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  1. #1
    Getting Exemptions The Shtick is on a distinguished road The Shtick's Avatar
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    Women qualifies for PGA event

    HARTFORD, Connecticut (Ticker) - Former LPGA Tour member Suzy Whaley became the first woman to qualify for a PGA Tour event on Tuesday when she won a PGA Section Championship.



    With her mother as caddie, Whaley shot a 1-under-par 71 to close the 54-hole Connecticut Section Championship two strokes ahead of Bob Mucha. She claimed the $6,000 top prize and qualified for next year's Greater Hartford Open.



    "This morning, when I was leaving the house, I was more concerned about whether or not my daughter Jennifer would get her leotards in time for dance class," Whaley told the Hartford Courant after her triumph.



    The 35-year-old Whaley is married to Bill Whaley, the general manager at the TPC at River Highlands, where the GHO is held each summer. She has not decided whether she will play in the PGA Tour event.



    "I'm going to think about it long and hard before I make any kind of decision," she told the Courant.



    Whaley played from tees 10 percent closer to the hole than the men's tees at sectionals, but that will not affect her status for the GHO, where she would have to play from the men's tees.



    "As far as we're concerned there's a spot in the GHO with her name on it," PGA Tour spokesman Bob Combs told the Courant.



    Whaley began the final round two strokes behind Mucha and was three off the pace with eight holes to play. But Mucha had three bogeys and a double-bogey over the final six holes.



    A native of Syracuse, New York who attended the University of North Carolina, Whaley played on the LPGA Tour from 1990-93. She has been the head professional at Blue Fox Run Golf Club in Avon, Connecticut for a year.



    In August, Whaley recorded a nine-stroke victory at the LPGA Teaching and Club Professional Championship in Southern Pines, North Carolina. The win qualified her for next year's LPGA Championship.



    With Tuesday's victory, Whaley also earned a berth on next year's Challenge Cup team, a 10-year exemption into the Connecticut Open and a lifetime exemption into the Connecticut Section Tournament of Champions.



    Two weeks ago, Whaley became the first woman to compete in the pro versus amateur Challenge Cup matches.



    "Suzy is a great player," Tom Gleeton, who tied for third, told the Courant. "It's great to be a part of history."

  2. #2
    3 Wood golfdoc is on a distinguished road
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    Trouble...

    Now they've done it. There is no way she should be allowed to play in a PGA event. There is a PGA and an LPGA. Leave it that way.

    It is great that she shot a great score and won an event. Why doesn't she try and qualify for LPGA events again?

    If they allow her to play a PGA event, I hope men turn around and try qualifying for LPGA events. They could play from the ladies tees and have a chance at some good prize money...

    This equality thing is getting out of control!!!

  3. #3
    Founder Kilroy is on a distinguished road Kilroy's Avatar
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    Egads.

  4. #4
    2 Iron JimmyW is on a distinguished road JimmyW's Avatar
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    Yeah!

    Next you'll be seeing handicapped golfers complaining that they can't use golf carts. (er... wait a minute... that's already happened)
    Gimme a break guys.




    JW

  5. #5
    Hybrid Chris is on a distinguished road Chris's Avatar
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    Way to go Suzy!! Now what???

    Nothing like stirring up the pot huh Shtick.. ??

    Won't that be interesting if she plays in the GHO. Just imagine all the publicity should would get. Her life would never be the same. I'm sure Martha has her number on her speed dial by now.

    We all knew that it was just a matter of time before a woman would be qualifying for a PGA event. Well at least the attention will be off of Tiger for a while if she decides to go for it.

    I think the USPGA should look into having something for both men and women to compete at the same level. All this PGA bashing is getting a bit out of hand. It would be a sad day for golf and tradition if the PGA becames a uni-sex event. Why would anyone want to mess with that? :tank
    Last edited by Chris; 09-19-2002 at 10:27 AM.

  6. #6
    3 Wood jimrobin is on a distinguished road
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    Women in the PGA.

    I can see it happening if they didn't already have their own pro circuit. But……
    Suzy play in the LPGA and stay the hell away from the PGA. They don’t want you!!!!
    It’s like having a piece of pie in front of you and eating off someone else’s plate. EAT YOUR OWN PIE!!!!
    Can you tell I have kids.

    My $0.02.
    JR

  7. #7
    Founder Kilroy is on a distinguished road Kilroy's Avatar
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    How could she qualify from forward tees???

  8. #8
    Hybrid Chris is on a distinguished road Chris's Avatar
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    Hmmmm

    Good question Dan!

    Perhaps I'm wrong here, but my understanding was that in order for her to be eligible to play or qualify for the PGA she would have had to play from the men's tee's at the CPC/ PGA Section Championship, which she didn't elect to do .... hmmm something's fishy here :bablefish

  9. #9
    Golf Nut nice_lag is on a distinguished road
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    Thumbs down From the forward tees???

