 1st place winnings of $37,500 euros.

 

 

Aza has not played well this year and has still yet to qualify for the season ending CME.

Her putting has been holding her back and luckily had many tap-ins birdies during her final round.

 

Charley Hull was T4 at the start of the day playing with Aza but slipped to T10.

I was surprised Hull W/D from stage II Q-school to play on the 2014 LET and gain invites to LPGA events....she's still wearing her Yankees cap without any visible new endorsements.

 

 

 

...great win and beautiful watch!!..

 

....bubba watson also has a richard mille white watch which he uses all the time but HIS cost a reported $500,000+!!

[LOVE4LPGA]

[quote name='ctmason_98' timestamp='1380742926' post='7943563']

I don't mean to threadjack, LOVE4LPGA, but some very insightful posts. As someone who has been involved with sponsorship of events in other sports (though not athletes), is it also fair to say that there is a fair amount of ego involved in the dollars flowing to a player from a company? I saw this all the time with different companies wanting to be involved in events or other promotional sponsorships just because a competitor was doing something similar or involved in the sport in some way.

I think that's one way that the dollars going to a player for promotional contracts can be out of whack to the player's ability to sell product. Companies don't always make decisions -- much less marketing decisions -- based on sound research. Shocking, I know.

[/quote]

Excellent point. Also, don't discount Risk | Reward. It is a big [i]potential [/i]reward because they are willing to take [i]real [/i]risk [i]now[/i]; but no promises of ROI. Just because they did it, and they are NIKE, does not mean they would do it again, in hindsight. If you know what I mean.