In the wave of indignation that followed an online Golfweek report that LPGA players must speak passable English or have their tour membership suspended, I recalled interviewing Se Ri Pak in her rookie season 10 years ago. Or rather, I interviewed her South Korean interpreter. A couple of years later, at the Canadian Women's Open in Ottawa, she spoke enough pidgin English to muddle through, kind of. At this year's Open, her English was more than acceptable.
She worked on her language skills on her own volition, realizing that if she was going to make her living on the LPGA, it would be in her best interest to do so. Aside from media interviews, she would be able to hold her own during pro-ams and in dealing with sponsors.
Pak was at the vanguard of what has become an influx of talented Korean and other Asian players on that tour. In contrast to Pak, most of those who followed her show little or no inclination to learn the language of their workplace.
That's their choice. They let their games speak for them; they apparently don't care about communicating with their caddies, the fans, their non-Asian playing partners, or anyone else outside their clique.
That's their decision, even though there has been much consternation, both public and private, at LPGA headquarters for years. Why weren't these Asian players toeing the language line like other non-English-speaking women? Like the Swedes, for example? Could you imagine if Annika, or Carin Koch, or Helen Alfredsson decided to communicate only in their native tongue? Horrors!
Apparently, LPGA Commissioner Carolyn Bivens, a no-nonsense type who has done more good than bad for the tour since she took over a couple of years ago, finally had enough. But even if you can stomach the outrageous premise of this policy, she stumbled badly by allowing the story to be broken online, rather than making an official announcement and spinning the message in a more positive manner, if there is such a thing.
While the issue is sure to be ballyhooed now that Golfweek has broken the story, the true bottom line was uttered by Seon-Hwa Lee: "The economy is bad, and we are losing sponsors," she said, according to the report. "Everybody understands." Do they? Or do the Asian players see this as a thinly veiled attempt to decimate their numbers?
In any case, now that the precedent is set, those Japanese players who come over here to take millions from MLB had better watch their step. Latin players, the same. No more, "Bezeball been berry berry good to me," Jose. Similarly, those hockey players who are playing in Europe and Russia would be well advised to contact their local language tutors. What about all the U.S. and Canadian golfers making a living on the Asian Tour?
As they say, payback's a bitch and, rightly or wrongly, that no doubt will be the epithet cast at the LPGA commissioner for approving this decision, one that could - should? - cost her her job.