    I didn't know that she had elected to play from the forward tees. And they allowed her to do so? Well now I definitely don't agree with it. I had mixed feelings before but not now.
    nice_lag
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  10. #10
    3 Wood jimrobin is on a distinguished road
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    Different tees.

    Whaley played from tees that were approximately 6,300 yards, compared to the men's distance of approximately 6,900 yards.

    I missed that earlier. :mad
    How can she qualify if she's playing from different tees?
    GARY - Answer this one???????

    I don't get it!!!!
    The PGA is worried that a guy playing from the same tees but with a golf cart is a unfair advantage.

    And then they allow this??????
    These PGA officals are worse then the NHL refs when you compare what's a penalty in the 1st vs 3rd period.
    Last edited by jimrobin; 09-19-2002 at 08:42 PM.

  11. #11
    2 Iron JimmyW is on a distinguished road JimmyW's Avatar
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    Working up to it

    It’s like having a piece of pie in front of you and eating off someone else’s plate.

    EAT YOUR OWN PIE!!!!


    Wha?!?!

    I'll let Gary the Golf Guru Guy answer before I say anything about being allowed to tee off from different tees than everybody else based solely on gender (does the phrase "female firefighter" mean anything to you??)

    That being said, I was unaware that there was such a thing as the MPGA. You have PGA (professional golfers assoc.) and LPGA (ladies professional golfers assoc.), assuming that you have to "work up"to the PGA. Comparisons?, any other regulated sports program in the western world. Matt Albiani and Brendon Bell can try out for the NHL, for example.

    Anyway I'm running late. Opinions welcome

    JW

  12. #12
    RulesNut Gary Hill is on a distinguished road Gary Hill's Avatar
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    The PGA holds tournaments all across the country to determine section winners.
    In PGA sectional tournaments, ladies as well as seniors play from forward tees.
    Because Suzy Whaley's section happens to host the Greater Hartford Open, that section winner also gets a spot in the event.
    The PGA TOUR (separate body from the PGA of America) has a condition of competion that all players must play from the same tees.

    Suzy Whaley is head professional at Blue Fox Run Golf Course in Avon, Conn.
    Her husband and teacher is general manager and director of golf at TPC Highlands where the Greater Hartford Open is played.

  13. #13
    Shotmaker spidey is on a distinguished road spidey's Avatar
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    omg... relax...

    Women are NOT going to take over the PGA Tour. If that was possible, don't you think it would have happened already??? The length of courses at the very least is going to be tough on them.

    Women's courses are averaging 6300-6500 yds. Mens courses are averaging 6900+ yds, and some as long as 7300 yds...

    Do you think the women are going to play to the same scoring average if they have to play courses that are up to 1000 yds longer? I don't think so.

    Good women golfers will always earn more money playing on the LPGA tour than they will playing on the PGA Tour. Would Annika Sorenstam have made the kind of money she has playing against Tiger, Phil, Ernie, Davis and the like?

    Sheath your foils, gentlemen. We're not under siege.
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  14. #14
    3 Wood golfdoc is on a distinguished road
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    Not the point...

    You are correct Spidey. Women are not going to invade the PGA Tour. That is not the point!

    There are guys on the tour who will shoot the same score as some women if they played the PGA events. These men would lose out on their potential income and might not get their card.

    Could they then turn around and play womens events?

    I'm sure Annika could hit it just well as guys ranked 100-125 on the money list.

    These guys are trying to make a living. They cannot go play the LPGA to make a living.

  15. #15
    Shotmaker spidey is on a distinguished road spidey's Avatar
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    Could they then turn around and play womens events?
    Imagine the embarrassment.... "I beat 75 women golfers"... Somehow I don't think that's a marketable proposition...
    I'm sure Annika could hit it just well as guys ranked 100-125 on the money list.
    I suppose that's possible, but probably the guys who are 250th on the list can hit it a mile past Annika. She'd still make PILES more by staying on the women's tour. 100th place was about $505K on the PGA tour last year, this year it will be more like $600K. Annika already has $2.2M for this year.
    These guys are trying to make a living. They cannot go play the LPGA to make a living.
    Whaley is getting one of the spots that's NOT allocated to tour players. All the tour players who would normally be playing in the GHO will still be there. The people who Whaley beat aren't the PGA pros eking out a living like you're referring to. And perhaps the attention that Whaley gets will keep the GHO a living tournament for a bit longer... (unlike the Air Canada Championships which have gone belly up... maybe we should have beaten the Americans to the gun by putting something more marketable into our tournament before it was too late).

    When she misses the cut... and I assume she will, she will earn exactly the same thing as the other 75 pros that miss the cut....
    an opportunity to go home before they hurt themselves.. ;-)

    ymmv
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  16. #16
    3 Wood golfdoc is on a distinguished road
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    solution???

