[Phantom Lord]

Aside from there being a PGA and an LPGA, women do NOT have the ability to compete on the PGA Tour. They flat out do not have the physical strength to compete on the courses on the PGA Tour.

Lets look at hard numbers. The avg. length of an LPGA course is 6,200 to 6,300 yards. The avg. PGA Tour course is @ 7,000.

The avg driving distance on the LPGA is 248 yards. The leader in driving distance on the LPGA is Akiko Fukushima at 269 yards.

The SHORTEST driver on the PGA Tour is Pete Jordan and he avgs. 257.8 yards. While John Daly leads at 305 yards and the PGA Tour driving distance avg. is 280 yards.

The best of the best on the PGA, Annika Sorenstam, Se Ri Pak, Karrie Webb, etc... could not compete on the PGA Tour solely because of their lack of length and the length of PGA Tour courses. Many par 4's and Par 5's will have 250 yard plus carries off the tee.

But if the ladies want to start competing on the PGA, then they better not bitch when some BUY.com Tour guys start entering LPGA tour events and kick their asses.

[Phantom Lord]

Also, follow the link and there is a poll by the article asking if she should play or not. Yes is leading.

[RAT Patrol]

Okay. Now let all the men who aren't quite good enough to qualify for the PGA start competing on the LPGA and snatching some of those prizes. Bet the ladies want this to work only one direction.

[ravinson]

Aside from there being a PGA and an LPGA, women do NOT have the ability to compete on the PGA Tour. They flat out do not have the physical strength to compete on the courses on the PGA Tour.

She's not going to win, but I bet she'll beat a few men if she enters. Her average drives are 230 yards, which is long enough to reach all of the greens in regulation at the short TPC at River Highlands course -- and her husband is the director of golf there so she will be much more familiar with the course than many touring pros.

But if the ladies want to start competing on the PGA, then they better not bitch when some BUY.com Tour guys start entering LPGA tour events and kick their asses.

Being a male is not a requirement for entering a PGA event, whereas being a female is a requirement for LPGA events (as implied by the name "Ladies Professional Golf Association").

It would be interesting to see a competition between LPGA players and PGA players on a pitch and putt course. I think the men would still dominate because I believe that there is more to their golf superiority than just strength. Women feel better but men have a better feel for sporting events.

[Lou L]

Clearly, if she plays in the PGA event and is competitive; i.e., makes the cut, it'll be see as a great victory for women.

However, if she plays in the PGA event, finishes near the bottom, and never sees the weekend--what will the spin be?

[Balata]

As long as she plays from the same tees what does it matter? However, I doubt she would make the cut.

[deport]

Interesting article... I saw a clip on The Golf Channel about it. Whaley played from forward tees that were on average some 10% shorter than the ones the men played from. Whaley made a come from behind win when the leader crashed and burned....

Whaley started the day two strokes behind Bob Mucha, then fell three back when Mucha birdied the No. 10 hole. Mucha then made three bogeys and a double bogey over the final six holes to finish second with a 213.

Whaley made her move on No. 16 with a birdie on the 430-yard par-4 hole, dropping a 30-foot putt after hitting a 7-wood approach shot.

[patent]

Aside from there being a PGA and an LPGA, women do NOT have the ability to compete on the PGA Tour. They flat out do not have the physical strength to compete on the courses on the PGA Tour.

Who cares?

Neither do I, but you can bet everything you own that if I qualified for a PGA tournament by some stroke of luck I would sure go play in the tournament.

If women truly can’t compete then a competitive qualification process will keep them out. This woman won that though, so she should go play.

patent  +AMDG

[my_pointy_head_is_sharp]

If women golfers want to play with the men, they need to put on long pants! What's with the shorts?? Most women golfers are ugly, and seriously need to cover up.

[wi jd]

Suzy said "It would be an insult for me to even think I could beat Tiger Woods or Phil Mickelson."

Can Phil beat Tiger?

[mdittmar]

Is she cute?

[Grampa7030]

I say congratulations and best wishes. My only regret is I don't have the talent to qualify myself. I agree that she will not be competitive and will surely miss the cut by a wide margin. But she gets to play a great course in front of a large audience and take her shots. She qualified legitimately so I see no problem here. There is no guarantee, the 2nd place finisher in the qualifier would do any better. I think the top women have a hard time finding competition at the local level and that is why you see them occasionally enter men's events. It really is not a problem.

[Trajan88]

Is golf a sport? In other words... who cares!

I know I don't. MLB and the NFL are in full swing. YES!

Trajan88; TAMU Class of '88; Law Hall (may it R.I.P.) Ramp 9 Mule.

[southernnorthcarolina]

I have no problem with a woman playing in a PGA event...

BUT...

You can't have it both ways.

Go the unisex route if that's what you really want. Allow men and women to enter, attempt to qualify, and play in both PGA and LPGA events. Or, keep to gender-specific events. Pick one. But it's illogical and unfair to allow a woman to enter a male PGA event, without allowing a man to enter an LPGA event.

[RightWhale]

Odds are she won't finish high in the standings. But drive distance isn't everything. She might lose a few strokes because of that and if the rest is okay finish in the pack. Let her play, bet she is a great golfer.

[oldvike]

No way can a woman be competitive from the back tees at a PGA event. Never. Sorry ladies.