Post by philknj on Aug 14, 2018 3:26:09 GMT
Beth Ann Nichols' article (above) has several interesting facts and anecdotes about the gear situation on the LPGA tour, but her "discrimination spin" regarding Winbee is unsubstantiated. It seems that Park's looper Brad Beecher contacted TM two months ago and asked for replacements of her TM fairway woods & hybrids and was denied new freebies because she wasn't gaming a TM driver. That's not an unreasonable policy, IMHO. I was hoping Ms. Baldry would cite the exact same circumstances and outcome for a PGA Tour player, but she didn't...wonder why? 
The most surprising item in the article is Marina Alex saying that TM does not have a rep on the road for the LPGA tour in 2018. Unfortunately, I got down to AC later than normal this year and couldn't confirm that as all the gear vans and reps had already departed. Still a shocker though, because I remember the TM rep being the hardest worker on the range...about 3-4 years ago I recall him getting on his phone and making a detailed gear order/delivery for Jenny Suh! No disrespect to Jenny, but she was at the bottom of the food chain and this guy was giving her first-class service.
I don't know what to make of Mo Martin. There's no one around anymore if she needs TM to service her M2 driver, but she probably drove the TM rep nuts for years by playing a decrepit TM R1 driver through the end of 2015. Should we feel bad for her that she spent her own dough for Epon wedges?! Epon???! Maybe they have a rep on the JLPGA tour, but who's gonna giver her Epon freebies over here?
One brand conspicuously absent from the article was Titleist/FootJoy/Vokey. It's rep, Ann Cain, blankets the LPGA with stuff, which I assume is free...see her Twitter feed. I saw her wheel a wagon of goodies to the range at Bedminster last year where she got Lucky 6's ball and glove ('M' size) order. Karrie Webb is worried about running out of balls, now that she off-contract from Srixon and Bridgestone...who is stopping her from checking out the Number One guys for balls?
