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Cheltenham
Racecourse Challenge........and they're off!!
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| Cheltenham’s
famous racecourse became a golf course for a few hours on 21 May 2009!
The
track became the narrow fairway, the fences turned into unusual
hazards and targets replaced conventional greens. And the players
…. four golfing racing celebrities and 24 club champions, men
and women, from all over the county …. competed for the Cheltenham
Racecourse Challenge Bowl. Starting at 4.30 p.m. with free entry
for spectators, who could walk the course with the players.
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Where
did this fanciful idea come from? The racecourse’s MD, Edward
Gillespie, a self confessed ‘rabbit’ golfer, often takes
a club and a couple of balls when he does an early morning course
inspection. He enjoyed himself, so why not offer that pleasure to
others?
He
discussed it with the Gloucestershire
County Golf Partnership, whose whole aim is to bring golf to
all sections of the community – men and women, children, everyone,
including those with special needs.
And
so the idea became reality.
Peter
McEvoy, Britain’s iconic amateur from the 1970’s and 80’s,
hit the first shot from the first tee – invitingly elevated
from the roof of the Paddock Stand! – and then they were off!
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Left to Right: Paul Jenkins, Fiona Hudman and Andrew Thornton (1998
Gold Cup Winning Jockey) |
I think this picture calls for a caption??!!
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All
proceeds go to the Gloucestershire
County Golf Partnership to help them ‘grow the game’.
The gross prize winner will go to SFG Qualifying School on Monday
26th October 2009 at Celtic manor to compete for a place in the
SFG team for the SFG Challenge Cup. Go to http://www.singlefiguregolfer.co.uk/school
and find out more about this.
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Left to Right: Jean Marshall, Christine Williams and
Sue Rawles came to support Fiona Hudman,
Club Champion from Tewkesbury Park.
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When they weren't ball spotting.......they were posing by the jumps...........another
caption??!! |
Sometimes …. just sometimes ….
pure fun wins the day!
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Luke Krupa from Shirehampton (centre) is presented with a trophy and
a place at SFG Qualifying school by Edward Gillespie, Cheltenham Racecourse
MD and Peter McEvoy, SFG Team captain.
Result
Luke
Krupa (3) – Shirehampton – 32
Chris Lloyd (+1) – Kendleshire – 34
Adam Carson (+2) – Long Ashton – 34
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Footnote:
It is all very appropriate , this joint venture ….. high on
Cleeve Hill, which forms the backdrop to the racecourse, there is
a golf course. But in the 1800’s it also had a racecourse –
you can still walk the figure of eight track – where the Cheltenham
Gold Cup was run, as a Flat race, from 1818 prior to its reincarnation
at its current home in 1925.
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| Ricoh
Women's British Open - Sunningdale Golf Club 31 July - 3 August 2008 |
Shin
Ji-Yai, at just 20 years old, became the third South Korean to
win the Women's British Open with a flawless final round of
66.
Shin finished on 18 under par and won the 314,000-dollar first prize
by three shots from Taiwan's Yani Tseng, who also shot six under. Shin
started the final round one shot behind Japan's Yuri Fudoh, but was
one ahead by the time she birdied the first, fifth and ninth to reached
the turn in 33.
She continued her march to glory with a four at the long tenth and
then holed a very long putt for birdie at the 13th. She moved three
clear with another birdie at the long 14th.
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Tseng,
winner of her first major at the LPGA Championship in June, birdied
the last for a 66 to finish on 15 under and South Korea's Eun-Hee
Ji (67) and Fudoh (71) were tied for third on 14 under. Japan's Ai
Miyazato made it an Asian clean sweep of the top five with a 70 for
13 under.
Defending champion Lorena Ochoa closed with a 69 for 11 under
par to finish tied seventh.
An emotional Annika Sorenstam finished her major career by
majestically holing a 12-foot birdie putt at the last for a final
round 68 and she tied for 24th on six under par.
Sweden's former world number one, who has announced that will step
away from tournament play at the end of the year, had four birdies
and an eagle at the 14th -- she holed a 20-foot putt -- in her 57th
and last major.
Grace Park (pictured left) hands her ball to her caddy on the
13th Hole Par 3. A very elegant player who was wearing
the popular colour Turquoise or Aqua, the modern name for this colour.
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| Karen
Stupples pictured right, seems to be on her mobile phone as she
trudges through the heather. Perhaps she was asking what she can do
to reinact her win on the Sunningdale course in 2004!! |
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The
182 yards Par 3 meanders downhill through the pretty purple heather. Lovely
to look at but not good if you are a golfer to be in it!
