Other losers on LPGA circuit

It is small consolation to learn that the Giant Eagle LPGA Classic, which has been a Mahoning Valley event for 15 years, was not the only casualty in a shake-up of the LPGA schedule.
The traditional season-opener in Tucson, Ariz.; the Kellogg-Keebler Classic outside Chicago; the tournament in North Augusta, S.C., and the Wachovia Classic in Kutztown, Pa., also ended up on the LPGA scrap heap.
The LPGA, which is trying to build bigger purses and expand its international image, added two tournaments in Mexico and resurrected one in Hawaii. The opener will be in South Africa rather than Arizona.
We don't pretend to know the intricacies of professional golf. We do know that the tournament here was not without occasional internal conflicts and rivalries. And sometimes the weather hurt play and attendance. But we also know that the tournament was good for the area -- as a promotion and as a source of income for a variety of charities -- and that the area was good to the tournament and its players.
It's a shame that 15 years of history didn't help the Valley's classic to make the LPGA's cut.