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U.S. drought is part myth, part reality
WANTED: Female golfer born in United States, to beat Swedes, Scots, Canadians and Koreans and put end to silly speculation that there aren't any quality Americans on LPGA Tour. On Sunday Annika Sorenstam put an exclamation-point ending to the debate over who the best player on the tour is, taking the Nabisco Championship for her third consecutive victory. Now here's the new hot topic: when will an American-born player break into the winner's circle?
The Americans' shortfall was even mentioned to LPGA commissioner Ty Votaw last week in the his state of the tour address. "For the record, no one from Australia, Japan or England has won one either," said Votaw, showing his background as a lawyer. A good point, but if you go with that logic, you could also say that no one from Columbia, India, Taiwan, Germany or Bora Bora has done so as well. Is it that startling the red, white and blue has yet to show its true colors? I don't think so. Over the last 10 years the LPGA has experienced a massive foreign invasion, a trend that started after Laura Davies and Liselotte Neumann captured U.S. Women's Opens in the late '80s. With the foreign women's tours small in number of tournaments and purse, the riches of the LPGA beckoned. Currently, the membership of the LPGA looks like a league of nations. Of the top 30 players on the money list last season, 16 held passports from other countries. And of the top 90, which is the cut off for exempt status, only 51 were Americans. With this in mind, it shouldn't be surprising that in the last 81 official LPGA events, a foreigh-born player has won 54 times. "I think that it is just like our tour -- very diverse," said Karrie Webb, who has 13 wins in the last two seasons. "The LPGA is a world tour and the winners list just represents that. I think that it is just a coincidence. There are great American players and there is plenty of good talent and it is really not a problem at all." While the American talent pool may not be as strong as it once was, the main reason the U.S. has struggled is the torrid play of others -- mainly, Sorenstam. The 30-year-old's record performances the last three weeks have left the field in the dust. One of the players shaking her head is Dottie Pepper. During the same three weeks, Pepper has recorded two seconds and a third. Normally, her 34-under-par stretch would have produced at least one trophy, but she, too, fell victim to the Swedish steamroller. Pepper's frustration was obvious as she wiped her eyes walking to the 18th green on Sunday. One reporter was brave enough to ask her after the round, "What is wrong with the Americans?" "I am really tired of this question because I am playing the best golf in my career and that is the end of story," said Pepper, who was the last American to win an event -- at the 2000 Tour Championship. "It is a long year. If you want to end the year at eight weeks, that is fine, we can all go home . But I am not going to. I feel the best I have ever felt about my golf game." Pepper, Meg Mallon or Pat Hurst will most likely ring up a victory or two this season. But with the Nancy Lopezes, Juli Inksters and Patty Sheehans fading out of the limelight, the future of American golf doesn't look all that bright. Players like Catherine Cartwright, Beth Bauer and rookie Angela Stanford have loads of talent but might not be the answer. After all, taking on the world is a tough task. Tom Hanson, a regular contributor to Sports Illustrated's Golf Plus section, is a longtime caddie on the LPGA Tour. Click here to send him a question or comment.
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