Place an Ad Calendars Classified Forums Sports Weather

sptimes.com Text-only News sections Arts & Entertainment AP The Wire Business Citrus County Columnists Floridian Hernando County Hillsborough Letters Movies Neighborhood Times News Update North Pinellas North of Tampa Obituaries Opinion Pasco County South Pinellas Sports State Tampa Bay TV Times World & Nation  Find your local news section Weekly sections Brandon Times City Times Homes Outdoors Perspective Personal Tech Taste Travel Weekend Xpress Special Sections Arena football Buccaneers College football Devil Rays Lightning Police reports Schools Seniority Subscriber Services Subscribe Renew Help Advertise Place an ad In print Online Market Info Join Us Internships Scholarships Times Jobs Contact us

In Britain, U.S. women face shutout

Foreign-born players have so dominated the LPGA Tour this season that Americans have yet to win a major event.

By BOB HARIG

© St. Petersburg Times,
published August 2, 2001

The Women's British Open has been part of the LPGA Tour schedule for several years, but for the first time it will be considered a major championship when the tournament begins today. Fitting, perhaps, that one of the four majors goes overseas in a year being dominated by foreign players.

The Americans are on a roll, having won the last three events heading into the Women's British Open at Sunningdale Golf Club outside of London.

But 11 tournaments were played this year before an American won. Of the 24 tournaments, 18 were won by foreign-born players. Making matters worse for the Americans, four of the wins are among Rosie Jones (two), Juli Inkster and Betsy King, all of whom are over 40. Inkster and King are in the LPGA Hall of Fame.

Some view this as alarming. Others, including LPGA Tour commissioner Ty Votaw, see it as part of an evolving tour that includes players from all over the globe.

"We open up our arms to the world to come play our tour," Votaw said. "There really is not any other tour that is close to where we are in terms of breadth and depth and prize money. When an Australian or Korean or Swede or somebody outside of the United States wins on our tour, I don't view it as a foreign player winning the tournament. I view it as an LPGA member. I don't think that's an uncommon sentiment."

Votaw points to Sweden's Annika Sorenstam (five wins), Australia's Karrie Webb (two wins, both majors) and South Korea's Se Ri Pak (two wins). They have won nine of the 24 LPGA events this year. And all three players, despite their foreign passports, have homes in the United States.

Nonetheless, many of the top American players have been missing, at least in the winner's circle. Dottie Pepper, Kelly Robbins, Meg Mallon and Brandie Burton are winless this year.

And there appears to be an alarming lack of production among young players. The 20-something future stars such as Kelli Kuehne and Cristie Kerr have no victories this year. Emilee Klein, considered an up-and-coming player when she joined the tour, won two weeks ago, her first win in five years.

Gary Gilchrist, an instructor at the David Leadbetter Academy in Bradenton, has worked with teens Aree and Naree Wongluekiet, among others. A South Africa native, Gilchrist sees a different dedication among young foreign golfers -- and a different opportunity.

"The United States is such a big country, but in all these little countries, like Sweden, they have (golf) federations. The USGA (United States Golf Association) is a big body, and then there is the AJGA (American Junior Golf Association). But (to play junior golf) you have to go all over the country, which costs a lot of money. The local areas here are not as strong as if you went to another country.

"Here, it's pretty much left up to the parents. In other countries, there is a lot of support. Some from government, some from big business. The USGA pumps money into the game and tries to help minorities, which is good and politically good. But you also need to help every level.

"If every state had a federation or a golf organization that would select the best kids in that state who could get golf instruction and get it paid for. ... America depends on numbers. Other countries depend on training."

Not everyone believes it is a big deal, especially the players on the tour who rarely look at each other as being from different countries.

"It's quite funny for us," said England's Laura Davies, who won this year in Rochester, N.Y. "There's nothing wrong with the American players, they're playing very well. The fact of the matter is the top international players are playing better."

The issue has worn on Pepper, who won last year's Tour Championship. She says too much is being made of the situation. "I think it's a credit to the LPGA Tour," said Pepper, who has four top 10s this year and twice finished tied for second. "This is where everybody has to come prove themselves. It would be hard to go a stretch without foreign players winning."

Still, a victory by a foreign player at the British Open would mark the first time in LPGA history that Americans have been shut out in the majors over the course of a season. Mallon is the last American to win a major, at last year's du Maurier, which was replaced by the British as a major.

"The emergence of the foreign influence is because they do a lot of the golf academies at an early age," Inkster said. "They go to school and they play golf. Now the (American) society is doing that with our junior players, so within 10 years we're going to have an influx of a lot of American golfers."

"It's not like they just showed up last week and they are winning," Jones said. "We're a world tour now. The tour was founded in the States and we've had international players from the get-go. This is the place to play."

© 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111

Contact the Times | Privacy Policy
Standard of Accuracy | Terms, Conditions & Copyright