She can play golf with me anytime she wants
Posted on 05/26/2003 7:43:52 PM PDT by Lando Lincoln
Okay, Now I'm Teed Off
The Unmitigated Gall -- Adam J. Bernay May 23, 2003
It amazes me. It just amazes me. Annika Sorenstam walks into a men's Professional Golf Association tournament, shoots one over par her first round, four over par her second round, which is tying for 95th place...and it is mega-news. Funny, I thought this was about allowing women to compete like the men do. When was the last time you heard national news about a golfer finishing that poorly?
Yes, I said poorly. She is in 95th place out of a field of around a hundred. Yes, that means she can golf far better than I can, probably better than just about every amateur golfer. But among the group she just wants to compete in like everyone else, she's near the bottom of the heap. So, why are we hearing about her?
How stupid can you be?, some of you are saying. She's the first woman to play in a men's pro golf tournament in almost sixty years! What are you, some sort of male chauvinist?
Nope. I'm not a sports fan, either. I'm just a person who thinks about things, and refuses to buy the hype. If this is about being able to compete with the big boys, fine...but we ought not to make a big deal over it if she can't place higher than 90th place. Afterall, how many of you -- other than golf fans -- have heard about Sergio Garcia or Tom Lehman? They played roughly as well as she did...but they are not getting the coverage. Maybe she's the best player on the LPGA tour. But this ain't the LPGA.
Now, let's turn the tables. If this is about the right to compete in a place appropriate to your abilities...how about Tom Lehman, who shot 73 -- two strokes worse than Ms. Sorenstam -- goes over and plays on the LPGA tour? There, he's obviously more competitive and might have a shot at winning tournaments ( His scorecard indicates he has not on the PGA tour).
I was tempted to call the LPGA to see how they'd feel about that. But not only was it a little late in the day at the writing of this column (5:53pm Eastern time, the LPGA offices are located in Florida), I doubted I'd get a constructive response. So, I popped onto the LPGA Website. According to their qualifying schools' eligibility requirements, "Entries are open to professional and amateur golfers who were female at birth." I guess that lets Tom out.
Isn't that gender discrimination? I would love to see a class action lawsuit by the bottom half of the PGA tour players against the LPGA. But that's not likely to happen.
Either the two professional golf associations are a major and a minor league -- in which case there's nothing wrong with Ms. Sorenstam playing in PGA tournaments, or men playing in LPGA tournaments...or one is a men's league and one is a women's league, and never the twain shall meet.
Either way, the attention being paid to Annika is all out of proportion.
She can play golf with me anytime she wants
He can answer that question by asking himself, why did he write this article?
Only ones restricted by the LPGA are men. For some strange reason they don't want men around them and they hammered this into their Charter. But they want to play with the all-men crowd in the PGA, that's just fine with them. Who'se kidding who around here? btw, the PGA wasn't termed the "M"PGA because when they formed in 1916 there was no thought that women would ever push to compete amongst men. Feminism did not exist, and professional inter-gender play wasn't even a passing notion. The PGA would no more have called itself the MPGA than historians would call "The Great War" World War One until a second World War occurred. The PGA originated as an association of male professional golfers, and it was taken for granted that it would remain as such.
What do you like about her? The roid look or the moustache? I'll play with Anna if she puts down her tennis racket.
Lots of reasons behind this gimmick. The LPGA is heading toward the toilet and I believe they think people will follow Annika back to that tour...I doubt it.
It works for the PGA too. Woods is having his longest layoff as a pro and they need to compensate.
No market for it. All of these comments indicating "tit for tat" is the way to go, miss a very important point. The PGA and LPGA are different entities. The fact that the PGA sometimes allows women to compete creates no commitment for the LPGA. It's like saying that Honda has to start making a pickup because Toyota makes a pickup. This publicity stunt made an event that, I'll guarantee you, NOBODY outside of the hardcore golfing world could have identified, into a top draw. As badly as those sponsors wanted her playing Sunday, I'm surprised you didn't see little Bugs Bunny arms coming out of the holes to grab her errant putts. Why? Because without her there, nobody but golf purists gave a d*mn about the Colonial. OTOH, having a man play in an LPGA event isn't going to create any interest. The decision to let Ms. Sorensten play was a business decision, just as the decision NOT to let men play in the LPGA is a business decision.
Although I do have to admit that it was funny watching one of the feminazis trying to explain that Annika didn't mean she wasn't good enough when she said she wasn't good enough, and that she didn't mean she was in over her head when she said she was in over her head.
I've asked this question rhetorically a couple of times, although I already know the answer. Shirley Muldowney has been a world champion drag racer, beating men to become the champion. As far as I have been able to tell, she is the only woman to enter a sport, compete on the exact same terms as men, and emerge a world champion. How come feminists never mention her? I think the reasons are:
1. She's a redneck
2. The redneck men told her, sure, go ahead and compete. Just be ready to play by the same rules as everyone else.
3. Feminism is about making special allowances for women, then pretending you aren't making special allowances.
4. Feminism is about coastal liberal b!tches, and most of them never heard of auto racing.
I personally believe that the PGA is having trouble this year. Tiger has only played six events, and like governmet, you've got to keep the revenue coming in. I also believe that it may have been a strategy to draw attention to the LPGA tour...will viewers follow Annika back to the LPGA...I doubt it.
The PGA will milk Tiger for all he's worth for the remainder of th year...look for him to win the three remaining majors.
Like I say, though, I don't follow golf at all. If golf is a rich man's game, I'm a bowling guy (shrug). For ten bucks, I get the lane, ball, shoes, and somebody else keeps score.
Whats wrong ? jealous ? seems to me men have forgotten one thing besides the fact she can play ! and regardless of weather you think it was a ploy for boosting profits or sales.
Its just a game regardless of how the media or small minded people see it. Its a game !
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