Vijay Singh thinks Annika Sorenstam should stick to her own tour

[Clutch]

VJ doesn't think she should be playing. He feels that she's taking a spot from someone in the field.

Scott Hoch wants to see her play well so people will realize "how much separation there is between us and the ladies' tour."

Nick Price has said Sorenstam's presence "reeks of publicity."

What do you think?

http://www.canada.com/sports/golf/st...4-DD66682814D9

[NoBack]

"Anika Sorenstam Come Onnnnnnnn Down............
your the first contestant on ...................

....................... The Price is Right"



Come on now........could it be for more $$$$$$$$??
Bet you cant buy a ticket even with Tiger not there.
Just an opinion here.

[mr shank]

Originally posted by Clutch
VJ doesn't think she should be playing. He feels that she's taking a spot from someone in the field.

Scott Hoch wants to see her play well so people will realize "how much separation there is between us and the ladies' tour."

Nick Price has said Sorenstam's presence "reeks of publicity."

What do you think?

http://www.canada.com/sports/golf/st...4-DD66682814D9

- I think Annika selfish & certainly doesn't derserve to play, but the sponsers know people who don't want to see golf, but want a spectacle will watch.

so all you non true golf fans who enjoy seeing someone who isn't even in the top 1000 golfers worldwide play - knock yourself out!

I'll be watching the golfers of superior talent on the Canadian tour that week.

Funny nobody has asked what people like Kane, Webb, Pak etc. think about this.

[ShaneOttawa]

There are essentially two kinds of sports events - those that are for the best in the world, and those that are closed field to encourage fair competition. The LPGA is closed field for a good reason, just as lightweight boxing, jr. highschool football, and under 12 golf are closed events.

The PGA Tour isn't/shouldn't be closed - its for the best players in the world, regardless of who they are.

I have no problem with Annika trying the PGA tour - its for the best golfers in the world, and she's earned the right to see if she belongs, IMO. While I'd prefer that she'd gone the qualifier route, I'm not bent out of shape that she's in through a sponsor's exemption.

If she shoots 80-78 and misses the cut, it won't be the first time that a player who entered a tourney through the sponsor's route proved to be out of their depth - or she could finish ahead of a lot of the field and either make the cut or not.

Regardless of which way it plays out, I see no problem with her getting the chance to play.

[mr shank]

Originally posted by ShaneOttawa

The PGA Tour isn't/shouldn't be closed - its for the best players in the world, regardless of who they are.

- agreed, unfortunately sponsors exemptions prevent this from happening, whether it be Annika or one of Jack's many wanna-be-a-golfer sons.

[faldo]

I tend to agree with VJ's comparison to tennis.

Do you want to watch Venus Williams lose 6-0, 6-1 to Andre Agassi, even though she's probably got more muscles than he does......

GO ANIKA, even though you can't win by winning or losing.

[em69]

Now VJ is trying to apologize and restate his comments.
He is actually making his comments sound even worse.

He's nothing but a self righteous individual. Me...me...me.
Hey Vij, the PGA is not a mens tour by the way.
Annika received a sponsors exemp. just like 7 other players. I don't get what's wrong with that.

[ShaneOttawa]

Originally posted by mr shank
- agreed, unfortunately sponsors exemptions prevent this from happening, whether it be Annika or one of Jack's many wanna-be-a-golfer sons.

The sponsor's exemptions are just that - the sponsor's opportunity to make some decisions about who is in the tournament they are putting up several million dollars to stage. This means the sponsor has the opportunity to do one or more of several things: A) give a chance to someone not in the field who has a chance of making a decent showing or actually winning. B) give a chance to someone who is going to attract some kind attention to the tournament, or C) for purely altruistic reasons - it happens.

Definately the strongest element in the Annika exemption is reason B- attention. I see nothing wrong with that, and there is also an element of item A in the Annika exemption as well - let's see if she can do it.

[Colby]

http://waymoresports.thestar.com/NAS...path=Golf/Golf

[Colby]

And Tiger feels she should get more chances on the PGA Tour:

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.j...toryID=2739238

[el tigre]

Good article from Lorne Rubenstein in today's Globe & Mail about Vijay vs Annika:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servl...NStory/Sports/

I agree - Vijay needs to give his head a shake. And I think Tiger is right as well - Annika will need more than one tournament to give herself a true test.

[fireice]

It's interesting to see different reactions from some of the PGA pros. It's looks like you could put them in two groups the young guys who tend to be a little more positive(Tiger, Duval etc..) and the over 35 crowd (Vijay, Price etc.)

[golfdoc]

Isn't it interesting that the young guys are all very careful about what they say. They still have a lot of golf left and don't want to ruin their own image.

The vets on tour don't care. They can speak their mind and not worry about the repurcussions. I respect them for that. Do you really think Nick Price is worried about losing endorsements or being criticized in the media. No way.

The LPGA has nothing to gain from this. If Annika plays well and doesn't make the cut, that's bad. If Annika plays terribly, that's bad. The only good thing would be if Annika makes the cut and competes. That just won't happen.

Her putting is not great. She will be hitting at the greens from much further away. Out of the rough will be extremely difficult. I believe they said she would be 177th in putting stats on the PGA. That just won't cut it!

[Clutch]

Tiger seems to be encouraging Annika to play more events, perhaps up to 5. This as he says will give her a better comfort zone, therefore be able to compete at that level. One event as he says isn't enough.

