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'Ideal Job': Former WFU player running ladies tour
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Published: April 13, 2009
Updated: 04/13/2009 12:10 am
AUGUSTA, Ga. - When Alexandra Armas arrived from Spain in 1994 to play golf at Wake Forest, she was a shy 17-year-old.
But she blossomed socially and her golf game improved, becoming good enough to become a three-time all-conference player by the time she graduated in 1998.
She tried playing professionally for a few years, but has found her calling as the commissioner of the Ladies European Tour. She's in her fourth year of running the tour, and says that her shyness is long gone.
Armas, 33, is constantly promoting the Ladies European Tour and, because she played on that tour for about four years, really wants it to succeed.
"I understand things a lot more because I played on the tour and played in college," said Armas, who was at the Masters last week for the first time as an invited guest. "You understand what the promoters want, the players want, and with being there and traveling around it has given me a good perspective."
In 1995 Armas was part of the best women's team in Wake Forest history that included Stephanie Neill-Harder, Laura Philo-Diaz, Kim Marshall and Victoria Borson. That season they finished a school-best third in the NCAA Championship and Armas, who was the ACC freshman of the year, finished ninth at the NCAAs.
The Deacons also won the ACC Championship in 1995. Armas shot a 75 in the first round, but had to withdraw because of an injury and missed the final two rounds.
After graduating from Wake Forest she went to London to earn an MBA, then made it to the Ladies European Tour. She got heavily involved with the inner workings of the tour, and then was named its commissioner in August of 2005.
She graduated from Wake Forest with an economics degree, and that has come in handy as she tries to keep the tour viable during the worldwide economic slowdown.
"When I was playing on that tour an opportunity came up and I was an economics major at Wake and it worked out," Armas said. "I thought it was an ideal job for me."
This year the tour boasts 26 tournaments with a combined $15 million in prize money. The tour works in conjunction with the LPGA Tour in the Avian Masters and the Women's British Open.
"Women's golf has had a good stretch and we've increased the number of tournaments and have made good progress," Armas said.
The Ladies European Tour has a wide array of players with 25 different nationalities, including some American players. The tour travels to 23 different countries to play tournaments, something that keeps Armas on the move.
"My mission is to make the Ladies European Tour as big as the LPGA Tour," Armas said. "We just want to keep our tour growing.
"We know how good our tour is and how good our players are. We know how exciting our sport is, and we want to bring that to the public."
Just because Armas is around golf doesn't mean that she plays that often anymore. She says she has played about six times since taking over the Ladies European Tour.
Because Armas isn't that far removed from her playing days, she said wants the tour to continue to thrive.
"I've got a lot of friends on the tour and I want to see it succeed,'' she said, "so I'm more emotionally involved."
Finchem praises Wyndham
While this year's PGA Tour schedule is secure, the 2010 schedule could undergo some serious shuffling, depending on sponsors and the economy.
It's no secret that the Wyndham Championship at Sedgefield Country Club is hoping for a better date than it's current one in mid-August. It's the final regular-season stop for the FedEx Cup points race, but a move to the spring could be in the works.
Tim Finchem, the PGA Tour commissioner, said he has been impressed with how the Wyndham has evolved.
"I think they've done just about everything they can do right," Finchem said. "It's a good group of people who have worked really hard. We're excited about the golf course move and it's a step in the right direction."
Finchem says that one of the benefits that the Wyndham has is a committed sponsor.
"The operations have improved and they have an enlightened title sponsor in Wyndham because they are involved and are pushing the tournament to be a better and better event," Finchem said.
The Wyndham, when it was called the Greater Greensboro Open, used to be held in the spring around the Masters.
"We always thought it was a little early in the schedule," Finchem said about possible going to the week before the Masters. "But the schedule is a function of so many variables it's hard to stipulate where one tournament might be down the road. We'll continue to look at the best possibilities."
Around the green
The Greater Hickory Classic at Rock Barn is looking for volunteers for this year's tournament that's scheduled for Sept. 18-20. Several areas of the tournament's operation are needed. Applications are available at the tournament office or at www.greaterhickoryclassic.com or by calling Sara Waugh at 828-459-4000….
Wake Forest helped its drive to make the NCAA regionals by finishing third at the River Landing Tournament in Wallace. Four Deacons -- Dustin Groves, Brendan Gielow, Lee Bedford and Daniel Meggs -- finished in the top 20. Duke won the tournament, with N.C. State finishing second. "We made a lot of birdies and we continued to improve, which is what we need to do heading into the ACCs and the regionals," Coach Jerry Haas said.
The ACC Championships will start Friday at the Old North State Club at Uwharrie Point.
■ John Dell can be reached at 727-4081 or at jdell@wsjournal.com.
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