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Banned
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/sports/13015740.htm
<!--StartFragment --> <TR><TD class=v1>Posted on Thu, Oct. 27, 2005</TD></TR><TR><TD colspan="2">
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Van de Velde says he aims to play in Women's British Open
[SIZE=-1]BY JOE LOGAN[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]Philadelphia Inquirer[/SIZE]
<!-- begin body-content -->PHILADELPHIA - Chalk up another self-inflicted, disastrous triple bogey for Jean Van de Velde.
When the Royal and Ancient Golf Club announced Oct. 13 that it was going to throw open the door to women in golf's oldest championship, you just knew that some knucklehead was going to whine and complain about the inequity of it all.
Van de Velde won the hearts of millions of golf fans with the classy way he handled his infamous final-hole collapse in the 1999 British Open.
Yet, after shooting a 7-over-par 78 in the first round the Volvo Masters on the European Tour in Sotogrande, Spain, on Thursday, Van de Velde did little to enhance his image by announcing that intends to try to enter next year's Women's British Open.
"I'll even wear a kilt and shave my legs," he said.
Knowing full well the that Ladies Golf Union, which runs the Women's British Open, bars men, Van de Velde said he was not trying to be sexist, only to make a point. But he said he was serious and hinted at legal action.
"If we accept that women can enter our tournaments, then it applies that men can play with women," said Van de Velde. " ... Where do we draw the line?"
Just like his Open bid six years ago, Van de Velde has put himself in a losing situation.
Even if he truly, deeply feels that the British Open should be men-only, and the Women's British Open should be women-only, is he the last man on the planet to realize he ought to just shut up about it?
For one thing, as any fool knows, when a man starts talking that trash, about 90 percent of all women immediately hate him. Women hate men whom they perceive as trying to hold them down, or men whom they believe are afraid of competing against them.
As a Frenchman - aren't Frenchmen supposed to be lovers, not sportsmen or fighters? - you'd think Van de Velde would know that. Heck, you'd think he could teach the class.
Van de Velde's comments won't likely be hailed by men, either, except among the relatively few wholly unreconstructed Neanderthals. Any man with two brain cells to rub together knows better than to touch this topic with a 10-foot pole while wearing one of those radioactive suits.
When the R&A made its announcement, you didn't hear any carping out of Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh, Ernie Els or any big-name players on the European Tour.
Why would they? Even if a handful of the top women golfers from the European Tour or LPGA Tour qualify for the Open, it's not like they are going to take Tiger's or Vijay's spot. By complaining, Van de Velde almost comes off like he's fretting about his place in the Open.
No man - especially not a professional athlete - ever commanded the respect of his peers by whimpering about the prospect of having to compete head-to-head against women.
Ever since Annika Sorenstam grabbed headlines by breaking the men-only barrier in 2003 at the Colonial, the public attitude, at least, toward women on the PGA Tour has been: "Bring it on."
The LPGA is for women; the PGA Tour is for the best players in the world, man or woman. Sorenstam, the best woman player in the world, got her fill playing against the men and happily returned to the LPGA Tour. Now, all eyes are on young Michelle Wie, waiting to see whether she's got the game to make it among the men.
Ironically, Van de Velde's timing was no better than his insights. If he had bothered to read the comments of many top women golfers, he would have known that most of them showed very little interest in the R&A's announcement.
The reason? The R&A set the bar pretty high. For a woman to be able to even enter the first-stage qualifier, she must be a top-five finisher in an LPGA major. If she makes it through that, there's another 36-hole qualifier.
Sorenstam, for one, had no interest. "Maybe some (women) from Britain will go," she told the Associated Press. "They don't have to travel far."
Before he opened his mouth on Thursday, Van de Velde would have done well to think back to one of the things he said after his disaster at Carnoustie.
"There are worse things in life," he said, holding his head high in defeat.
"I read the paper this morning and some terrible things are happening to other people," he added, alluding to wars, famine and tyranny. "It's a golf tournament, it's a game, and I gave it my best shot. Next time I hit a wedge OK, you all forgive me."
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