OT: Male golfer to try and enter US Woman's Open

[lcjjdnh]

From ESPN.com

Wednesday, February 19, 2003
Kontak may attempt to enter U.S. Women's Open

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ESPN.com news services


A player with conditional status on the Nationwide Tour may try to go where no man has gone before -- the U.S. Women's Open.

Former Canadian Tour Order of Merit winner Brian Kontak, 31, confirmed to the Golf Channel on Tuesday that he will attempt to qualify for the event, which is arguably the biggest on the women's golf calendar and will be played July 3-6 at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club in North Plains, Ore.

Kontak told the Golf Channel: "I'm exploring the possibility. That's all I can say. But I'm dead serious about it."

After Annika Sorenstam accepted a sponsor's exemption to become the first woman to play in a PGA Tour event in 58 years, Kontak is the first to seriously step forward with an intention to break the gender barrier going to other way.

However, the USGA -- which runs the U.S. Women's Open -- requires any entrant be a female professional or female amateur with a USGA handicap index not exceeding 4.4.

"We're going to try and work our way around it," Kontak said.

Kontak fell short of his PGA Tour card this year in the final stage of Q-school last fall, gaining conditional status on the Nationwide Tour.

PGA Tour rookie Chris Anderson, a friend of Kontak's, told the Golf Channel: "I think he wants the publicity. He's doing what a lot of guys talk about, but don't have the (guts) to do. He could look like a complete (fool), but what if he wins by 30?"

Kontak has five career Canadian Tour victories and has played in events on the PGA Tour, Nationwide Tour and Hooters Tour.
________________________________________________
I personally think that he should be able to play but if he does play well it will look quite bad.

[Joe Canadian]

PGA Tour = Profesional Golfers Association Tour (does not say men only!)

LPGA Tour = Ladies Pro Golfers Association Tour (it says LADIES!)


I wish people would just stop the damn sexist attutide this has created. If Annika Sorenstam wants to play on the PGA tour, and she is offered a exemption, who cares??? What if she does well, what if she loses by alot??? Does it really matter??? Let her give it a shot!!

NOTE: I'm not calling lcjjdnh a sexist.

[Qwikshot]

Women cannot have their cake and eat it too...if they want to break the barrier into men's sports, then men should be able to do the same...in all sports...

[digamma]

I ran a softball tournament in law school. We had a regular and a co-rec division. The rules of the co-rec division required the team to be half male and half female. We used to get complaints all the time from women saying our tournament was sexist because we didn't let women compete in the regular division. Of course, the people complaining didn't read the rules. The regular division had no restrictions on gender, but by default the teams ended up being almost without exception, all male. Women were more than welcome to participate in the regular division (and some did, and played well at that).

I think the situation is comparable here and is just as Joe Canadian describes. The LPGA is gender specific. The PGA is not.

[Fritz]

So what if the PGA decided to be male only and become the GPGA?

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally posted by digamma The LPGA is gender specific.

But didn't you get the memo? Being gender-specific is bad, bad, bad and wrong, wrong, wrong. We're even going to boycott The Masters because of such things.

Wait. Did I say boycott? That's a gender-biased word too. We're going to peoplecott it instead, yeah, that's the ticket, peoplecott.

[ACStrider]

hehe..."peoplecott"...that's funny

[bbor]

It was only a matter of time before this happened

[Swaggs]

If nothing more, it will make for a nice legal exercise.

[ACStrider]

Yeah, and that's just what our country needs, more legal exercises. By golly, we don't have enough litigation. More I say!

[Bonegavel]

Originally posted by Joe Canadian
PGA Tour = Profesional Golfers Association Tour (does not say men only!)

LPGA Tour = Ladies Pro Golfers Association Tour (it says LADIES!)


I wish people would just stop the damn sexist attutide this has created. If Annika Sorenstam wants to play on the PGA tour, and she is offered a exemption, who cares??? What if she does well, what if she loses by alot??? Does it really matter??? Let her give it a shot!!

NOTE: I'm not calling lcjjdnh a sexist.


Look. Women suck. I know because I'm married.

Personally, I think organizations have the right to be selective in their membership. I think this is great just to demonstrate the hippocrispy that exists.

[Craptacular]

Originally posted by BoneGavel
the hippocrispy that exists.

Mmmmmm, crispy hippo.

[Taur]

More power to anyone that would fight the system. God speed to any man that can get the women off the courts/courses and back in the jello/mud where they belong.