The majority of players were hitting a 7 iron onto the green from
the tee. Very impressive. |
| Harman's
equal rights law will end handicap on women golfers
(extract from Daily Mail 13 June 2008) |
Private
members's clubs will be banned from treating women as "second-class
citizens" under new laws. Equalities minister
Harriet Harman wants to make it illegal for golf clubs and working
men's clubs to restrict women's access or deny them the right to vote
as full members. Some golf clubs stop women playing at the weekend,
restrict access to the course or bar them from the running of the
club.
The announcement was made in the Commons yesterday 12 June 2008, by
deputy labour leader Miss Harman. The changes will
be contained in an Equalities Bill to be published in the coming weeks. |
| Driving
Women's Golf |
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2008
has brought a new start for ELGA after England's women golfers
agreed to modernise their association.
From 1 January 2008 ELGA will be known as the English Women's
Golf Association. It will be run by a mangement board with the
business skills to drive forward women's golf. There
will be also an operational board which will look after the association's
golfing activities. Counties will be organised into six regions
and there will be more direct communication between clubs, counties
and the association.
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Ruth
Whitehead will be the first chairman of the new operational board
of the
English Women's Golf Association. The regional
chairman are:
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North:
Barbara Brooke (Abbeydale)
Representing: Cheshire, Cumbria, Durham, Lancashire, Northumberland
and Yorkshire.
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Midland
North: Sally Goulds (Wrekin)
Representing: Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire,
Shropshire and Staffordshire |
Midlands
South: Anne Andrews (Little Aston)
Representing: Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Northamptonshire,
Oxfordshire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire & Herefordshire. |
East:
Anne Pyke
(Brocket Hall)
Representing: Bedfordshire, Cambs & Hunts, Essex, Hertfordshire,
Norfolk, Suffolk |
South:
Margaret Berriman (Goring and Streatley)
representing: Hampshire, Kent, Middlesex, Surrey and Sussex |
South
West: Sue Rawles (Tewkesbury Park)
Representing: Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Somerset,
Wiltshire. |
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| The
changes are designed to support ELGA's mission of Driving Women's
Golf. The aims include: |
- improving
communications within the organisation
- improving
the image of women's golf
- helping
women achieve equality in golf
- improving
services to members and clubs
- putting
more focus on volunteers
- giving
women and girl golfers more opportunities to improve.
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| Information
Tit Bits: |
| The
2007 Women's British Open will become the first women's tournament
to be played on The Old Course at St Andrews in Scotland. |
|
The
following is taken from the official Ladies Professional Golf Association
website:
- The
LPGA Tour sets up its own tees at each tournament stop. The
average yardage for an LPGA Tour golf course is between 6,200
and 6,400 yards.
- The
LPGA has a dress code. They allow sleeveless
and collarless shirts to be worn during play. There is
no specific length requirement on shorts or skirts. Denim,
cut-offs, workout clothes are not allowed.
|
How
hard is to learn to play Golf? We
all know golf is a hard game but how hard is it really?
Answer: More than 60% give up! |
| Eighteen
holes of match play will teach you more about your opponent than 18
years of dealing with her across a desk. |
Your
best round of golf will be followed almost immediately by your worst
round ever, the probability increasing with the number of people you
tell about the former.
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| Weetabix
Women's British Open at Royal Birkdale 28 - 31 July 2005 |
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Michelle
Wie, the talented 15th year old from Hawaii, drives off on
the 1st tee on the second day of the Weetabix Open.
All eyes follow her long drive.
Michelle Wie eventually finished joint third alongside Young
Kim and became the youngest-ever winner of the salver that
goes to the leading amateur turning down the cheque of £63,500
for coming third!
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Michelle
Wie and playing partner Catriona Matthew stride away from
the first tee.
Click here to find out where Michelle
keeps her putter!!
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Carin
Koch looks a
picture in pink.
(This photo is just for you David - you will know who you
are!!)
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Natalie
Gulbis chooses an all black outfit but her nails are painted
with a bright pink varnish!
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Karrie
Webb wears a blue gilet over a long sleeved white top.
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Nicole
Perrot boldly wears bright orange trousers,
black & white top with dark orange gilet. Seen here
with playing partner Becky Brewerton.
Paula
Marti waits patiently to tee off on the 15th.
