The most dominant player in golf does not use Nike equipment.
The most dominant player in golf does not wear red on Sundays, does not take the name of a large jungle cat and does not ask television viewers if they were expecting Igor in Buick commercials.
On last year's LPGA Tour, Swedish sensation Annika Sorenstam had 13 victories in 25 events worldwide. In other words, she was winning golf tournaments at about a 50 percent clip. In an individual sport where each week it's you against 155 other professionals, the odds against winning one out of two are astronomical.
Tiger Woods won six times in 22 starts, an amazing year by all accounts, until it's compared to Sorenstam's 2002 campaign.
What about 2003? It is no secret that Woods has bounced back from knee surgery to the tune of two wins in three starts. And Sorenstam; why hasn't she won yet this year? Because she has yet to try. When she does tee it up, there is no doubt she will continue to dominate women's golf.
On May 22, however, Sorenstam will take her often perfect, repeating action across the gender line to the PGA Tour's Bank of America Colonial tournament outside Fort Worth, Texas. Playing on a sponsor exemption, she will be the first woman to compete in a PGA Tour event since Babe Didrickson-Zaharias attempted the feat nearly 50 years ago.
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To put it mildly, the long-hitting Babe did not fare very well.
Neither will Sorenstam.
Most who oppose this landmark tournament appearance say that Sorenstam will be doing nothing more than taking a paycheck out of a regular member of the Tour's pocket.
Many in favor argue that, unlike in other sports, there are many levels of success in golf: a top 10 showing, making the cut or the simple fact that she is trying to compete with the guys could all be considered victories.
The pro-side of this fevered debate is strong except for the fact that it doesn't jibe with Annika's competitive philosophy. She has said on numerous occasions that if she enters a tournament, she aims to win -- not just have success on some alternative level. Another of her goals, which she has made public as something she considers possible, is to make 18 birdies in 18 holes.
Good luck doing so at Colonial, Annika. The revered Texas layout is 800 yards longer than the average LPGA course. It showcases deep, wiry rough and usually plays hard and fast, making the tight hole locations difficult to get at without a great deal of strength.
If the issue of strength poses a question for Sorenstam, perhaps she should take a page out of dominant women's tennis player Serena Williams' book. When offered the chance to play a match against Andre Agassi, Williams declined, comparing the potential showdown to Lennox Lewis fighting against Laila Ali.
"It's a matter of strength," Williams said.
And it is a matter of strength, and a matter of a self-proclaimed fierce competitor putting herself in an un-winnable situation.
Sorenstam is not the only one on the hook for this soon-to-be circus. Is it any coincidence that Colonial is a tournament traditionally skipped by the aforementioned Mr. Woods? A publicity stunt meant to drum up ratings? Hmmm...
Nor will Sorenstam be the only golfing gender-bender this summer.
By virtue of a win in the Connecticut Section PGA Championship, club pro Suzy Whaley will tee it up at the Greater Hartford Open in July. It should be mentioned that Whaley won the Section playing from the forward tees, making the course considerably shorter for her than for the men.
She will play from the same tees as the guys in Hartford. Again, if winning is the goal, best of luck, Suzy.
Enter journeyman pro Brian Kontak, who announced two weeks ago that he wishes to qualify for the U.S. Women's Open. Unfortunately for the five-time winner on the Canadian Tour, the U.S. Golf Association's bylaws state that to enter the qualifier, one must be a woman with a handicap of 4.4 or less. There's a novel concept -- a gender-specific rule for a gender-specific sporting event.
Kontak has since retained an attorney and plans to fight the USGA in court.
"I'm seeking equality," Kontak told the Golf Channel's Kelly Tilghman. "If it's okay for a woman to play in a men's event, then a man should be able to play in a women's event. When I do something, a lot of times it's on a whim. But this time I believe I'm doing the right thing."
The right thing? Well, the same rules apply for Kontak. If he considers the right thing to be entering a tournament which he has no chance of winning, more power to him. The fact is that the USGA is notorious for setting up golf courses, for all of its championships, to award accuracy and patience -- both sorely lacking in Kontak's game. Stick to the Canadian Tour and its three-mile wide fairways, Brian.
With all of the gender-based controversy surrounding next month's Masters tournament -- i.e. Martha Burk and the National Council for Women's Organizations threatening protests if the Augusta National Golf Club does not admit a woman member -- perhaps it is time for all competitive golf parties to respectfully bow out of this debate, leave the legal haggling to the stuffed shirts and do the right thing.
Let boys be boys and girls be girls.
