Lorena Ochoa, the best women's golfer on the planet, wouldn't mind following in the footsteps of the LPGA's previous No. 1 player, Annika Sorenstam. When a reporter asked Ochoa if she would play against a man, the Mexican said "I am not going to say no." "Perhaps we'll change direction," she added. "I am flexible. We are willing to look at something fun, and it could be fun to play a man."In 2003, Sorenstam was given a sponsor's exemption to tee it up at the Colonial. She fired an opening round 1-over 71, but would miss the cut after a second round 4-over. Still, Sorenstam played well, particularly since she admitted to being "nervous all day" Thursday.
Her appearance wasn't without controversy, however. Vijay Singh was so excited about a woman competing on the PGA Tour that he got all "pre 19th amendment" about the whole thing:
"It's just different for ladies to play on the men's tour," Singh said. "It's like getting the Williams sisters to play (tennis) against a man, and they're far better athletes than she (Sorenstam) is."Oh, and at the time, Singh said he would withdraw if he was paired with Sorenstam. Classy. To his credit, he later apologized, so there's that.
As for Ochoa, I'm all for her competing against whomever. Unlike, say, Michelle Wie, who has yet to be competitive on the LPGA, Ochoa has dominated the women's tour. I have very little trouble believing she'd be competitive against men, and that included Vijay. Especially if she catches him when he's yipping his way around the green.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
7-08-2008 @ 9:04AM
Denny said...
Good article. The comments about Vijay were funny.
Ochoa IS dominating the LPGA now and has the potential to dominate for a long time. A few months ago, Ochoa announced she may retire "early" to do other things. What a loss that would be to the LPGA and her fans, but also a credit to her to be comfortable with who she is and what she has accomplished. Ochoa will go as far and as long as she wants to on the LPGA and will leave on her own terms. She is an amazing talent.
I happen to be a man. But, I believe that it is insulting to women to say they "can't do this" or "can't do that" against a man.
A personal example - I have a 5th degree black belt in Karate. When I was younger, I competed in many tournaments and exhibitions nationally. I even one 5 of them. Well, in one exhibition tournament, I had my butt kicked by a woman who was just flat-out better than me on that day. What did I say to her as people made fun of me, called me a wimp, "not a real man", etc.? I smiled, looked at her and said "Great Job", stepped back and let her have her moment - WHICH SHE DESERVED!
So, can Ochoa compete with the men? If she can control her nerves, emotions, adjust to course conditions that are different on the PGA vs the LPGA (length, set-up, etc...) and doesn't get caught up in all the hype, spotlight, and distractions that will surround her, I believe she will be able to compete. If she is able to just HER GAME with her amazing talent, I'd like to see her take a shot at it....
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