Fraters Libertas

Let's Face It, Boys Are Better Than Girls by Dave Thompson

As I submit this article, Annika Sorenstam is about thirty minutes from teeing off in the second round of the Bank of America Colonial golf tournament. She put up an “impressive” one over par 71 on Thursday. You might wonder why I put the word impressive in quotes. Well, because +1 in a PGA event is impressive only if you are an amateur or a girl. If you don't trust my opinion, I refer you to ESPN's Website that points out the fact that she will have to putt better today than yesterday in order to make the cut. A man who shoots a +1 during the opening round of a PGA event will not make the highlight reel on any national or local sports broadcast.

There are many important things to be done in this society that are done equally well by men and women. However, men of equal skill beat women at anything that can be done better or more easily given superior size and/or strength. While women can attain the same level of competence and precision with a golf club, they cannot hit the ball as far as men. That is why virtually every golf course has ladies' tees that shorten the course. A man may have to hit a 270-yard drive in order to be in the same location on the fairway as a woman who hits a 230-yard drive. This golf convention was started long before the political correctness movement came to be, and is therefore a pretty accurate reflection of reality.

Poor Annika is hitting from the men's tees this week. Even if she hits a tee shot with the same sweet stroke of the best man out there, she will be hitting her approach shot to the green from 20, 30 or 40 yards further out. This makes the task of hitting the ball close to the pin much more difficult. She is to an inherent disadvantage by virtue of the fact that she's a girl.

Are you still unconvinced? Well then put your money where your mouth is. If the PGA tour is open to women, it only seems fair that the LPGA tour should be open to men, right? I’m sure you are already in the business of trying to rationalize. Give it up; you can't do so with any intellectual honesty. The fact is that marginal players on the PGA tour and some of the better players on the Buy.com tour would migrate to the LPGA tour and take it over. Their size and strength put them at a huge advantage over the women. The folks who run the LPGA will not (and should not) let this happen.

Since men will not be given the chance to play on the LPGA tour, women should not be allowed to take slots on the PGA tour. I hope we are near the time when it is clear that boys and girls do not belong together in competitive athletic events beyond about age ten. In sports such as football, hockey and wrestling it can result in unreasonable risk of injury and awkward situations for everyone involved. In sports like golf it results in politically correct arrangements that take male professional athletes out of their sport without the permission to go play with the women.

Women on the LPGA tour can no longer make the Rodney Dangerfield argument that they get no respect. ESPN, The Golf Channel and the major golf magazines provide comprehensive coverage of the LPGA tour. Sponsorships are flourishing, resulting in larger tournament purses. (Yes, I will admit that golf is the rare venue in which men have bigger purses). The women really don’t need the men or the media circus surrounding Annika’s excellent weekend adventure. Come to think of it, does the LPGA even have an event this week?

Editor's Note: The Dave Thompson Show can be heard in the Twin Cities every Saturday and Sunday from noon to 3 PM on KSTP-AM 1500.