Keep women golfers in their place, says Norman

Greg Norman today urged golf’s administrators to find a way of outlawing the increasingly popular practice of leading female players taking sponsors’ invitations to compete on the men’s tours.

Norman was responding to the announcement last week that Laura Davies is to become the first female to compete in a European Tour event when she lines up at next week’s ANZ Championship in Port Stephens, north of Sydney.

“I personally don’t think it should happen. I don’t think it is right. I think the women should play on their tour and the men play on our tour,” said Norman, who would “seriously think about” withdrawing from an event which invited a woman to play.

“I think it has got to stop. How do we stop it? It is up to our administrators to come up with the wording of our bye law.”

The LPGA’s regulations state participants must be born female to compete, but there are currently no such stipulations for the men’s tour.

“We can’t go and play on their tour because we weren’t born female. That is the wording they have in their by-laws. I think we should do something about it,” said Norman.

The issue has been a hot topic since Swedish world number one Annika Sorenstam last year became the first woman in 58 years to play a PGA Tour event.

Several females have since tested themselves on the men’s tour.

Last October, world number two Se Ri Pak was the first to make the cut and finished 10th at a tournament in Korea.

Last month, 14-year-old sensation Michelle Wie stunned the field at the Sony Open in Hawaii where she narrowly missed the cut.

Norman said that while he had a lot of respect for Wie, her place was not on the men’s tour.

“I am very impressed with her attitude, her demeanour at such a young age,” he said.

“The situation is more of a marketing ploy than anything else. It started with Annika to promote herself and to promote women’s golf but it can be very detrimental.”

Norman was also concerned that crucial LPGA sponsors could feel short-changed if the big-name players turn up elsewhere.

“If I was a sponsor I’d say ’where is my value?’ because I want to have an Annika or a Laura Davies or a Michelle Wie play,” he said.

“I feel sorry for the sponsors because they have been a dedicated part of women’s golf.”

Ernie Els, in Melbourne to defend his Heineken Classic title, was more equivocal over the issue but only if the motivation was genuine.

Els and Australian Robert Allenby agreed the issue may well die its natural death given the lack of players good enough to post any challenge on the men’s tour.

But he warned: “I don’t think it is the natural thing to do. I don’t think there is much future for it.

“How many girls are going to be good enough to play?

“We can’t keep on giving them invites. I think guys are going to start complaining about that.

“I think there might be quite a few men who will oppose it. It is becoming an issue and I think commissioners around the world will have to start thinking about it.”