ANA Inspiration making final plans

When the ANA Inspiration was played in the desert last April, the first time the event had been contested under new sponsor All Nippon Airways, the signatures on the sponsorship agreement with the LPGA were barely dry.

ANA's leadership was getting to know about the tournament, its history and the Dinah Shore Tournament Course at Mission Hills Country Club. The LPGA was getting to know about ANA and what it wanted in a tournament. International Management Group, which holds the contract to conduct the desert major with the LPGA, was getting to know ANA as well.

There was certainly a presence for ANA at the tournament last year, including Japanese drummers on the 18th hole during the presentation ceremony for champion Brittany Lincicome. But it certainly wasn’t the depth of presence that ANA could have had at the event if they had been named the new sponsor a full year before the tournament rather than just four months.

Now ANA and IMG have had that full year to be in place. As the ANA Inspiration gets closer (it’s just six weeks away), it’s a certainty that ANA will have more of an obvious presence at the 2016 tournament and will have more of a say in how the Japanese company can use the LPGA and its first major championship of the year to market its brand.

DESERT SUN

Addition of ANA breathes life into valley LPGA event

Just what that will look like and how the tournament will go about marketing itself this year was part of the subject matter as ANA, IMG and LPGA officials gathered at Mission Hills Country Club for meetings this week. Much of the heavy work for the tournament is already done, of course, but that doesn’t mean that everything planned can’t be looked at and tweaked in the coming weeks.

There are a few things that clearly had to be addressed from last year’s tournament. First, too few people really understood what ANA was when the tournament began. There were still plenty of people at the end of the event calling the tournament the “Ana,” not the A-N-A. A greater acknowledgment of who is the sponsor will be nice for 2016.

Another question might be why, despite the fact the tournament had a new sponsorship and a secure future with a five-year deal, there didn’t seem to be as many fans on the golf course last year. That seemed to be particularly true during Saturday’s third round, when some tournament officials were not subtle in their amazement at the lack of fans.

The tournament does have a few strong marketing points for 2016, beyond the fact that the event is a major championship. The top three finishers in the tournament last year were Americans, with Lincicome beating Stacy Lewis in a three-hole playoff and Morgan Pressel finishing third. It has the most cherished tradition on the LPGA, the champions leap into Poppie’s Pond. And it is entering the second year of a five-year deal with ANA, part of the long-term strategy by Commissioner Mike Whan to secure and stabilize the tour’s five major championships.

DESERT SUN

Brittany Lincicome survives record playoff for ANA title

Most fans only care about the competition and the names at the top of the leader board when Sunday afternoon rolls around, and maybe getting a chance to see some big names in the first two rounds before cut day. But there are important subjects to be addressed before the tournament, and that’s what the LPGA and ANA were doing in the desert this week, trying to make sure the 2016 event is bigger and better for everyone than 2015.