Hopefully a court ruling in favor of something like this could also bring down "title 9"

[Barkeep49]

Originally posted by JonInMiddleGA
Wait. Did I say boycott? That's a gender-biased word too. We're going to peoplecott it instead, yeah, that's the ticket, peoplecott.

Just in case people are wondering the derivation of boycott comes from a landlord whose name was Boycott.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally posted by Barkeep49 Just in case people are wondering the derivation of boycott comes from a landlord whose name was Boycott.

Look at all the sexism in your post.

boycott
landlord
Boycott (again)

Repent now, before it's too late. You wouldn't want Ms. Burk on your doorstep now would you?:D

[daedalus]

Originally posted by Qwikshot
Women cannot have their cake and eat it too...if they want to break the barrier into men's sports, then men should be able to do the same...in all sports...

I probably just missed it since I don't follow all sports too closely but . . .

Out of curiosity, who are all these blaspheming bitches who are trying so hard to break into the sanctity that is the Men's Sports?

The only one I've really seen have been Sorenstrem [however the hell she spells her name]. And, to my understanding [please correct me if I'm wrong since I don't follow golf], it's mainly because a sponsor offer their exempt to her and she was interested in trying it because she's been fairly dominant in her current field of competition. I've read quotes where she's said she's interested to see how she'll do, particularly at this course, since she doesn't think she would be competitive at other courses. [The why's for that wasn't explained in the small writeup.]

Who else am I missing? [Oh, but for the days when ESPN was watchable.]

[Karim]

There will always be a double standard. We're simply not allowed to have exclusivity in any domain. Unless we are in favour of women breaking down all of these so-called barriers, we get labelled sexist, misogynist, backward, etc., etc.

The thing is, no woman is serious about competing at a man's level on a full-time basis. It's strictly symbolic. If Sorenstam were to qualify for the PGA Tour, play regular courses (not just the Colonial), and hit from the men's tees every time out, I'd have a ton of respect for her and have no problem with her playing on the PGA.

I was glad Tiger laid down the gauntlet.

[Anrhydeddu]

Originally posted by Karim
There will always be a double standard. We're simply not allowed to have exclusivity in any domain. Unless we are in favour of women breaking down all of these so-called barriers, we get labelled sexist, misogynist, backward, etc., etc.

The thing is, no woman is serious about competing at a man's level on a full-time basis. It's strictly symbolic. If Sorenstam were to qualify for the PGA Tour, play regular courses (not just the Colonial), and hit from the men's tees every time out, I'd have a ton of respect for her and have no problem with her playing on the PGA.

I was glad Tiger laid down the gauntlet.

Oh great, you are inviting something worse than the wrath of Burke - the wrath of John Galt.

[Maple Leafs]

Originally posted by JonInMiddleGA
Look at all the sexism in your post.
Look at yours! You used a male smiley face. Why are all the smiley faces on this board male? Equality, folks. We should have some with big eyelashes or little red bows on their heads.

(Um... sorry. Forgot we were talking about the feminists. I meant they should have plaid shirts and Pete Rose haircuts.)

[Easy Mac]

Soernstam said she wanted to give the mens game a try, so a sponsor offered her an exemption because of it. I say let a man play on the LPGA. Then let Martha Burke bitch. I'd say Sorenstam is better than 70% of the guys on tour, and this guy is probably better than 70% of the women on tour.

But does anyone else remeber the late night golf match with Sorenstam, Webb, Woods and I think Duval. The women looked like shit and the men carried their ass. I'm not saying she can't compete, but it would be a far greater set back for women if she played poorly than if she didn't play at all.

And is it safe to say that a WNBA strike (though a totally different subject), couild effictively kill women's professional basketball?

[clintl]

In case everyone forgot, Sorenstam playing a PGA tournament wasn't even her idea originally. Someone asked her if she would be interested after Suzanne Whaley qualified for a PGA event, and she said she would be under the right circumstances. And things came together to make that happen after that. It is not as if Sorenstam is trying to make a political statement - it's a personal challenge for her, and there's nothing wrong with that. She knows, and has said, that she only has a chance to compete with the top men on certain types of courses (namely, ones where shot accuracy is more important than long drives). And there's genuine sporting interest in seeing how the dominant female golfer of our time will fare in a men's tournament.

As for this scumbag who wants to play in the U.S. Women's Open, screw him. He's apparently not good enough to make the PGA tour, so this is nothing more than a publicity stunt (probably not even a political statement) by someone who no one has a reason to want to watch play in any kind of tournament.

