Inkster Says Interim Leader On The Way

BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- The LPGA will seek an interim leader to replace outgoing commissioner Carolyn Bivens and might take several months to name her ultimate successor, according to Hall of Famer and LPGA board member Juli Inkster.

"Right now we're in the middle of the season," Inkster said Sunday after completing the final round of the U.S. Women's Open at Saucon Valley CC. "We're looking for someone until we get a new commissioner--in four or five months, or three or four months -- just to right the ship. Let's get us going right down the river, straight ahead. That's what we're looking for. We want to take our time and find the right person to take this job. And you can't do that on a whim."

Inkster praised Bivens' work ethic but acknowledged the commissioner's hard-driving style didn't always play well. "I think Carolyn got a bum rap right away because she's a woman in a man's world," Inkster said. "There's no doubt. In golf, even though you think it's a really big community, it's a small community. And she went in there kind of, 'This is the way we're going to do it,' instead of maybe taking a little softer approach. I don't she ever got the respect back, and I think that really hurt."

Inkster said the most important quality in an LPGA commissioner is the ability to foster relationships. "Any good organization, any good company, they have good relationships and they build on those relationships. I think maybe that's kind of where we've been struggling," said Inkster.

-- Bill Fields