Top Five Reasons Why the LPGA Rules

By Ryan Finley,
Contributor

I must admit it, when I first started covering the Welch's/Circle K Championship, I was fairly unexcited about the concept of covering women's golf. Heck, to most of the population, the PGA Tour is a pain to watch on television. Now mix in long hair, shorter drives, and a cast of nobody's---I thought I was in sportswriter's hell.

Wrong!

While researching the LPGA as well as the Welch's/Circle K Championship, I realized that the LPGA, contrary to my own preconceived ignorance, was actually entertaining, engaging and, yes, pretty cool in its own right.

So, with Dave Letterman on the disabled list due to the whole quadruple-bypass thing, I decided to compile a little top-ten list of my own. But if a Top Ten gave ol' Dave a heart attack, I'll try not to exert myself. So here's the top 5 reasons why the LPGA Rules:

5) Nancy Lopez. Practically the most recognizable figure in women's golf if not in women's sports, Lopez seems proud to be bucking tradition. Maybe even cooler, she outshines her husband, former New York Mets third baseman Ray Knight, currently a commentator on ESPN. Despite playing a less-recognizable sport, Lopez manages to take the headlines from her husband, who played third base for New York in the 1986 World Series.

4) Women's golf is a sport the University of Arizona is good at. As a Tusconan and loyal Wildcats sports fan, I have suffered through the U of A's numerous first-round losses in the NCAA men's basketball tournaments and watched UCLA pound the helpless Cats in countless football games.

But the Wildcat women's golf team is top notch. Senior Jenna Daniels is ranked second in the nation and the team is the top team in the NCAA. Just wait until I start painting my face and heading to Randolph Park to cheer my way through a match.

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2) Accessibility. With the exception of Lopez, try to place the name to the face of any other player in the LPGA. Having trouble? Good. Similar to hockey players, women's golfers are notorious for being fan friendly and accessible. Due to the fact that few are recognizable outside the golf course, many players find themselves craving the media attention. In fact, members of the LPGA's Hall of Fame--.still play the game. Juli Inkster, who was elected to the Hall of Fame recently, still competes in a week-by-week basis.

How does Inkster react to the publicity? In a recent interview with LGPA.com, she acted as if was much ado about nothing: "On the first tee, when they announce that I am the newest member of the Hall of Fame, I think "Oh yeah that's me- the newest", she said. "But it hard to think of myself that way." Classy.

1)Golf Clinics for Women. Face it: most women try to stay away from sports, and many that do play sports would rather compete at something cheaper, simply, and less intimidating. Enter the LPGA. Knowing that it faces an uphill battle in converting women to a sport traditionally played by cigar-smoking white males, the LPGA offers free clinics to women in 16 cities worldwide. Great public relations, if nothing else.

Up next is stupid seniors tricks---watch as Chi-Chi Rodriguez takes on an animal in a duel to the death. Anyway, I'm off---painting my face for the Welch's/Circle K Tournament takes time.