04/24/24
May 22, 2003
Sorenstam may force rewrite of PGA policy: ? Tom Pernice Jr., a member of the Tour's Policy Board, [said] that player unhappiness over Sorenstam's sponsor's exemption into Thursday's Bank of America Colonial is so strong that he anticipates a movement to change the written bylaws of the Tour.
Where is Happy Gilmore when you need him?
I'm not so sure wfrazerjr. Remember what they put Casey Martin through before they let him play?
posted by vito90 at 12:11 PM on May 22, 2003
Yes, they did put Casey Martin through hell, but to change their bylaws, ESPECIALLY after the really crappy PR they got from The Masters, would be CRAZY. They would appear so juvenile, so "I don't want girls playing in my sandbox," that they would be crazy to try it. Strangely enough, it appears that it's much less bad PR to crap all over a handicapped guy than a woman. Here's a great article on ESPN about why all the fuss against Anika playing is so damn sillly.
posted by aacheson at 12:17 PM on May 22, 2003
Yeah, I remember, Vito, and I hope they learned their ugly PR lesson. But the PGA is the old-boy network incarnate, and if anyone is foolish enough to try and keep out a deserving individual, it's them.
posted by wfrazerjr at 12:17 PM on May 22, 2003
Banning women would make sports history -- is there any other sport where men enacted a rule to protect them from female competition? I'm watching today's round. If Sorenstam was putting better she'd be at -2 or -3 and among the leaders. Her play is solid. She's got nerves of steel.
posted by rcade at 12:31 PM on May 22, 2003
I'm watching the day's action as well and I'm quite impressed. She's hit nearly every fairway and rcade's on the money, with a better putter today she'd be in the thick of things. It's also nice to note the guys she's playing with seem to be having fun and are getting behind her good play. Her birdie brought with it a high-five and a soft-knuckles from her playing partners. Neither slapped her ass.
posted by 86 at 12:48 PM on May 22, 2003
I'm fascinated, and golf never fascinates me. It's still early, but she is definitely holding her own. If she stays close to this pace, it will make Vijay Singh's comment about her "not belonging" look foolish. Neither slapped her ass. She looks like she could kick some ass if either of them tried.
posted by dusted at 01:10 PM on May 22, 2003
I'll stand by my statement in the other post — I think she's playing about as well as she can play, and she's in 60th. Her distance (or lack of it) absolutely kills her from the back tees, and the soft greens are allowing her to take dead aim. If she makes the cut and the greens dry, she'll lose a couple shots in her final two rounds. Having said that, I hope she continues to be just as impressive as she has been, plays through Sunday and sticks it in the PGA's tight ass.
posted by wfrazerjr at 02:34 PM on May 22, 2003
I agree with wfrazerjr, she's playing about as well as she can. While it's true that she hasn't had a great day with the putter, she's also had some pretty good bounces. To me the really impressive thing is how she's held up under the bright lights. I don't think anyone has been under this much pressure on a golf course in years. I've got some comments on what weenies the PGA are on my blog.
posted by offsides at 02:52 PM on May 22, 2003
Mark Rypien got an exemption (see offside's link)? Man, I take back everything I said about Annika's free pass in.
posted by wfrazerjr at 03:47 PM on May 22, 2003
I don't expect the PGA to make the change to the MPGA. Despite all the attention this has garnered, Sorenstam has said it's a one-shot deal, and the novelty will have worn off. And if a woman really could compete on the tour, I don't think the PGA would shut her out.