Report: LPGA commissioner agreeable to buyout

BETHLEHEM, Pa. – LPGA commissioner Carolyn Bivens reportedly is agreeable to a buyout of the final two years of her contract amid calls for her resignation by key players.

Sports Business Daily cited sources on its Web site Thursday that the LPGA Tour board has authorized a golf industry executive to contact potential candidates to replace Bivens.

The sports trade daily reports the tour’s board was not actively negotiating a buyout, but talks are expected to begin soon and could be completed in a week.

A faction of players has sent a letter to the board seeking Bivens’ ouster. The group says the tour’s problems can’t be blamed on a poor economy and a new leader is needed.