Golf Womens Sports

Elie Seckbach, the Embedded Correspondent, brings his exclusive video reporting to FanHouse. Check back here regularly for more videos.

In this video we talk to tennis star Nadia Petrova who tells us why she is more popular in the United States than in her homeland, Russia. We also learn why it's not wise to get in the way of any serve unleashed by this tennis powerhouse. Around 1:15 into the video Nadia tells us why Russia produces so many talented tennis players.


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Lorena Ochoa

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."

"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."

Starting in 2003, the LPGA expanded the maximum number of sponsor exemptions for non-members from four to six tournaments, and counted only domestic tournaments with at least 75 players in the field toward the money list. The U.S. Women's Open didn't count, because it is not co-sponsored by the LPGA.

The policy favors rank-and-file LPGA members, noting that non-members who want to earn a card without going to Q-school should have to compete in fields comprised almost entirely of LPGA members.

Throughout her career, Wie has never played enough to get any momentum going -- not in junior golf, not as an amateur and not as a pro. But there is a way for her to get the tournament experience she needs: Write a letter to the LPGA and ask for a spot on the Duramed Futures Tour, a request that certainly would be granted.

The top-five Duramed money winners earn an LPGA card for 2009. And among those who have taken that route to LPGA membership are Lorena Ochoa, Nicole Castrale and Inbee Park.

To get that Tour card, Wie will have to earn roughly $95,000 total, and she's used three of six sponsor exemptions so far: Earned $2,570 back in February in Hawaii; missed the cut at the Michelob Ultra; made $18,887 last week at the Wegmans.

So Wie needs approximately $75,000 or more out of her last three sponsor exemptions. Which she can get, for example, with one Top 10 and two Top 25s, or three Top 15s, or one Top 5 and two missed cuts. (Wie can always try to Monday qualify for additional tournaments, too ...)

"I really don't understand what the USGA have tried to achieve this week, because they've kept the greens soft all week," said the two-time Open champion, who was 12 strokes from the lead.

"I think the course played harder on Monday than it is now. When you've played a lot of US Opens, your mindset is that par's good, but it really isn't (this week)."

As Norman arrived at the exclusive Paradise Island to prepare for his wedding this weekend to former Wimbledon champion Chris Evert, a group of Norman-aligned security goons and cops detained and harassed journalists, photographers and cameramen in scenes reminiscent of a third world dictatorship. ...

There, Greg Norman's dignity and class disappeared into the treacherous waters of The Bahamas in the same manner many of his golf shots once did when he was under pressure in a major.

There are those cynics who will speculate that it is an attempt to maintain the spotlight and generate a sort of farewell tour to help with the almighty "branding," and let's hope that isn't so in this case. (After all, how many farewell tours for athletes are marketed for public consumption, only to see the player come back the next year and play on for a few more, to boot. Hello, Michael Jordan, and you, too, Nancy Lopez.)

Annika Sorenstam

'After much consideration, I have made the decision to step away from competitive golf at the end of this season,' said Annika, who has added three more victories to her career total so far in 2008. 'Because I love the game so much, this is obviously a hard decision to make, but it feels like the right one. I made this decision because I have a number of other priorities in my life, including starting a family, that I want to be as dedicated to as I have been to playing golf and it was always important to me to go out on my own terms.'

According to the current issue of Golf World (article not yet online), Wie's plan is the same as Stacy Lewis': get six exemptions, win enough money in those tournaments to finish the equivalent of 90th or better on the money list, and thereby earn a Tour card for 2009 without having to go to Q-School.