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Annika
Sorenstam chomps on a chocolate bar after teeing off on the
8th.
The
eventual worthy winner, Jeong Jang, wearing a red top, walks
to mark her ball on the 7th par 3 green.
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A
couple of nice looking outfits - Iben Tinning looks great
in a black and white diamond top whilst Liselotte Neumann
looks cool in
green top and lighter green trousers.
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Grannies
on the Green!!!
Whatever next??!!
Has anyone got a better caption for this photo? Just drop
me an email
Stacey Fletcher suggests:
" Pity our bus got stuck in that big sand hole, are
you sure we can picnic here?"
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| Open
Door for Women - Golf Championship may end men-only
rule |
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For
145 years it has held out as one of the most famous bastions of
male-only sport. Under the rules of the all-male
Royal and Ancient, the Open golf championship specifically bars
women from competing.
All that appears to be coming to an end, as Peter Dawson, chief
executive of the R&A said the "men only" stipulation
was likely to go. That would open the contest's fairways to the
likes of teenage sensation Michelle Wie, (pictured here) women's
world number one Annika Sorenstam and Britain's Laura Davies. Current
rules say applications can be from "any male professional golfer
or from a male amateur" Mr Dawson said: "That wording
was put in place at a time when it was never thought that women
would want to enter. If it offensive to people then we will take
it out".
|
(Extract from Daily Mail,
written by Peter Allen) |
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A
modified entry form - assuming it is approved by the club's championships
committee - will be available in time for 2006. Any women would
have to play a qualifying tournament before teeing off against the
top men.
Dawson
is dragging the R&A into the modern world, and all power to
him.
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| Wales
Ladies' Open 12 - 15 August 2004 at Royal Porthcawl |
Trish
Johnson came from 4 shots behind Laura Davies and Helen Alfredsson
to win the Welsh Open. A flawless round of 65 on the last day beat
Laura Davies and Denmark's Iben Tinning by 3 shots.
Below are some pictures from round 3 played on Saturday 14 August.
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The
Leader Board (and me!) at the start of the 3rd round on Saturday
14 August. Note Trish Johnson's position on the
board.
The setting was wonderful with clear blue skies and no wind.
Perfect conditions for golf on that day.
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Laura
Davies and Johanna Head, both from England, walk away from the
first green. |
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Laura
waits for the green to clear on the Par 3. Did
you know that when asked to suggest a remedy to speed up the
the tortuous five-hour rounds during the Weetabix Women's Open,
Laura replied "Shoot them!" |
Laura takes an iron to poke up a bit of the turf which she
uses instead of the usual tee peg.
"Don't try this at home" is the advice
here.
Can you imagine what your local greenkeeper
will say?!! |
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Just
one of the many pot bunkers on the course. I am sure Laura was
pleased she avoided this one. |
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I
swear that Laura smiled at me!! |
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Nienke
Nijenhuis from The Netherlands had all the professional photographers
following her!
Dressed all in white Nienke looked "cool". A
good player as well as looking spectacular she started off at
7 under on the third day.
The popular fashion for some of the ladies was lightweight white
cropped trousers. Martyn, my partner, assured me that most were
wearing thongs! |
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The
comment from Karen Margrethe Juul of Denmark seen on the left,
to her playing partner as they came off the par 5 with a birdie
after both their second shots landed close together on the green
was, "I wish all birdies were as easy
as that!" |
Cecillia
Ekelundh of Sweden, last player out on the 3rd day, cuts a dash
with her black top and white cropped trousers. |
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Trish
Johnson practices her shot on the 10th not knowing then that
she would eventually win the title by 3 shots. |
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| The
Weetabix Women's British Open 29 July - 1 August
2004 at Sunningdale |
| Well
done to Karen Stupples from Dover Kent, England winning the Women's
British Open in such style by 5 shots from Rachel Teske with Heather
Bowie coming third. Here are some photos from the
third day's play on the Saturday: |
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| Annika
Sorenstam walks away from the 1st green in disgust and looks to the
heavens. Annika's drive found the long rough and
things went from bad to worse. She ended up with a double
bogey 7 on the first hole, par 5. Natalie Gulbis from
the USA lines up her putt. She is very slim and pretty
and can score a pretty score too! |
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Laura
Davies is such a great ambassador to the British Ladies game and even
though it wasn't her day, she is so exciting to watch. She
is seen here with Laura Diaz from the USA. |
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Grace
Park of Korea strides down to the 17th green and her golf is as elegant
as her looks.
