LPGA’s Farr tourney may not return

SYLVANIA (AP) — The Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic may be the next LPGA tournament to miss the cut.

The Farr, named for the actor who played a reluctant corporal on the classic TV series “M.A.S.H.”, is being played for the 25th time — and possibly last — this week at Highland Meadows Golf Club in suburban Toledo.

“I don’t know what the intricate details are, they’ll have to figure those out,” Jamie Farr said Wednesday before hurrying out to play the pro-am. “We have a 50-50 chance of being here next year.”

The Farr’s $1.4 million purse is among the smallest on the LPGA tour. In tough economic times, tournament officials have pared between $450,000 and $500,000 this year from an already bare-bones budget. The contract with the title sponsor expires after this tournament.

The LPGA had 34 events last year and that number is falling.

Organizers of the two-year-old Kapalua LPGA Classic in Hawaii announced Tuesday that financial problems would cause them to pull out of the last four years of their contract with the tour. LPGA officials threatened to pursue “legal remedies.”

The LPGA Corning Classic in Corning, N.Y., ended in May after 31 years when its title sponsor called it quits. Along with the Farr, the Michelob Ultra Open’s future in Williamsburg, Va., is also uncertain.

Farr tournament director Judd Silverman remains upbeat.

“I’m very optimistic. We’ve been in this position several times before through our 25 years where we’ve had to negotiate new contracts,” he said on the eve of the opening round. “We’re going to roll up our sleeves with the LPGA and both parties are going to have to work hard to find a livable business model during some very tough economic times.”

Over its history, the tournament has donated $6.2 million to about 100 charities.