Sorenstam's Golf Plans Stirs Controversy

May 14, 2003 -- For months, the controversy simmered beneath the surface. Now it has erupted with a top male golfer lashing out at Annika Sorenstam, the superstar of the women's golf tour, for planning to play next week in a men's event.

"What is she going to prove by playing?" Vijay Singh, a former Masters champion, told The Associated Press. "It's ridiculous. She doesn't belong out there."

Sorenstam will join the otherwise all-male field at the Colonial Invitational in Fort Worth, Texas. Singh said he hoped Sorenstam would not make the cut — the halfway point in the tournament when those who don't score low enough are eliminated.

He also said if he were paired with the 34-year-old Swede, he would not play. But later Singh apologized, saying he wassorry if his comments about Sorenstam playing on the PGATour came across as a personal attack.

Singh Apologizes

"If it was an attack on Annika at all, I would like toapologize to her," Singh said after a practice round for thisweek's Byron Nelson Classic. "It was not put that way. It came outthe wrong way," he said.

On Tuesday, Singh attempted to cast his remarks in a differentlight.

"I actually said if I miss the cut, I'd rather she miss the cutas well," he told reporters who were waiting for him as he cameoff the course. "I hope she missed the cut because I don't want tohave a woman beat me."

Sorenstam, who won a women's tournament in Japan earlier this week, was not immediately available for comment.

When she tees off at the Colonial Country Club on May 22, she will be the first female pro golfer to play in a men's event since Babe Didrickson Zaharias competed in the Los Angeles Open in 1945.

In a recent interview, Sorenstam, who is arguably the greatest female golfer ever, told ABCNEWS she wanted to play against men as a "challenge," and a way to measure her game against the best players in the world.

A Self-Challenge

"I thought this would be a true test to see what are my strengths, what are my weakenesses? Can I play against the guys? That's pretty much it, that's why I'm doing it," Sorenstam said.

Some male pros, such as Phil Mickelson, have welcomed her.

"She's the greatest player on the LPGA [Ladies' Professional Golf Association] tour," he said. "It's not like she's a slouch."

Tiger Woods, who is a friend of Sorenstam and who has practiced with her, said it was "great … but."

"This is the 'but' part: It will only be great for women's golf if she plays well."

It will be a tough assignment. Sorenstam hits the ball about 280 yards off the tee, but that is about 20 to 40 yards shorter than the longest hitters on the men's tour.

She said she chose to play Colonial because it puts more of a premium on accuracy than pure power.

The defending champion at Colonial, Nick Price, has accused Sorenstam of playing in this year's event for the publicity.

"They don't know me," Sorenstam said of her critics. "Being an athlete, I've always wanted to push myself, to try things, and that's exactly what I'm doing."

Julie Inkster, one of the top pros on the LPGA tour, said: "A lot of people don't like change, so I guess they're going to have to live with it. It's going to happen. She's going to play."

Writer John Feinstein, whose new book, Open, is about the 2002 men's U.S. Open, said some male players are actually afraid Sorenstam might do better than them.

"I don't think any of the men want to finish behind a woman," Feinstein said. "I think some of the men resent her presence because they don't think she's good enough. The only way to find out is for her to play."

Sorenstam said, however she does, this will be the only time she plays in a pro tournament against men.