FanNation - The Republic of Sport

To cut back on her heavy workload and give a bit more stability to her life, two-time major winner Dottie Pepper has chosen to leave the Golf Channel and focus solely on her NBC job. It's an understandable move, given that in 2009 Pepper worked 35 tournaments between the Golf Channel and NBC. That's a lot of airports, security lines and hassles -- and too little time at home -- which is where Pepper would like to be more often now that she's moved back to the upstate New York area.

Golf Week

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PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem's Asian adventure is under way, further confirming the region's growing importance in the golf hierarchy. Finchem is spending 18 days in Asia, visiting five cities to meet current and potential sponsors. The ramifications of the trip could be significant. As one industry observer put it, once Finchem sees the potential of the Asian market for himself he is going to want the Tour to have a larger stake there.

Golf Week

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TaylorMade's TP wedges with xFT (exchangeable face technology) have hit a speed bump. Although the U.S. Golf Association has approved the wedges, it has told TaylorMade not to sell interchangeable faces with aggressive U grooves. Faces with smaller grooves that meet 2010 PGA Tour specifications are OK, according to the USGA, but faces with larger grooves are not. TaylorMade immediately appealed the USGA decision, and chief technical officer Benoit Vincent traveled to USGA headquarters in Far Hills, N.J., in October to present his case. Vincent said he would discuss the wedges after Nov. 9, when a ruling on the appeal is expected. The wedges, from 50 to 64 degrees, are scheduled for release early next year. A face plate can be removed and replaced in a few minutes, using the same torque wrench designed for TaylorMade drivers.

Golf Week

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The LPGA Tour is returning to San Diego for a second straight year in 2010, but it will be a new tournament at a different storied pro venue. The La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad has signed a deal to host a new event called the LPGA Classic presented by J Golf, the SportsBusiness Journal, citing industry sources, reported Wednesday. J Golf is the LPGA's Korean TV partner, which earlier this year agreed to a five-year deal worth $4.5 million.

San Diego Union-Tribune

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If the Kraft Nabisco Championship wants to grow its reputation in the golf world, Gabe Codding says the tournament needs the LPGA Tour to be strong and vibrant. That's why Codding, the business manager for the Kraft Nabisco, was interested in meeting the new LPGA commissioner, Michael Whan, at the LPGA's Tournament Owners Association meeting in San Diego last week. "It was a pretty good show because (Whan) was in New York when the announcement was made," Codding said. "We were at the Tournament Owners Association, where the LPGA executives were, minus (acting commissioner) Marty Evans, who was on her way to Korea. "We had a heads up. They let us know, we all had e-mails and knew what was coming," Codding added. "But (Whan) took a red-eye from New York, jumped on a red-eye, and he was sitting there having breakfast with us the next morning."

The Desert Sun

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