Organizers of tourney threaten to sue LPGA

GALLOWAY TOWNSHIP, N.J. (AP) -- Upset about an LPGA Tour schedule change, organizers of the ShopRite LPGA Classic are considering suing to keep the tournament's place on the tour calendar, event executive director Ruthie Harrison said Monday.
LPGA Tour officials announced earlier in the day that the $2.6 million Ginn Tribute Hosted by Annika Sorenstam will be played May 31-June 3 at RiverTowne Country Club in Mount Pleasant, S.C. That's the same weekend the ShopRite Classic has been held the past two years, and the one organizers planned on using through 2008.
"We believe that we have a binding agreement that ensures our date on the LPGA schedule through 2008, and we intend to take any and all steps, including legal action if necessary, to enforce that agreement," Harrison said.
Alternatives unacceptable
LPGA Tour officials had offered about a half-dozen other potential dates for the ShopRite, but organizers said they were unacceptable.
Two were in April, which they say is impractical because the Seaview Resort & amp; Spa course can't be ready in time because of winter weather. Another potential date was deemed unacceptable because it would put the event opposite the men's U.S. Open. A fourth would have sandwiched it between LPGA Tour stops in Mexico and California.
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