I hadn't seen this discussed yet. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/golfonline/news/2003/05/12/singh_sorenstam_ap/ And it's not just Singh but other PGA golfers who are critical. Singh just didn't pull any punches. Seems that the MLS and WUSA do not have a monopoly when it comes to male-female contentiousness within their sport.
Singh has pretty much been an ass his whole life. Obviously Annika is there to sell tickets to the event and I am looking forward to seeing how she does.
I agree - for some reason to high fivin honkey golf fans Singh is popular. I guess they think his name is silly - or like the fact that he works so hard. But the man is despised in his own country. Pretty amazing to be a succesful athlete from an island nation - and not be liked there. As for Annika - I like what Mickelson said. "It's the PGA Tour, not the MENS PGA tour" Give her a chance. And the whole "its taking a spot from a man" thing is bull. Sure Vijay, Im sure you've always cared about all those dudes on the Nationwide Tour.
Hey, if she's shooting from the same tee's I say let her play. WTF..... If she finishes, say 20th, it really doesn't mean all that much. She hand picked this course to suit her game and she'll probably do quite well if the pressure doesn't get to her. All it means is that this lady's got game and she can play. Grow up Singh, and take your whoopin' like a man.
I think 20th would be an incredible feat. I don't see it happening though. I don't follow either tour that closely, but I can't imagine her distance off the tee is anywhere close to the mens'. Just making the cut would be a big accomplishment. And woe to any men who finish behind her. They'd never live it down! And that's the problem, I think. It puts that extra little bit of pressure on the men's players which they'd really just rather live without.
I think the cut last year for this tourney was 3 over par. I see Annika shooting 74 or 75 on Thursday and Friday. From what I have heard, media credential requests are six times what they were from last year. Annika has admitted that she does not like all the attention she is getting from this. I think the pressure from the media and the gallery will be intense and will definately play a factor into how she plays.
Well, I saw an interview with her and she talked about her stratedgy and the course. There aren't alot of holes where you need the monster drives to put yourself in good position, just well placed drives. And that along with her intermediate game is her strength. Like I said, if she can block out the pressure and distractions, I think she has a good chance at making the cut and placing well. I would love to see her do well and quiet all the blowhards like Singh up.
That seems to be the bigger problem. The notion that any guy that finishes lower than her should be ashamed. Why? Because they got beat by a girl? Like that's a big deal anymore. Is it any worse because they're professional players? Well, so is she.
Good article by Boswell in the Post about it... http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A47342-2003May12.html
I see where Vijay is coming from. If Annika doesn't use the invitation, they probably invite someone else in her place. The only way this is fair, is if any man could go play in the LPGA. Unless it is somewhat implied that Men play in the PGA and women play in the LPGA. Guess what is not going to be allowed to happen, a man will never play a LPGA event. Regardless, I think it will be fun to see how she does. She is the best the women's tour has to offer, so she should put up a good fight. I think she will barely miss the cut. She is going to be hitting 3 to 5 irons when the men are hitting their 6 to 8 irons. It is just going to be too much with all the pressure for her to overcome. That being said, I am rooting for her. I don't want to see the LPGA tour embarrased by her not making the cut or putting up a poor performance.
Why does Vijay care, so long as she's driving from the back tees? It's not like he's going to lose a spot. Let her play. If she beats Vijay, Sports Ill needs to put them both on the cover- her for her achievement and him for losing to her.
Some male golfer tried. The LPGA recently denied his application, I think. I'm sure he won't be the last.
Funny. There's "The World Cup" not the "Men's World Cup" but many women's soccer fans feel the need to describe it as the "men's."
She is allowed on the course because the sponsor invited her. As for her score, I just hope she beats that ahole Singh but I have always rooted for him to come in last every tournament just ahead of Scott Verplank. A few years back at the Kemper Open they invited Redskins QB Mark Rypien to play. I believe he broke 90 both days but not by much. Now, he had no business being on the course.
Memo to pro athlete, when asked your opinion on something, don't say anything, you can't win. I don't think she makes the cut but it will make the first two days more interesting.
Does anybody else get a Shooter McGavin feel from Vijay? I would much rather see her play than some CEO who should be at their company's headquarters earning the gross amounts of money they're getting paid.
Not to open a big pandora's box and take the thread off topic, but if a woman was good enough to play in the World Cup, I would have absolutely no problem with it. We can all agree that men, in general but particularly world class athletes, are stronger, faster and quicker than women. So a men's competition is always going to be played at a higher level than its female counterpart. Now, would the inclusion of a woman prevent the best athletes from competing? Drastically change the nature of the competition? No and no. The woman would simply replace the weakest link in the men. It's like, say, a 13-year-old wanted to compete in, oh let's say, an Under-17 tournament. You would have no second thoughts about letting that 13-year-old kid play. And you almost certainly won't hear arguments like "13-year-olds have their own competitions" or "It's not fair because a 17-year-old can't play in the Under-13's." But of course, soccer relies much more on speed, size and general athleticism than does golf, so it's obviously unrealistic to expect a woman to be able to compete at the international level. And as others have noted, Sorenstam may not make the cut, but more undeserving golfers have been invited to PGA Events.
Yes she will play the men's tees. If she got to play women's tess I would put her up in the top contenders. From the men's tees, I have no idea how she will do. She will be under a lot of pressure but the whole thing comes down to how she putts that week.
The main issue for Singh, Price, etc. is probably the whole "Are golfers athletes?" question. If she walks onto their tour and makes a cut, it will expose them as middle-aged marshmallows with exceptional hand-eye coordination. Kind of like pro bowlers or pool players. The Colonial has accomplished something here though. I haven't watched golf on TV in 10 years, but I'll be keeping on eye on this.