Anna Nordqvist won her first LPGA Tour event in her rookie season and made it a major by winning the LPGA Championship yesterday by four shots over Australian Lindsey Wright.  Nordqvist won the tournament in her fifth career start.  I mean, that's not even really a career yet.  She is the complete definition of a "wild card" champion.

Curiously enough, I asked Dottie Pepper about the possibility of a wild card winner because of the lack of continuity in the LPGA schedule in 2009.  She said that she didn't think that was possible given the champions that Bulle Rock had produced in four other go-rounds.  Also, she said that young players don't tend to hold up in the nerves of the Major Championship moments.

Nordqvist proved Pepper wrong by winning the title in such workman-like fashion.  She plodded along Bulle Rock, hit fairways and greens, made birdies, and crushed the field.  Perhaps it helped that her weekend playing partners had a combined 1 LPGA Tour win between them.  Probably made the experience a little easier since the Swede wasn't made to face world number one Lorena Ochoa, defending champion Yani Tseng, or any of the other faces of the Tour.

More important, though, may be the demeaor of Nordqvist.  Seeing her interviewed on TV and talking to her in the Media Center convinced me that she is as cool as they come on the course.  In one sense, that made writing about her like pulling teeth.  If Christina Kim is the best quote in golf and a 10 on the writer's dream scale, then Anna Nordqvist might be a 1.  Might be negative.  She said nothing about really needing or wanting to win.  She wanted to "have fun" this week.  Mission accomplished, for sure.  Winning is always fun.

Of course, that gave Baltimore Sun writer Kevin Cowherd an opportunity to call the ladies of the LPGA Tour boring.  Admittedly, he describes himself as boring.  And, when talking about Anna Nordqvist, it would be hard to disagree.

Still, the same people who complain about professional golfers lacking personality are the same ones that also hate the idea of Twitter (I'm not opening that can o' worms, just saying) or mic'ing up players and such.  The critics say that sports gather interest on the basis of the participants' athletic talents.  Then they get two days of Christina Kim on the mic and Twitter and they clamor for it. 

Here's why you're going to read a bunch of stories about the LPGA Tour or Anna Nordqvist specifically being boring: she didn't say much that was a good quote.  Writers automatically deem those players as boring.  Players that are not effervescent and filled with off the cuff banter with writers are just not that entertaining to people that make a living on them. 

Writers deal with Tiger Woods' rote recitation of stock lines in press conferences because he is the best player ever and occasionally he lets a little something out of the bag.  Since Phil Mickelson is the complete opposite, that's why writers love him despite the relative inadequacy compared to Woods.

Don't get me wrong, everybody loves a golfer that is outgoing.  They want to see smiles, handshakes, and kissing babies.  In other words, fans want golfers to be like Presidential candidates.  Hell, I'm sure they would appreciate an Obama-esque 37 minute speech at the trophy presentation. 

But, golf is a sport that appeals to lots of introverts.  Golf is a sport that an introvert can sink themselves into, avoid having to deal with other people, and get really good at all on their own.  They reach the professional ranks and don't become extroverts overnight.  They don't care that the media wants a quote from them or that fans would just kill to have them crack a smile.  Golf is their passion and their job and there is no recourse to stop players from doing nothing but grunting in the press room.

Does it make telling the story of golf harder?  You bet.  Does it make golf boring?  Absolutely not.