    So Spidey, the 75 guys that don't make the cut, and go home without any $$$, they should go play the women's events, from the women's tees and take the women's $$$.

    Are you saying that beating the woman would be embarassing? I may be missing your point on this, but are you saying that anyguy who played a womens event and won, would have nothing to be proud of? How about the $500,000 cheque he would not get on the mens tour!

  17. #17
    Shotmaker spidey is on a distinguished road spidey's Avatar
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    golfdoc... I'm not trying to make fun of you. But think about this.

    The PGA tour is not the 'Men's' tour. It's the tour that's open to anybody who's the best. If we had a gorilla, or a chimpanzee that could play golf... do we need to have a "Chimpanzees Professional Golf Tour"? No. The PGA Tour is for ANY player who can compete with the best in the world. If it turns out that women rise up the evolutionary chain, and become the greatest athletes of all time, then the PGA tour will be a tour of women, and the men's tour would become the MPGA.

    The purpose of the golf championship is to award the trophy to the winner. Because of marketing and sports fans, it has become practical to award prizes to 74 or so non-winners of golf tournaments. But the winner wins the championship. How do you brag about winning a tournament where all the rest of the competitors are substantially less capable than you are? A man winning the women's 5000 meters at the Olympics?

    I understand that you are saying that if a man is having a hard time supporting his family, that he will take whatever he can get. Unfortunately, I don't think this applies in the case of Tour pros. Tour pros have a lot more options than you're giving them credit for. Nearly every one of them can get a job at a high class golf course as the club pro. All of them have connections to become caddies for higher earning pros. Most of them have endorsement deals where they make a bunch of money just peddling products. And there are other opportunities. Very few of these pros have come from poverty and have nobody to fall back on.

    ...and yes, I'm saying that if a man plays in a woman's event and doesn't win it'll be VERY embarrassing. If he wins, it's because he's expected to win. There's nothing to brag about. What's the incentive to enter? If all men are permitted to enter the women's event, then there wouldn't be many women left in it, now would there?

    ...are you saying that the only reason the men play in the Master's is because they're paid so much money? I prefer to think that the reason MOST of the players play golf, is to win golf tournaments. If they just want to make a living from sports, playing competitive golf is a real risky way of doing it. (shrug)
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  18. #18
    3 Wood golfdoc is on a distinguished road
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    confused

    I guess I thought the PGA was for men.

    At local clubs here in Ottawa, do they have club championships?
    Do they have mens and womens divisions?
    Can the women enter the mens?
    Can the men enter the womens?

    I am just curious. I would hope they are separate.

    They should have it all separate or no divisions at all.

  19. #19
    Shotmaker spidey is on a distinguished road spidey's Avatar
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    Yep, you make a valid point, golfdoc. Everybody competing fairly.

    In local clubs, there is even more discrepancy between women and men. Divisions are very separate. The women govern the women, the men govern the men. The women stick together and the men stick together.

    But at the top levels of competition, it's just the best and the rest.
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  20. #20
    3 Wood golfdoc is on a distinguished road
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    exactly

    It's not though.

    If you are saying the PGA is open to the best (men and women)and the LPGA is open to women only, then where is the men's only tour?

    The problem is, the women want it two ways. They want their own tour, but they also want to play on the men's if they make it.

    That is wrong!

  21. #21
    Shotmaker spidey is on a distinguished road spidey's Avatar
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    golfdoc... tours are not an issue of equal segregation (what??)

    ..they are an issue of marketing and sales. If they don't produce a product that can be sold, then they fold. Just like the Air Canada Championships.

    ...they can't form a men's tour, because the best men are already on the PGA, European PGA, Buy.com, etc. Who would want to watch 5th rate men play?

    ...they can market an LPGA, but the ratings are declining. That's why there's the fuss about women's images and mandatory seminars on fashion and fitness on the LPGA tour.... as well as ruckus about possibly having one of them pose in Playboy.... if they don't raise their profile, they're going to be dodo's too.

    ...women don't want to compete on the men's tour. Although Whaley isn't the first woman to play on the men's tour (Babe Didrickson Zaharias did on sponsors exemptions back in her day... and she was good), she's the first one to EARN a place in a tournament. The FIRST. This isn't a trend. They're not starting a movement to move into the men's tour. This is one woman... and she's not even sure she wants to come and play yet.

    ...and if half the players on the PGA tour are women, because they are good enough to be there, then I'll watch them all, and I'll cheer for whoever earns the trophy. But it's not going to happen.... we'll never live to see it.

    ...the last thing we need to do is blow it all out of proportion ala Hootie/Martha. This isn't worth the press it's getting.. unless it brings more money to the GHO via it's publicity...

    ...it's not wrong... it's life. Everybody's perception of fair is different. Ask Martha... Ask Moe Norman... Ask Gary... he has to re-explain the fairness of the rules nearly everyday... and there are still people who disagree with them....
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