Won and done(Vijay Singh wins Byron Nelson)-(Tears o'Martha Burke Alert)

Fort Worth Startlegram ^ | 5/19/03 | Gil Lebreton

[Diddle E. Squat]

Hahahahahaha.

[Diddle E. Squat]

Rumor has it that corporate sponsors are pressuring the Westminster Dog Show to allow Martha Burke's and Maureen Dowd's cats to compete.

[Blueflag]

Not being a serious golfer, this is a sincere question.

Will she be required to hit from the men's tournament tees?

[Mister Baredog]

By next week it will all be over, personally I think anyone who has won as many tournaments as she has DOES deserve a sponsers exemption, and B of A is getting what they're paying for, tons of press, after all it's the advertisers that pay for the whole thing. I'll be watching.

[Cincinatus]

Yes.

[TontoKowalski]

Yes, she will hit from the same tees, and play the same rules as the men.

As an aside, this is not always the case when men and women play together professionally.

I marshalled a mixed professional tourament at Pebble Beach several years ago. PGA Tour players hit from the Championship Tees, Seniors hit from the Whites, and Women hit from the Reds.

The year I marshalled, Robert Gamez (I think that's the spelling) won, but the year prior, Juli Inkster, who grew up nearby, won.

That was my first time to see women professionals. It was actually inspiring for a middle-of-the-pack amature. When you see the men routinely drive the ball 300+ yards on a tight course, I thought, "I'll never be able to do that." But watching the much-shorter-hitting women score very well makes me think I could score that well if I worked on my iron game and short game.

[Cedric]

My son is a professional golfer {grew-up playing against Tiger Woods} and he knows many aspiring male golfers, young and old, who have sacrificed untold time and money, damaged non-golf careers and personal relationships and marriages to pursue their golf dreams. When the chick tees it up at Colonial, just remember there's 100 divorced guys with three mortgages on their houses, driving a beat-up jalopies who would crawl to Texas if given a sponsors exemption for this tournament. Oh, and by the way, every one of them could beat Annika with just a 5 iron and a putter!

[blau993]

Yes

[Cincinatus]

When the chick tees it up at Colonial, just remember there's 100 divorced guys with three mortgages on their houses, driving a beat-up jalopies who would crawl to Texas if given a sponsors exemption for this tournament

Give me a break -- nobody forces anybody to live the life of a journeyman pro. If they choose to take that risk, more power to them. But Annika isn't taking bread out of their children's mouths. If they can't hack it on the bush-league tours, maybe they should seek a new line of work.

And sponsor's exemptions are for the sponsor to do with as they see fit -- usually, they're used to invite some has-been golfer from an earlier Golden Age to come and compete so that tournament attendees can get a close-up look at them. In any event, they are merely gate-enhancements. This time, they've found a new attraction for the sideshow.

[VRWCmember]

Oh, and by the way, every one of them could beat Annika with just a 5 iron and a putter!

If they could beat Annika with just a 5 iron and a putter, they wouldn't need a sponsor's exemption -- they would qualify for the tournament on their performance.

[dmz]

why should I give a %$#^ about the 100 guys who aren't good enough to play in the tournie? Apparently she has kicked major %^& in the LPGA, and some sponsor thought it would help their bottom line to give her an exemption. Sounds like your issue is with the sponsor.

like any of the 100 guys you're talking about would give up their exemption because some other guy was more deserving. yea, right.

[VRWCmember]

Price also objects, however, to Sorenstam being handed one of the sponsor's exemptions. The precious few spots should go to golfers who have earned them, preferably on the same field of play.

The author blew it with this line. Sponsor's exemptions are not earned, they are given to people who otherwise did not qualify for the tournament, but who the sponsors believe will add interest to the tournament. She isn't taking someone else's spot.

[TomB]

Rumor has it that corporate sponsors are pressuring the Westminster Dog Show to allow Martha Burke's and Maureen Dowd's cats to compete.

Why not just allow Burke and Dowd to compete?

Oooops! Never mind. I just realized they're already eligible.

[Labyrinthos]

...and play the same rules as the men.

Does that mean she has to wear long pants?

[Cedric]

Obviously, neither of you have a clue what you're talking about. The male pro golfers I described are so superior to even the best women golfers, I stand by my statement. As they say on Tour, "The most underestimated golfer in the world is ever PGA touring pro." That's how good these guys are. Remember how the great Michael Jordan thought he was gonna just waltz out onto the Tour and win? It has ever been thus! And, no they don't give sponsor's exemptions to "has-beens". Check the tee times and pairings before you make such stupid statements.

[Cedric]

why should I give a %$#^ about the 100 guys who aren't good enough to play in the tournie....

Because every one of them is vastly superior to Annika!

[Cedric]

BTW, Ann Myers was once the greatest women's basketball player. So the Indiana Pacers invited her to try-out. If you look closely you can still see "Spalding" on her forehead!

[TontoKowalski]

Does that mean she has to wear long pants?

That's an interesting question. I think that long pants are a PGA Tour rule. This is a PGA Tour event. One would think she'd comply.

[Cincinatus]

I stand by my statement

Nitwits usually do.

As to your earlier point, that Annika is depriving some "deserving" second-stringer of food and clothing, is simply wrong -- a tournament sponsor can give out exemptions to anyone they please. And it pleases them to give one to Annika. So rant on, for all the good it'll do.

[dmz]

not near enough to make me care...they obviously cannot compete with the guys on the tour, or else they'd (stay with me here) be on the tour.

Annika brings something else to the table...you make the naive assumption that it's about the golf. If those guys had something marketable like she does, someone would give them an exemption, but alas, they do not.

you still seem to miss the point that your issue is with the sponsor, not Annika. She'd be stupid to turn it down.