Michigan Golf Journal June 2021

Michigan Golf Journal Question and Answer Beth Ann Nichols, in April, became the first female president of the Golf Writers Association of America, in her role as Senior Writer at GolfWeek and contributor at the Golf Channel. She played golf at Florida Southern College, married Lansing, Michigan native Ben Nichols and has been at GolfWeek for almost 20 years since college. Q You garnered a lot of attention this spring in suggesting the LPGA Tour tournaments are not equitable in the set up compared to men’s tours/events. Please give a summary of that concept. A “I’ve been frustrated for some time now with how courses are often set up for elite women. Too many times women hit long irons or hybrids into greens that were designed for wedges and 9-irons for approach shots. In many cases, it seems that officials get caught up in setting up courses to a certain number rather than looking at what club is required for the second shot. “The other element that seems to separate the modern men’s game from the women’s game is a lack of enough risk/reward opportunities on the LPGA. What the LPGA considers to be a reachable par 5 is, in fact, not reachable for the majority of the tour. Meanwhile the men often hit low to mid-irons into par 5s on their second shots. “There’s only been one 59 on the LPGA (Annika Sorenstam, 2001) and a total of six scores of 60 or better. On the PGA Tour, there have been 52 scores of 60 or better. There’s no reason that LPGA players can’t bring fans to the TV more often for a 59 watch. As Angela Stanford said, ‘Let them light it up!’” Q How would you describe the public’s response to your opinions? Q&A with GolfWeek’s Beth Ann Nichols By Tom Lang