Former Rear Admiral Marsha Evans takes over

at helm of LPGA as acting commissioner

Marsha Evans will take over as acting commissioner while the LPGA Tour looks for a replacement for Carolyn Bivens.

Bivens, whose tenure began in 2005, came under pressure when some leading players wrote a letter to the LPGA Tour's board of directors calling for her resignation. The LPGA Tour announced her departure today.

Evans served on the LPGA commissioner's advisory council in 2007 and 2008, and began serving on the board this year. She is a former Naval officer who reached the rank of rear admiral.

The LPGA will now begin searching for a full-time commissioner. The organisation also has appointed former star Annika Sorenstam as an adviser to the board or directors.

"I think Carolyn has done a lot of great things for our tour and I think she worked really hard," said Juli Inkster, one of the experienced players present at the 'let's-get-rid-of-Bivens' meeting. "But some of the things she tried just didn't work. Whether it's her fault or not, it just wasn't working."
The tour has lost seven tournaments since 2007.
"We're a global tour," Inkster said. "I'd really like to see us get back to playing more tournaments here in the United States and then go overseas."