FFT... Tiger has been at odds with the PGA for a while now and even expressed interest in starting up his own tour. Perhaps his agenda is to encourage woman to compete in the PGA tour so to dilute it and start his own mens tour... hmmmmm. Soon the men would want to play an exclusive tour and then the PGA tour will go belly up.

What do you think?... Too deep? ... possible, but not likely??

[powerlefty]

Vijay should shut up and play. What he said was stupid and his backpedalling is making it worse. Sorenstam is just trying to be the best she can be and the fact is she can't do that on the LPGA tour because she beats the rest of the women like a drum. You can bet if there was someplace else to go to kick his game into a higher gear Tiger would try it. The problem is the PGA Tour is the pinnacle and he can't go anywhere else.

In any event, the whole discussion is somewhat moot, wait a few years for Michelle Wie - any 13 year old kid who drives the ball 300 yards impresses the hell out of me. And apparently also a couple of pros including Singh - I wonder what Vijay will say when SHE is paired with him?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
From Golf World Magazine...

Wie tried to qualify Monday for the Sony Open. Playing the back tees at Pearl Country Club, she shot a 1-over 73 and tied for 47th against 96 men.

"There's a lot of guys who got kicked around by a 13-year-old girl," said Andy Miller, who won the qualifier with a 65.

She also played a Pro-Junior Amateur event the day before the Sony Open, and several players stopped on the range to watch her swing.

"You watch her swing and say, 'That's normal.' Then you realize that she's only 13 and that's ... that's unbelievable," Vijay Singh said.

Couples also watched her play in Hawaii.

"When you see her hit a golf ball ... there's nothing that prepares you for it," he told Golf World magazine. "It's just the scariest thing you've ever seen."

[golfdoc]

It looks like she will be playing in at least one event on the Nationwide tour this year, and one on the Canadian Tour.

Let's point out again, these are sponsors exemptions.

[powerlefty]

Yup, sponsors exemptions - same as what Tiger got when he was a phenom. Same as I recall Mickelson got when he won in Peonix (?) as an amateur.

[em69]

So golfdoc...it's ok for others to get sponsors exemptions but not Annika.

Now that makes sense. You sound like shank.

[donh]

Remember folks that the sponsor's exemption are there to promote the event.

Let me put it another way. Let's say that the PGA event this week didn't include Tiger (on merit anyway). The sponsor then goes to Tiger and says I can exempt you...

The promotion of women's golf can't be a bad thing, no matter how it's done. Anika is the best lady golfer on the planet.

The sponsor has the right to give those exemptions to anyone they like. The argument that she is "taking someone's spot" is unionist, at best! There are so many opportunities out there for a "guy" to get some exposure that missing this one will probably not mean that much...

I heard someone say this week "it'll be bad if someone needs $300 to stay on tour and feed his family..." GIVE ME A BREAK! I'm someone who feeds his family on a whole-lot less than 400K per year.

Anyhow, IMHO women's golf will come out of this looking good, no matter how she does. The one's that are looking over their shoulder are the MEN. Imagine how much the razing will be for someone who gets beat by a woman. I seem to remember PhilM making the comment that Anika would finish 20, and he would finish 19th or better.

We'll see next week. Personally, I hope that she has an amazing week and all of her shots are "in the bag".

The young lady, Miss Wie, is a tougher story for the guys out there trying to make it on the feeder tours. I think that she IS taking someone's spot who might otherwise be able to take it to that next level. (Funny eh?)

Have a good weekend all!
DonH

[faldo]

The intent of those "Sponsors Exemptions" is too encourage the sponsors to be sponsors.
I don't think this is taking away a spot as they were unlikely to give them to guys ranked 155 on the money-list, unless it was a relative...
Would you rather the President of MasterCard gave a spot to his 15 year old son & then insisted they would not renew their PGA support unless little "Georgie" played with Tiger the first two days??

The only possible solution is for us to create a maximum of two Sponsors Exemptions for the Ottawa Golf Tour!!!!

Dan, you have my permission to contact ANIKA & MICHELLE with reserved spots in any event this season. Since we have open fields they will not be taking a spot from a more deserving male-type person (who being male must logically be a better golfer!)

PLease restrict them to a maximum of one Cleaner anr/or CTP

[Kilroy]

Ahem... Last year's tour was won by Diane Hamilton. One of two women who played the tour last season. We have one female member this year, Bailey Murdoch. Anika would certainly be welcome.

[Colby]

How about Natalie Gulbis or Paula Marti :jawdrop

http://www.paulamarti.info/fotos/foto28.jpg

http://www.paulamarti.info/
http://www.nataliegulbis.com/

Not to put anyone else down...

[Clutch]

Now yur talkin' .....Why haven't these women been given exemptions??? So what if Annika can golf... do you really want to watch her or Natalie Gulbis or Paula Marti.

Thanks for the link Colby!

[Colby]

I do my best!

[The Shtick]

Well there you have it. Vijay has withdrawn from the Colonial. :shakehead

[fireice]

I wonder if he would of lost to Nick or someone else rather than winning would he be showing up this week at Colonial. I guess we'll never know.

[The Shtick]

http://www.pgatour.com/u/ce/multi/0,...378996,00.html

...and the whole Annika thing had nothing to do with it??