Do so many more men than women watch golf on television that PGA Q-School is televised whereas the LPGA gets silence?
I was so excited to finally get to see LPGA Q-School finals that I looked everywhere, both on the internet and in my local T.V. listings. Guess what? Even ESPN2 didn't show it!
Don't women represent half of the population? Aren't more women today joining the golfing ranks than ever before? Why isn't anyone catering to them…I mean to US!
For any women who care out there, I think it's important to stand together and make our voices heard! I can't believe that Carolyn Bivens, head of the LPGA, wouldn't have made it a point to get this event televised! I mean, these are the stars of the 2006 LPGA season. Don't they deserve more press than the back page of the local sports section?
I read the Journal News today and the unfortunate finale to Meghan Francella's attempts at getting her tour card. That was a sad conclusion to alot of work and training on her part but I didn't even see Ai Miyazato's name mentioned, and she won!
I can say that in Japan, Miyazato is a household name. Her two brothers play professional golf on the Japan Tour and her father is a golf instructor. I wonder if there was coverage in Japan? I know that the reporters, both American and Japanese, were all over Miyazato. Cameras were rolling, bulbs were popping and the 18th green was covered with reporters.
I wrote a story on Miyazato's victory in my column on The Sand Trap. Did anyone out there even know that Ai claimed her first professional victory as an amateur on the Japan Women's Tour? Or that she was the first teenager to make over $1 million in one year?
Okay, so there are differences between PGA and LPGA Q-Schools. For one, the PGA tournament plays out over six days whereas the ladies have a grueling five rounds of golf to play. That's an extra 18 holes of pressure but the overall nerves must be evident either way. You can't take anything away from these ladies.
Also Miyazato only won a paltry $4,000 for her win whereas John B. Holmes took home a hefty $50,000. The top 24 players on the LPGA tour have exempt status whereas thirty male golfers get a PGA Tour card.
No wonder Michelle Wie wants to play on the men's tour! If she plays on the women's tour she'll earn a whole lot less money and coverage!
Aside…I just read on the Golf Channel website that Kevin Stadler only earned exempt status on the Nationwide Tour. I really thought he would be a card-carrying member of the PGA Tour by now. But in lighter news I noticed that Bill Haas has nailed his tour card. I bet he'll be sleeping alot more soundly tonight!
And just for the record, Morgan Pressel made the LPGA tour as did Brittany Lang. That makes me three-for-three on my picks!
Although I really enjoy watching any golf that's on the tube I still wish that the women got more of a chance to be visible. Okay, so they don't bomb 300-yard drives like the guys and their tee-to-greens are more predictable but it sure is exciting to watch their 100-yard and closer shots as well as their terrific putting. Pressure is the same, whether you're watching 19-year-old Paula Creamer finish off her competition or viewing Phil Mickelson trying to make a comeback after three-putting on an earlier hole.
I just wish I could have been there!
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