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CLOUDY Temp: 56 °F Wind: WNW at 8 mph Saturday, June 21, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend May 25, 2003 Commentary Playing like this girl wouldn’t be so bad By KRIS HENRY Mail Tribune When the proposition of Annika Sorenstam playing a PGA Tour event was first hinted at a few months ago, it wasn’t difficult to understand why so many men opposed the idea. It’s in our blood, our upbringing. An "us" vs. "them" mentality that gets us in politically incorrect hot water time and again, but we keep coming back to it. Advertisement When a boy grows up, there’s no greater insult than when his peers say he does something "like a girl." Throw like a girl, run like a girl, hit like a girl � no boy wants to hear that. Worse yet, be beaten by a girl and see how long it takes to live that down once word gets out. Now translate that to the kind of global phenomenon brought on by Sorenstam’s placement into this week’s Colonial in Texas, and you can imagine the hesitation. Some men were roasted for their up-front comments on not wanting a woman to join their boys’ club. Many others took the backdoor out by saying they welcomed Sorenstam’s presence and hoped that she finished ahead of her male counterparts in the field "as long as it’s not me." For the record, Sorenstam missed the cut, finishing with a 5-over 145 in two days under the microscope of national scrutiny. She tied for 96th out of 111 players who finished two rounds. Critics of Sorenstam’s appearance in a PGA Tour event will point to Friday’s 4-over round and the fact that she failed to make the cut in an event that featured some, but certainly not all, of the best male golfers. Advocates will bring up Thursday’s exceptional showing, in which she carded a 1-over 71 under the pressure of being the first woman in 58 years to compete on the PGA Tour. I’ve had the fortune of speaking with Sorenstam on a handful of occasions through her stops in Portland at the U.S. Women’s Open and the Safeway Classic, and there may not be a more genuine person and determined golfer than Sorenstam. That said, I was initially against her playing a PGA event. Women have their own tour in the LPGA. What’s she going to prove anyway in a hand-picked event that suits her game to a tee? It’s going to ruin the sanctity of golf. All those thoughts crossed my mind, as did the bitter childhood recollection of another Texas event: Billie Jean King’s domination of Bobby Riggs in a "Battle of the Sexes" tennis showdown Sept. 20, 1973, in Houston. No, I wasn’t there. But it always irked me as a member of the Y-chromosome set that a 55-year-old tennis hustler carried my male-ego fortunes in his hand against the vibrant King, 26 years his junior. Riggs’ heyday had come 20 years prior when he won national singles titles on the professional tour, and King made him look like the faded talent he was in a 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 victory. I spent the better part of my childhood in the South and Midwest getting smacked in the face by his loss. If a question of supreme gender came up, King’s three-set romp of Riggs was sure to follow. While it irked me to no end then, it’s easy to see now how pivotal that was in legitimizing women’s tennis. Today, the women’s tour is as prominent as the men’s tour in terms of publicity and attendance — with much credit given to that shocking night in 1973. However, few remember Margaret Court, who was easily defeated by Riggs in straight sets four months prior, 6-2, 6-1. But without Court, there may not have been King or Chris Evert or Martina Navratilova or the Williams sisters of Venus and Serena. And without Babe Didrikson Zaharias in 1945, there may not have been Sorenstam in 2003. Sorenstam helped break down some barriers in golf — and in gender — with a performance that can only be considered a success this week. She insists she will happily return to the LPGA Tour, satisfied with her PGA experiment and with new admiration for her male counterparts. But what she leaves is an equally strong impression of how well the other half can fare if given a chance to join the boys’ club. And she will most certainly be followed, from Suzy Whaley in the coming months to teen phenom Michelle Wie in the coming years. And not long after, it won’t be such a big deal to hit like a girl. And that’s a good thing. Reach reporter Kris Henry at 776-4488, or e-mail [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Rogue Valley Auto Finder Rogue Valley Job Finder --> Rogue Valley Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Real Estate Showcase Food for Thought Hike of the Week Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Openings Prime Times