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May 12, 2003
Singh To Sorenstam: Drop Dead
Former Masters champion Vijay Singh apparently hasn't learned the rules of political correctness when it comes to the battle of the sexes: Vijay Singh believes Annika Sorenstam has no business playing in the Colonial next week, and he would withdraw if he gets paired with her. Don't be shy, Vijay, tells us what you think. Might there be anything you left out? "What is she going to prove by playing? It's ridiculous," said Singh, a two-time major champion who is No. 7 in the World Ranking. "She's the best woman golfer in the world, and I want to emphasize 'woman.' We have our tour for men, and they have their tour. She's taking a spot from someone in the field." UPDATE: Like Suzy Whaley, who qualified playing from the women's tees to win a spot in the Greater Hartford Open, Sorenstam is just taking advantage of the system as it exists today to grab her spot in the Colonial. Somehow, I think the PGA will manage to survive her one weekend on the tour. TUESDAY UPDATE: Nick Price and Scott Hoch also had some things to say, something which inspired this Thomas Boswell column, ripping all three players. What's the matter, guys? Are you jealous because Annika has already done deeds so great in women's golf that she will be remembered long after all three of you are forgotten? Can the attention around next week's Colonial get any more intense? Stay tuned. YET ANOTHER UPDATE: The blowback is coming hot and heavy for Singh, who can probably expect a few rough days in the press for his comments. This column by MSNBC's Mike Celizic is only just a preview of what's to come. On the other hand, MSNBC's Jim McCabe says that while Sorenstam's effort may raise her profile, ultimately it might be the LPGA Tour that suffers. ENDLESS UPDATES: Leave it to the Socialists at the Guardian to understand exactly why Sorenstam got a sponsor's exemption in the first place: The moment that Sorenstam, who won 13 events last year, including 11 on the US tour, let it be known that she would accept an invitation to a men's event, sponsors were falling over themselves to get her into their fields. Are you going to watch the Colonial? I know I will. FINAL UPDATE: Len Shapiro, reporter and columnist for the Washington Post wrote two pieces for today's paper -- one for the front page of the Sports section, and another that ran on page one below the fold. The piece in the Sports section is merely a recitation of the AP bulletin that ran on Monday afternoon. The front page piece, however, contains an extensive interview with Sorenstam that Shapiro had completed recently -- a real coup, especially since Sorenstam was travelling back to the U.S. from Japan yesterday and was unavailable for interviews. While she obviously didn't address Singh's attack directly, she did answer just about every other possible question. Look for Shapiro to give "flood the zone" coverage to this dust-up from here on in. He was all over the Augusta National story earlier this year (and an unabashed supporter of Martha Burk in his columns as well as on local sports talk radio).
Eric
06:02 PM
Trackback PingsTrackBack URL for this entry: CommentsI didn't like Vijay before because he's the damn most boring guy to watch ever. Now I can dislike him because he's a bigot too. Solid. Posted by: at May 12, 2003 10:17 PM "Next week, here's hoping that every time Sorenstam hits a ball in the woods, it bounces back in the fairway. And that every time Hoch, Price, and especially Singh, hit a ball directly at the hole, it slams into the flagstick and ricochets straight into a lake." I'm not into golf, but will definitely be paying attention to that. No matter the result it will be interesting. But that quote I found strange. He just wants her to succeed and the guys to fail, if only by fluke (or preferably by fluke, maybe)? Posted by: at May 13, 2003 01:52 PM Drop dead Vijay, Nick and Scott Hoch and all the other big male babies afraid of a women. I say Vijay is afraid of getting beat by a women. The PGA rules do NOT state you must be a man to compete. I hope she one day gets to play in the Master's. I hope Vijay trips and breaks a leg and can never play again. Posted by: at May 14, 2003 08:07 PM From my point of view this opens the "flood gates"! The men have their game. Why can't it be left at that? Posted by: at May 19, 2003 06:01 PM Post a commentThanks for signing in, . (If you haven't left a comment here before, you may need to be approved by the site owner before your comment will appear. Until then, it won't appear on the entry. Thanks for waiting.) |