Back in the day, the PGA tour consisted mostly of Americans. Sure, Gary Player, a South African, was a notable exception, and there were a few others. A Brit here, an Aussie there, perhaps a German or a Spaniard. But by and large the Yanks dominated the tour.
Like the big-time business world, this has certainly changed over the years. The Tour has now gone full-blown global. Players are coming from every corner of the planet and these guys got game. They can flat-out play. Who knew they had golf courses in Sweden? And how do they squeeze them in on the tiny island of Fiji?
Nonetheless, in any given tournament these days, the leaderboard is typically stocked with players from all over the world, and most any of them can get hot for a few days and win it.
But that pales in comparison to what has happened on the ladies' side of the ledger in the LPGA. Also once dominated by Yankettes, the LPGA seems to have taken a decided hard turn -- to the East. As in Far East. Bill Murrey's character Carl Spackler in the movie Caddyshack would not be pleased. There are precious few thick-legged -- and big-butted -- American women waddling around the courses for him to drool over. At least at the LPGA level.
No, they've been replaced by lithe, diminutive creatures from Asia. Evidently, they have golf courses over there too. Again, who knew? And apparently these girls got some serious game as well. Out of the current Top Ten rankings, here are five names -- Ko (#1), Park (#2), Feng, Ryu, and Kim. Michelle Wie, at #6, gets a pass, because I think she's American -- sort of.
Want further proof? Check out the leaderboard at the ongoing Bahamas LPGA Classic. Here's ten names out of the top 13 -- Yoo, Shin, Shon, Miyazato, Lee, Ko again, Feng, Jeng, Joh, and Kung.
Nary a Smith, Jones, or Winfrey in the bunch (though one can only imagine how worked up Carl would have become had the latter played a round at Bushwood -- we're talking some serious butt and waddling).
Yet this is how it should be. If a professional sports organization claims to feature the best players in the world, than why should it matter what part of it they came from?
Though the USA has long had a way of thinking they're the best at everything, nothing could be further from the truth. Different peoples around the world have always been better at some things than others, including the USA, and America's dominance in some venues is either over, or soon will be.
More on that next time. Stay tuned.....
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