I’ll bet LPGA Tour Commissioner Carolyn Bivens can now spell “xenophobia” backward and forward and in her sleep. Last Monday, when Golfweek broke the news that in 2009 the LPGA would begin suspending players who were not proficient in English, the collective sports world dropped its jaw in unison.

By Friday, the outcry from professional golfers (male and female), sports reporters, sponsors and politicians had forced Bivens into hiding, leaving Deputy LPGA Commissioner Libba Galloway to clean up the mess.

Bivens did, however, release a statement:

The LPGA has received valuable feedback from a variety of constituents regarding the recently announced penalties attached to our effective communications policy. We have decided to rescind those penalty provisions.

That Bivens and Co. were shocked by public response is ridiculous.

There are 121 international players from 26 countries on this year’s LPGA tour. The LPGA’s top player, Lorena Ochoa, is from Mexico. The most dominant player of the last decade, Annika Sorenstam, is Swedish. And all of the majors this year were won by international players: Ochoa, Yani Tseng from Taiwan, and Inbee Park and Ji-Yai Shin from South Korea. … continue reading

At the risk of losing major lesbo points, I have to admit that any interest I have in women’s golf has little to do with the sport itself.

And news that Anna Rawson has qualified for the LPGA tour certainly will not help redirect my attention. … continue reading

Thursday will see a first for women in golf when Scotland's St. Andrews hosts the Women's British Open, the first professional women's tournament ever held on its grounds, with a record-breaking prize of £1,050,000. For those of you who (like me, to be honest) don't know a whole lot about the professional golf circuit, here's a fact: St. Andrews is one of the most revered and famous golf courses in the world, and the men have played 22 Opens there. To put the occasion in perspective, consider Annika Sorenstam's memory of the St. Andrews Royal and Ancient Golf Club's headquarters nearly 20 years ago:

"When I played there as an amateur, there was a sign out there that says, 'No dogs or women allowed.'"

Wow. I could deconstruct the gender bias of this until the weekend. Instead, I'll just post a picture of Sorenstam.

Sorenstam, Michelle Wie, Paula Creamer, Se Ri Pak, Sherri Steinhauer, Ai Miyazato and others will take the field August 2–5. (Er, that may be a baseball metaphor. But you know what I mean.) Here's a glimpse of Miyazato practicing earlier this week on the infamously tricky Old Course. … continue reading

I love the U.S. Women’s Open golf championship, even more than I love the Kraft Nabisco Championship (the golf tournament part of the Dinah Shore weekend). I can actually focus on the golf, and not be so distracted by the parties.

Annika Sorenstam, who currently has 69 tournament wins, is the defending champion.

For years, I joked that I wanted to become an LPGA housewife. It seemed exciting. Your girlfriend marches around the golf course, kicking butt, and you get to be by her side. But, as Rosie Jones’ girlfriend reveals, it’s not all fun and games.

Plus, the women that I know who have LPGA player girlfriends are usually at home bored while their girlfriends are gone for months at a time, out on tour. Or they're stuck out on the course, carrying a 45-plus-pound golf bag, making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches between breaks. … continue reading