Only Fix - U.S. Must Try Harder

By George White

It couldn’t have been said by an American. If an American had said it, it would have sounded gauche, prejudiced, whatever it is that makes an ‘Ugly American’ ugly.
 
But it was said by an Australian – Karrie Webb. Her statement? Webb said that, for the LPGA to truly achieve world-class fan status, it needs to have a number of Americans playing good golf. The reason – it IS based in America and most of the tournaments are in America. If it were based in Australia, it would need to have the majority of players be good Australians. If it were based in Korea, the majority should be Koreans to have the greatest fan support. The same if it were based in Sweden.
 

“I think that’s what the LPGA has been needing the last five or six years to create a lot more interest from not just the golf community, but outside the golf community,” reasoned Karrie. “I think it’s unfair in a way, but I can see why everyone (in America) has gotten really excited about it.”
 
This year, the American women have taken a step back in the excellence department. The top seven money winners on the LPGA are all from outside the U.S. – Lorena Ochoa (Mexico), Webb (Australia), Mi Hyun Kim (Korea), Hee-Won Han (Korea), Seon Hwa Lee (Korea), Annika Sorenstam (Sweden) and Jeong Jang (Korea.) Not until you get to No. 8, where Cristie Kerr sits, do you find a Yank.
 
Thirty-five participants in this year’s U.S. Open field are from Asia – either South Korea or Japan. There are 36 Koreans playing the Duramed Futures Tour, the LPGA’s developmental circuit. Among the great unwashed of the American public, it is getting to be a bit much. It is becoming an issue.
 
Perhaps it shouldn’t be. The Ladies Professional Golf Assn. (note that there is not a single reference to “American” in the title) is meant to be a tour devoted to the best female golfers – period. The tour doesn’t belong to just the U.S. It is a tour of the world, and as such the members come from all corners of the earth.
 
OK – why don’t some Americans warm up to the Koreans and Japanese? Well, some lament that many, naturally, don’t speak much English. Almost all are trying, to various degrees. But because they can’t express themselves in English, many Americans dismiss them as they would any outsider.
 
And, they have very non-Western names - naturally. Shi Hyun Ahn … Seon Hwa Lee … Jeon Jang … Mi-Hyun Kim … even Se Ri Pak. When something is different, some people are just naturally leery of it.
 
And, of course, some people are just naturally prejudiced against anyone who is not American. For those ignorant individuals, these words will NEVER cause a change. For everyone else, maybe a good, frank analysis will be beneficial.
 
Now, let’s examine why we Americans should embrace the Asian players:
 
Number 1, first and foremost, they are terrific golfers. This is reason enough for most people. But there are some who want to look beyond that for other reasons to like-dislike a person.
 
How about this – many are very attractive. Yes, that IS a key. Just the same as Fred Couples or Adam Scott is hugely popular with female sports fans, so are attractive ladies popular with males. The image of Asian women with a pie face and wearing a costume that looks like pajamas is so terribly out of date. Today’s Korean or Japanese golfer is fair of face AND possesses a striking figure. Ai Myazato? Mi-Hyun Kim? Meena Lee? All fit the description.
 
“(The Asians) are young, and they have such a great opportunity,” said Se Ri herself, a product of South Korea. “This (the LPGA) is the best place for golf – ladies golf. It’s good for them, … they’re having their own dream about playing the LPGA. … Everybody on the LPGA listens to them, and tries to help them.”
 
At the same time, Se Ri says the Korean women are trying hard to learn English. They are trying hard to learn our culture. But it just doesn’t happen in one or two years, as an American in Korea couldn’t be expected to learn the Korea culture in one or two years.
 
In short, if Americans want more Americans at the top of the money list, Americans need to play better golf. . Are Asians more naturally athletic? No. Are Asians bigger, more imposing in stature? No, of course not. Do they have more time in each year to practice? Come on – you know the latitude of Korea and Japan, compared to that of America?
 
Since I am American, I naturally want to see Americans play well. But even more importantly, I want to see great golf, smart golf. I want to see a woman play the way that I could never have played. And I’m proud that the LPGA is a part of the American sports scene.
 
I understand, though, that America doesn’t have a lock on all the great golfers of the world. Golf belongs to all the people of the world. I may have a preference, but may the best woman win!
 
Email your thoughts to George White