I did a quick scan of the British Open leaderboard this morning and something struck me. Among the Top 50 scores at the Open at the moment, I see only one Asian player (Matsuyama) in the Top 50. The rest are generally European, American or Australian.
Then I take a look at the LPGA Top 50 money winners for the year. 21 of the Top 50 players are from Asia. South Korea dominates, but also players from China, Japan and Thailand. In fact, 5 of the Top 10 are Korean and 10 of the Top 20 are Asian.
I think it's part of the challenge that the LPGA faces in this country at the moment, i.e., there aren't a lot of U.S. or European women players to root for on Sundays. Like it or not, this most definitely has an impact on the popularity of the tour and the TV ratings.
It's stunning that there's this kind of disparity in the two tours. Any theories about why?
Then I take a look at the LPGA Top 50 money winners for the year. 21 of the Top 50 players are from Asia. South Korea dominates, but also players from China, Japan and Thailand. In fact, 5 of the Top 10 are Korean and 10 of the Top 20 are Asian.
I think it's part of the challenge that the LPGA faces in this country at the moment, i.e., there aren't a lot of U.S. or European women players to root for on Sundays. Like it or not, this most definitely has an impact on the popularity of the tour and the TV ratings.
It's stunning that there's this kind of disparity in the two tours. Any theories about why?