Karen Stupples walks away from the 1st green on the Saturday not realising
then that on the Sunday she will be raising the trophy above her head.
Its great to have an English winner! |
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Glamour
girls
(extract taken from an article by Philippa Kennedy for Women and
Golf magazine) |
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Golf
wasn't the only winner at the Weetabix Open - the players also made
a big impression in the fashion stakes.
When you have legs like Paul Marti is must be an overwhelming temptation
to show them off. And at the Weetabix Women's British
Open she did just that, but my goodness they'd never have got past
any lady captain I've ever known.
Every suntanned inch of those perfect pins was on display along
with a good couple of inches of toned midriff. Germany's
Nicole Stillig's tiny navy shorts would also have failed the lady
captin's modesty monitor.
As for the 21 year old Californinan babe Natalie Gulbis.....what
that girl doesn't know about marketing herself isn't worth knowing.
Gulbis, already dubbed the Anna Kournikova of golf -
although her game is much better - has a slick, professional website
and a 2004 calendar, designed to give the entire ladies' committe
of your average golf club an attack
of the vapours.
In fact we were knee-deep in glamour at Sunningdale. Sweden's
Carin Koch looked amazing in tight-fitting white Capri pants, bright
red top and red golf shoes and Cristie Kerr might have just stepped
off the catwalk at some fashionable designer show. The
slender and exotically beautiful Grace Park chose Nike's soft petrol-blue
Capri pants and top and spikey-haired Eleanor Pilgrim flew the flag
for home-grown fashion in a striking pillar-box red outfit.
What the pros are wearing today will eventually filter down towards
the club golfer, suitably adapted. And although most of us will
never squeeze ourselves in the Paula Marti variety of shorts for
the monthly medal, at least we can feel like normal, fashionable
people clad in the beautiful new fabrics in vibrant jewel colours
and not like visitors from another planet in our prim little pastel
shirts with collars and tailored slacks.
Sunningdale was the perfect setting for the Weetabix and there wasn't
a dry eye in the house when Karen Stupples, our British winner,
thanked her father who stood there frantically dabbing at his eyes.
Glorious
weather made it what someone described as "a fantastic day
out for £20".
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| US
retain Curtis Cup - Formby Golf Club, Merseyside, England 12 - 13
June 2004 |
Michelle
Wie (youngest USA Curtis Cup player ever at 14) helped the United
States retain the Curtis Cup on Sunday when the US had a 10-8 victory
over Great Britain and Ireland. More than 8,000 spectators
watched the competition on Sunday.
The Curtis Cup which began in 1932, is a biennial match for women's
amateur golfers between a team from the US and one from Great Britain
and Ireland. The match is conducted alternately in
the USA and Gt Britain & Ireland. The team winning the Cup takes
custody for the ensuing two years. In case of a tie,
the Cup remains with the previous winner. The USA
now leads the series,
24-6-3.
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Michelle Wie recording her
second single win to help
lead the USA to victory.
(Sam Greenwood/USGA)
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| Golf
Club rows with Wealthy Wife |
The
match of the millionaire's wife versus the exclusive golf club went
to a play-off. Sheila Williams, who claims she was refused membership
of the Woodbridge Golf Club in Suffolk, for being Asian, had her offer
of a compromise declined.
With each side believed to be facing costs of £50,000 plus,
club members met to conisder her offer to pay her own bill if they
relented and admitted her. This they turned down and voted instead
to have the dispute settled by arbitration.
The club, has not disclosed publicly why Mrs Williams was turned down,
but sources insist it had nothing to do with her race.
Mrs Williams, who is in her 40s and a 22 handicap golfer, is of Indian
origin and came to Britain when her family was thrown out of Uganda
by Idi Amin.
Extract taken from the Daily Mail, 29 March 2004.
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| Laura
Wins in Australia |
|
England's Laura Davies won the AAMI Women's Australian Open, winning
the $Aus73,500 first prize by six shots from Rachel Teske to claim
her 66th career title in a 19-year-career. Well done Laura!
Sydney, Australia March 8 2004
(Extract from an article by Martin Park)
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Annika
was the best
How about these "Player of the Year" credentials.
Annika won two major championships. She
had her tour's best scoring average and topped its money list.
Then there was her display of grace and cool under tremendous
pressure in the PGA's Colonial.
Golf in the year 2003 belongs to Annika. |
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Member
of Parliament brings unfair ruling to the fore!
