You could say Ty Votaw got the seven-year itch earlier this year when he decided to relinquish his position as commissioner of the LPGA. Or was it a 15-year itch?

Either way, Carolyn Vesper Bivens will become the tour's seventh commissioner effective July 18. Votaw will remain on board during the transition period through early September.

Votaw, 43, began with the LPGA as general counsel in 1991, and became its commissioner at age 37 in 1999.

The Greenford, Ohio, native - who graduated from Ohio University in 1984 and received his law degree from the University of North Carolina in 1987 - said he felt it was time to move on.

"At the end of 2005, I will have spent two-thirds of my adult life with the LPGA," Votaw said. "That was a stark realization in my mind that I had spent a long time here, and that time had flown by. I said to myself, 'If that's the investment, what are the results of that investment?'

"I thought this might be a good time for me to look at another chapter of my life. I felt very good about being able to say that I will be leaving the LPGA in a better place than which I found it."

The question now is where he will wind up. Votaw has several options to consider, but those remain on his "back burner" until he exits in September.

As for his commissionership, Votaw gets high marks.

During his seven-year reign the LPGA has generated $278 million in prize money for its players. During the prior seven years (1992-98), the total was $170 million. The tour made this climb under Votaw despite a poor national economic atmosphere for most of this time.

Beyond the financial success, Votaw's proudest accomplishment since 1999 was the organizational summit that took place in 2002, when all LPGA players gathered for three days to be briefed on the tour's five-year business plan. They were advised on what they could do individually to make their collective product more marketable.

"These are a collection of 144 independent contractors," Votaw said. "There is a lot of individuality and there's a lot of 'me think' out there. One of the great things that came out of the summit was a greater realization that 'we think' has to take place within the organization for it to continue to differentiate itself in this marketplace.

"The players buy into our strategic plan in terms of the five points of celebrity and putting the fans first. Our attendance, our television viewership, our prize money - all of those things have been on the upward trend, and I give the players all of the credit for that."

PINK PANTHER: Owens Corning has extended its title sponsorship for one year through the 2006 Farr Classic, tournament director Judd Silverman said yesterday.

"We're delighted to have Owens Corning continue its generous support," Silverman said. "They create the foundation through which we build this tournament and realize so many proceeds for local children's charities."

EALEY, OF COURSE: The results of yesterday's Dana Celebrity/LPGA Challenge didn't surprise Silverman, who played with host Jamie Farr and pro Brittany Lang on the team that finished second.

"I should have known, because Chuck Ealey never loses in Toledo," cracked Silverman, whose team finished 2-under.

Ealey, the former University of Toledo quarterback who led the Rockets to 35 straight wins from 1969-71, joined U.S. Women's Open champion Birdie Kim to win the six-hole partner event at 3-under.

But it was the third member of that team, Angie Sparagowski, who made the difference. The reigning district junior player of the year drilled a 40-foot birdie putt on the last hole, No. 18, for the winning margin.

Other team scores: Natalie Gulbis-Ben Roethlisberger-Mike Burns, 1-under; Kris Tschetter-Jim Kelly-Bruce Macaulay, even par; Jill McGill-Dan Cummins-John Powers, even par; Angela Jerman-Brad Fanning-Jim Murray, 3-over.

HOT 'N' DRY: Recent weather will likely prevent Highland Meadows from playing as difficult as it did a year ago, when Meg Mallon's total of 7-under was the highest winning score, in relation to par, in a dozen years.

Only 19 LPGA players broke par over four rounds on a Meadows course that featured higher rough and firmer, faster greens than perhaps ever before.

"We had ideal growing conditions last year with perfect temperatures and lots of rainfall," said course superintendent Mark Mixdorf, who does not have the luxury of an off-fairway watering system. "This year, it's been very, very hot with low rainfall, so the fairway rough hasn't grown much and is not going to be as penal.

"For the same reason, we might not be able to get the greens as firm. It will require a lot more water to keep everything growing and healthy, so it will be tough to firm them up."

First Published July 6, 2005, 9:39 a.m.