NY Times Explains LPGA DQs, Butchers Name of Player DQ'd

by Ryan Ballengee on Apr 2, 2010 10:25 AM EDT in Pro Golf

The NY Times' Karen Crouse - who did a wonderful profile of Michelle Wie and her artwork earlier in the week - also did a write up on the three players disqualified from the Kraft Nabisco Championship for pro-am truancy. Crouse makes a pretty large claim about the ousters:

Suzann Pettersen posted a five-under-par 67 for a one-shot lead over the 2008 champion Lorena Ochoa during a first round in which Alfredsson, Maria Hjorth and Sangsang Feng loomed like ghosts. Their disqualification on the eve of the first women’s major of the year before the first official shot had been struck was another spoonful of bad publicity for the L.P.G.A. Tour, which over the past year has had to swallow a change in leadership at the top and a downsized schedule.

Sangsang Feng isn't in the field. She may actually be a Chinese ghost, but the player is Shanshan Feng. Kind of hard to make a stink about the DQs when that happens.

That said, Crouse does explain the window in which LPGA pro-am alternates must mind the store. Each alternate is given a two-hour time period in which they must be prepared to play at a moment's (or five minutes') notice.

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This is Karen Crouse of the LA Times. She’s not a very good golf writer. The piece is pretty scattered with the explanation of what is required of the players, and she only bothered to find out what happened with Helen Alfredsson, not Feng or Hjorth. – but she DOES find time to take a few shots at the necessity of the pro-am – followed up by Juli Inkster saying that they are used to it. Great writing.

She does manage to work in a little 1940’s radio and film noir style – “…during a first round in which Alfredsson, Maria Hjorth and Sangsang Feng loomed like ghosts.” I don’t know about you – but I had to stop writing stuff like that when I got to high school unless it was intended to be like the film noir.

She also focuses on the exit of the old LPGA commissioner – but ignores the positive steps and schedule expansion that started almost as soon as Bivens’ car was out of the parking lot. Pretty typical – she doesn’t check her facts, can’t spell names, and prefers bad news to good.

"this ball will fit in that fairway"

by courtgolf on Apr 2, 2010 12:24 PM EDT reply actions