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| GLOUCESTER
MP Parmjit Dhanda is hoping to close a loophole in the law which
will allow women golfers to play on the same terms as men. Golf
clubs in Gloucestershire, England are said to be "forward
thinking," according to the women that play on them. But
some mixed-sex clubs up and down the country still discriminate
on the grounds of sex - restricting playing times for female
members and making it difficult for working women to tee off
at the weekends. |
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The
policies hark back to a time when many women did not work and
were permitted to play only during weekdays - freeing the course
up for men at the weekends. Mr Dhanda is set to have the first
reading for a private members Bill next month - which proposes
to abolish this discriminatory practice and others against women
and disabled people in all private clubs, not just golf clubs.
The
Sex and Disability Discrimination Bill proposes to bring private
clubs - including working men's clubs - within the scope of anti-discrimination
legislation. Previously, private clubs have been asked to take
voluntary action to abolish certain discriminatory practices.
But Mr Dhanda said it was time for the law to intervene as some
clubs still discriminate on the grounds of disability and sex.
He said: "There is a loophole for clubs to be able
to discriminate against women and people with disabilities.
"I first became aware of it when I was a councillor
and I had complaints from women who said they were members of
clubs but that they didn't have the same rights as men. It is
ridiculous that it still goes on."
The
Bill states that, currently, private clubs can lawfully deny membership
to disabled people or restrict access to some or all of their
facilities. It also says some 60% of the 3,000 working men's clubs
which belong to the Club and Institute Union (CIU) also deny their
female members full rights -restricting their voting rights and
barring them from AGMs. The move has been welcomed by female golfers
and disability groups in Gloucestershire.
One
golfer, who did not wish to be identified said: "I would
not join any sort of club that had those sort of policies. But
I know they are about. "Luckily, I think clubs in Gloucestershire
are quite forward thinking."
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| The
above article was written by Emma Pickles of The Citizen Newspaper |
If
you would like to read the whole of Parmjit Dhanda's speech to the
House of Commons click here.
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|
The
following article has been written by Derek Lawrenson and appeared
in the Daily Mail
on 6 February 2003.
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Beverly
shows who is wearing the trousers at The Belfry
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The
Professional Golfers' Association were deservedly held up to
national ridicule three years ago after it emerged that women
staff at their headquarters at The Belfry were not allowed to
wear trousers.
The game itself took another pummelling as the court case that
followed appeared to sum up a sport destined to remain forever
in the dark ages.
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But
far from being a typical example of blinkered attitudes towards
women and golf, that case seems to have seems to have shaken
the cobwebs from one of the game's most venerable bodies. Instead
of sticking their collective head in the sane, the PGA have
come out and admitted they were wrong.
As if to underline a commitment to enter the 21st centurey,
the PGA have taken the stunning step of appointing their first
woman captain, who will begin her four-year stint in office,
the first two years as captain-elect, this April.
Television commentator, author, but first and foremost a proud
golf professional, Beverly Lewis was the unanimous choice
of the PGA board.
Lewis is no revolutionary. Don't expect her to be
manning the barricades at men-only Augusta in April or picketing
the men-only Royal and Ancient Golf Club when they run the Open
in July.
Steeped in the game, the 55-year-old from Essex knows far more
will be achieved by her pursuing her figurehead position in
her own quiety impressive manner.
She said: "I think men just recoil from aggressive feminism.
I see myself as a presidential figure and if it nudges
other organisations to see women in a different light all well
and good.
"I
am looking forward to going to Augusta. They
have not got a lot wrong over the last 60 years, have they? I
think the Masters is second only to the Open in terms of prestige
and I have no desire to set foot in the men's locker room or
the men's bar.
"In fact, I see nothing wrong with men-only golf clubs. The
clubs I have a problem with are the mixed-sex ones who don't
allow working women to play on Saturdays or Sundays. But
that's all changing. I think a lot of clubs
have looked at their ageing memberships and realised that if
they don't change they are simply going to die on their feet."
On the question of Annika Sorenstam playing in a men's tournament
- the Swede is expected to announce plans next week to play
in one or even two U.S. Tour events - Lewis said: "If
she chooses the right golf course, and I am sure she will, we
will all be interested to see how she fares. But given our strength
handicap we have to accept that it will always be very difficult
for a woman to take on the men at their own game".
Perhaps not for Lewis. For her four years in office, she appears
well equipped to take on the men at their own game.
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