It was a unanimous vote by the executive committee. It was 100 percent. It didn't take five seconds to vote.

The LPGA is extremely proud to support the Special Olympics Golf National Invitational Tournament. Our players are as committed to giving back to charitable causes when away from the golf course as they are to their performances on the course. The Special Olympics Golf NIT is such an incredible event, and I am sure that our four teaching and club Professional members, as well as honorary chairperson Beth Bader, will find it a rewarding and inspiring experience.

The opportunity for the returning champions is something that is cheered by the Tour, and I think it's going to add a wonderful dimension.

If you don't have some control of how your image is used commercially, you really can't build a consistent brand. You're not a good steward. And for 55 years we never asserted any rights to that. In order to more consistently build our brand, we have to have control over the commercial use.

From a marketing standpoint that means we have the opportunity to appeal to a wide audience and different targets. That's the opportunity.

For the first time, we enter the year with more than 100 international players on the tour. We represent just about every continent and an awful lot of countries. For the first time that I can remember in women's sports, you can be who you are as long as you're good and you can be who you are and still be accepted.