[bigdawg2003]

I think clintl nailed it on the head

The only reason she's playing in this event is because it's a challenge for her and she wants to see how she would do. It's everybody else turning it into a political statement. If I won half of the events on the LPGA tour, I'd certainly be curious to see how I would do in a league where the competition is definately superior.

[Easy Mac]

SO what if it was Tiger Woods that wanted to play an LPGA event, because he needed a different challenge. I would say 99% of the women's groups who need issues would be up in arms about it.

[Tarkus]

Originally posted by clintl
As for this scumbag who wants to play in the U.S. Women's Open, screw him. He's apparently not good enough to make the PGA tour, so this is nothing more than a publicity stunt (probably not even a political statement) by someone who no one has a reason to want to watch play in any kind of tournament.
He's no worse than Martha Burke. :p

Tarkus

[Fritz]

Originally posted by clintl
As for this scumbag who wants to play in the U.S. Women's Open, screw him. He's apparently not good enough to make the PGA tour, so this is nothing more than a publicity stunt (probably not even a political statement) by someone who no one has a reason to want to watch play in any kind of tournament.

Or, he would like to make money playing golf and sees the LPGA as one avenue.

[clintl]

Originally posted by Tarkus
He's no worse than Martha Burke. :p



Actually, he is much worse. Martha Burke is trying to open up opportunities for a group of people who are being excluded for arbitrary reasons. Augusta may have the right as a private club to have these arbitrary membership criteria, and it's a reasonable position to support Augusta and oppose Burke over this, but excluding women is still arbitrary in this case. There are no differentiating characteristics between men and women that would make women unfit for membership.

Kontak is not being excluded from his chosen profession - he's just not good enough to qualify for his own tour. There is nothing arbitrary about the LPGA situation - it was created to give women the same opportunity to make a living playing golf that men enjoy on the PGA tour, and is necessary because, for biological reasons, very few of the top women athletes can compete with the top male athletes in most sports.

[Tarkus]

clintl, sorry but I just don't see what significant damages women suffer but not being able to join Augusta. Let's not get into another Martha Burke argument, but she should focus her energies on something important.

Tarkus

[KWhit]

Originally posted by clintl
There are no differentiating characteristics between men and women that would make women unfit for membership.


Untrue. They are women. There are TONS of differing characteristics between men and women - I don't care what the circumstances.

Sometimes men just want to be around other men. Especially when they are playing golf, drinking, smoking a cigar (the stuff people do at golf clubs).

And the men should be allowed to do this. If Martha wants to boycott the Masters what she's really doing is only highlighting the hypocracy that's at work here.

I think it's fine and dandy for this guy to try to get on the LPGA tour. Martha Burk would like to take away every last men's club on earth if she could. But it's ALRIGHT for women to have their exclusive clubs, groups, and sports organizations.

Screw her. And more power to the golfer who is just pointing out the BS.

[John Galt]

Oh great, you are inviting something worse than the wrath of Burke - the wrath of John Galt.

And so it is to be. From the mountaintop of Manhattan, I smite all of you and banish the non-believers to eternal damnation. For I have spoken and you shall feel my wrath.

[clintl]

Originally posted by KWhit
Untrue. They are women. There are TONS of differing characteristics between men and women - I don't care what the circumstances.

Sometimes men just want to be around other men. Especially when they are playing golf, drinking, smoking a cigar (the stuff people do at golf clubs).

And the men should be allowed to do this. If Martha wants to boycott the Masters what she's really doing is only highlighting the hypocracy that's at work here.

I think it's fine and dandy for this guy to try to get on the LPGA tour. Martha Burk would like to take away every last men's club on earth if she could. But it's ALRIGHT for women to have their exclusive clubs, groups, and sports organizations.

Screw her. And more power to the golfer who is just pointing out the BS.

By Hootie's own admission, the purpose of the club is NOT to give men a place to hang out with other men without having women around. In fact, part of his defense is that women are allowed to play at the club, and play hundreds of rounds a year as guests. They just so far refuse to grant them membership, for reasons Hootie refuses to explain.

You are ignoring a lot of the history behind these "exclusive" men-only clubs, which was that they were often used as good boy networks that provided access to business deals the excluded classes did not have. That's one of the reasons this is such a big deal to some groups. "Exclusive" women's groups have existed primarily as a response to this kind of discrimination, to empower and break down the barriers.

And in any case, those issues are completely different from the reasons women have their own sports leagues.