(ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla.) – Mike Whan, Commissioner of the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA), has been named Chairman of the World Golf Foundation’s Board of Directors for 2013. Whan succeeds Mike Davis, the Executive Director of the United States Golf Association (USGA), who served as the 2012 Board Chairman.
Whan is the eighth commissioner of the LPGA, one of the longest-running and most successful women’s sports organizations in the world. He assumed the leadership role at the LPGA on January 4, 2010 with an eye toward enhancing business relationships, increasing exposure for the players and maximizing the LPGA experience for fans.
“I’m honored to even be a member of the World Golf Foundation,” said Mike Whan, Commissioner of the LPGA. “It’s exciting to see the leaders throughout our sport come together for the benefit of the game and I look forward to working with everyone on this collaborative effort. Making golf bigger and better is a priority for all of us.”
“Mike’s extensive knowledge and leadership in the golf industry will benefit our mission of supporting the growth of the game worldwide,” said Steve Mona, Chief Executive Officer of the World Golf Foundation. “Mike’s high-energy style is infectious, and we look forward to his leadership in 2013.”
In addition to Whan and Davis, the other World Golf Foundation Board members are Jim Armstrong, Executive Director of The Masters Tournament Foundation; Peter Bevacqua, Chief Executive Officer of the PGA of America; Peter Dawson, Chief Executive of The R&A; Tim Finchem, Commissioner of the PGA TOUR and George O’Grady, Chief Executive of the PGA European Tour. Chris Normyle, Manager, Sponsorships and Events of the Shell Oil Company, also serves on the WGF Board as a representative of the WGF’s Founding Partner.
About World Golf Foundation
The World Golf Foundation (WGF) is a nonprofit organization that develops and supports initiatives that positively impact lives through the game of golf and its traditional values. The Foundation, which was founded in 1993 and is supported by major international golf organizations and professional Tours, provides oversight to World Golf Hall of Fame & Museum, The First Tee, GOLF 20/20 and other industry initiatives in support of its mission. As sole founding partner of the World Golf Foundation, Shell Oil Company provides financial support and plays a lead role in charitable initiatives aimed at introducing golf to young people, and through the golf experience promotes scholastic achievement, community service and those values intrinsic to the game of golf: honesty, integrity and sportsmanship.
For more information about the WGF, visit www.worldgolffoundation.org.
About The LPGA
The Ladies Professional Golf Association is one of the longest-running women’s professional sports associations in the world. Founded in 1950, the organization has grown from its roots as a playing tour into a non-profit organization involved in every facet of golf. The LPGA Tour and the LPGA Teaching & Club Professionals (T&CP) comprise the backbone of what has become the premier women’s professional sports organization in the world today. The LPGA maintains a strong focus on charity through: its tournaments; its grassroots junior and women’s programs; its affiliation with Susan G. Komen For The Cure; and the formation of The LPGA Foundation. The LPGA is under the guidance of Commissioner Michael Whan and is headquartered in Daytona Beach, Fla.
For more information about the LPGA, go to www.lpga.com.
