Short Shots

Kansas Golf Foundation names new board
The Kansas Golf Association’s Senior Player of the Year for 2009 will lead the Kansas Golf

Foundation in 2010. Mission Hills’ Bryan Norton has been named president as the new KGF board has been announced.
   Joining the two-time Kansas Amateur champion Norton on the board will be Eric Sexton, Wichita – Secretary-Treasurer; Brian Boston, Hutchinson; Jeff Burey, Hutchinson; and Craig Jorgensen, Lenexa. Advisory directors for 2010 are Larry Barrett, Bob Burris, Gary Conover, Sean Dougherty and Bill Knox.
   The board has approved building a new KGF website for 2010. It could be launched as early as December, according to one KGF official. The Foundation also plans its annual golf marathon and tee time auction fundraisers in 2010.

U.S. Women’s Open invites volunteers
   The 66^th U.S. Women’s Open is coming to The Broadmoor, July 4-10, 2011. More than 900 people have registered to volunteer already. The Women’s Open would like to invite members of the Kansas Golf Association to sign up and reserve their first choice committee.
   The U.S. Women’s Open is the national championship of women’s golf. The championship

expects to draw more than 125,000 spectators, 3,000-plus volunteers and will feature live television coverage from ESPN and NBC Sports. World No. 1 Lorena Ochoa, Paula Creamer, Cristie Kerr, Natalie Gulbis and Juli Inkster will lead the field of 156 players from around the world. The 2011 U.S. Women’s Open will be the seventh USGA Championship staged at the Broadmoor.
   For more information and to apply online visit www.2011uswomensopen.com or call Laura Caleal in the Championship Office at (719) 471-6493. Make sure to stay up-to-date on all of the latest championship information at www.2011uswomensopen.com. You can also become a fan of the 2011 U.S. Women’s Open on Facebook.

Kansas City course owner indicted on water charge
   The owner of Staley Farms Golf Club in the Northland has been indicted on a felony charge of theft in the loss of millions of gallons of Kansas City water, according to a report earlier this month in The Kansas City Star.
   Marty Ostronic, 42, pleaded not guilty (Nov. 5) to the Class C felony charge issued by a Clay County grand jury. Ostronic was released on his own recognizance and an attorney for Ostronic could not be reached for comment, the report stated.
   Jim Roberts, a spokesman for Clay County Prosecutor Daniel White, said a felony conviction could carry a penalty of up to seven years in prison and a fine of up to $5,000. Last year, utility officials said they removed an unauthorized valve on a water line near the golf course that had been used to eventually divert water to a pond used for irrigation. Millions of gallons in treated city water were lost and un-metered, city officials told reporters.
   Staley Farms is a private golf club in a large subdivision of expensive homes, some topping $500,000. According to The Star, in 2008, the Kansas City Water Services Department placed a lien on the golf course, saying it owed $1.6 million for city water and other fees. Later the city agreed to settle its claim against Premier Golf Missouri, which operated the course, for $251,400, although the golf club declared bankruptcy in September.

Whan to lead LPGA
   The LPGA Board of Directors has named Michael Whan the LPGA’s new commissioner. Whan, most recently president and chief executive officer of Mission-Itech Hockey, has a personal and professional background in golf, including serving as executive vice president and general

manager (North American Region) for TaylorMade-adidas Golf.
   The appointment follows an extensive three-month international search led by a search committee comprised of LPGA Board player members Juli Inkster and Helen Alfredsson along with fellow LPGA Board members Bill Morton and Leslie Greis, who chaired the committee.
   “We established very strict criteria for the position of commissioner and Mike impressed us not only with his background and intellect but also his passion for golf,” Hudson said. “I commend the search committee for their exhaustive work and commitment, and we look forward to the months and years ahead with Mike as our commissioner. We also owe a great debt of gratitude to acting commissioner Marty Evans. Her success over the past three months during a potentially difficult transition period not only allowed the search committee time to conduct a thorough search but also has provided our new commissioner with positive momentum and a revitalized platform upon which to grow the LPGA in the sports and business marketplace.”
   Evans will work with Whan during a transition period before he officially assumes the commissioner helm in January 2010. Both Whan and Evans will attend the LPGA Tour Championship Presented by Rolex this week in Houston, where a player meeting will be held and the 2010 LPGA season schedule will be released.
   “It is rare to work for an organization that combines all the passions in your life, but with the LPGA, I feel I’ve been presented with the unique opportunity to do just that,” Whan said. “First, this is an association surrounded by passionate, value-driven people. Second, I’m energized by brand building and the work involved in marketing and growing a sport. Third, I simply love the game of golf—both the life lessons it teaches and the friendships it helps create.”
   Whan, 44, started his business career at Procter & Gamble in 1987, rising within the ranks as a brand assistant, brand manager and eventually director of marketing, oral care, before branching out to follow his passion for sports. In 1994-95, he served as a vice president and general manager at the Wilson Sporting Goods Co. responsible for all aspects of the golf ball and glove business. He also managed the marketing department, two manufacturing facilities and the research and development division.
   At TaylorMade, Whan started as vice president of marketing and over the course of his four-year tenure was promoted to vice president, sales and marketing and eventually EVP/general manager-North America for TaylorMade-adidas Golf. In his role as general manager, Whan’s business unit represented more than 70 percent of the company’s worldwide sales and profit.
   Whan served as president/chief marketing officer for Britesmile Inc., from 1999-2002, before returning to sports at Mission Hockey, a hockey equipment company. During his seven-year tenure in the hockey business, he restructured and redefined the company, then acquired Itech Sports to create Mission-Itech Hockey. When Whan finalized the sale of Mission-Itech Hockey late last year, it commanded market share leadership in nine product categories, sales in more than 30 countries and had more than 50 percent of the NHL players using the brands.
   Whan will serve as the LPGA’s eighth Commissioner. He and his wife, Meg, and his three children, currently live in California and will relocate to Florida, home of the LPGA Headquarters, next year.