Kid thumps professionals, refuses money, 15 yr Old Amateur Lydia Ko Wins Canadian Open

[GaijinGolfer]

Originally Posted by sean_miller

I'm a Canadian and a Canucks fan, since you mentioned the word 'Canuck" twice. Any real Canuck fan would be disgusted at the thought of Ron McLean on the broadcast. He was worse last year. I switched channels between the very boring Barclays and the Canadian Open though. Both lacked any excitement but the Barclays was actually worse.

Amen to that.  His, "supernatural providence of British Columbia" and constant referencing to hockey and figure skating were downright horrible.  He's bad enough when he talks hockey, now you ask him to talk about golf, something which he clearly knows nothing about and all he does is spout nonsense and use pro-Canadian buzzwords.

Maybe next year they will get Don Cherry and he can spend 3 hours being a grumpy old man, saying that these women have no business on the golf course and should stay in the kitchen.

[iacas]

Originally Posted by reedf

iacas, you are WRONG and I finally have a chance to correct YOU! It's the web.com tour!

Maybe that's what I meant to say, and the fact that there is no Nationwide Tour is why she wouldn't make the cut in one of their events?

But yeah, you got me. Web.com Tour. :)

[GaijinGolfer]

Id agree that she doesnt deserve a Masters invite.  She won the CANADIAN OPEN.  Its hardly a major and she wouldnt even make the cut at The Masters.  If Augusta were to start inviting women golfers to The Masters, that would be cool but IMO theres many LPGA players who are much, much more deserving than Ms. Ko is.

[mvmac]

Golf Channel's recap of the win with fellow New Zealander Frank Nobilo's analysis

[iacas]

Originally Posted by GaijinGolfer

She won the CANADIAN OPEN.

She did a bit more than that...

[nevets88]

This has been the year of the youth, hasn't it?

The youngest qualifier for the men's US Open. The youngest qualifier for the US Open Women's amateur. This. And RoryMcIlroy's 2nd major win.

Outlier or trend?

[laconic517]

with the enormous disparity in short games when you compare the men and women's game, she could play from a distance comparable to a womans championship venue and still not come close to making the cut.

Augusta/Oakmont/any course with difficult greens would be the worst course to put an LPGA player up against the men.

i am curious to see how Pinehurst will be set up when you compare the men and women's opens (I haven't checked the schedule, but I imagine the women will have to play the week later)

[mrdb]

This girl does have some game. She has also won on the ladies euro tour at 14 playing against Laura Davies and other top women. I think she was the youngest ever winner on the euro LPGA. It was played at oatlands gc in nsw, which is a tricky (certainly not brutal) par 70 layout. either way she is wiping the floor with pros around the world and doing it relatively unassumingly. We may be seeing the female tiger in the making.

[joekelly]

Sure Erik, we all know that the Master's is strictly 'by invitation only' just like restaurants post a sign that reads 'service refused to anyone for any reason'. But historically the Master's has extended invitations to all previous winners so each year we are  blessed to see old, white haired foggies who can hardly hold the stick, let alone shoot anywhere near par, grace the players roster. And since old Bobby was an amateur, we see invites to the current crop of top amateurs, and lately even Asians. Have yet to see the winner of the African Amateur on the list, maybe next decade.  Anyway, each year 6 ams are invited but only one can make the cut. The old guys do less well. Last year former winner Ian Woosnan shot 81/86 which i would not call 'top golf'. He did not make the cut.  So just making the cut, which most ams and most oldies do not do, is not a very useful criterion of worth.  Not so many years ago the very idea of a woman walking Augusta in a 'green jacket' was blasphemy to the orthodoxy of white male privilege.  Maybe the Master's is really 'for men only' and not for the best golfers.

[x129]

The masters is for the best golfers. When a woman qualifies for it (win a PGA event, win a british, asian or US amateur championship, public links, mid amateur, finish top 30 on the pga money list top 50 in world golf rankings.,...) and isn't invited you can cry sexism. Would it be a tougher tournament if they just invited the top 150 or so guys on the world list rather than letting in past champions and the amateurs? Sure. But it would take away some of the character of the event.  The mid amateur this year had zero chance of making the cut. He did however have a couple of good tv pieces and brought attention to the event and game. Probably a win. Having a woman would also bring attention. But if the top woman in the world missed the cut by 10 strokes, there is some debate if that would be good or bad for the LPGA.

Originally Posted by joekelly

Sure Erik, we all know that the Master's is strictly 'by invitation only' just like restaurants post a sign that reads 'service refused to anyone for any reason'. But historically the Master's has extended invitations to all previous winners so each year we are  blessed to see old, white haired foggies who can hardly hold the stick, let alone shoot anywhere near par, grace the players roster. And since old Bobby was an amateur, we see invites to the current crop of top amateurs, and lately even Asians. Have yet to see the winner of the African Amateur on the list, maybe next decade.  Anyway, each year 6 ams are invited but only one can make the cut. The old guys do less well. Last year former winner Ian Woosnan shot 81/86 which i would not call 'top golf'. He did not make the cut.  So just making the cut, which most ams and most oldies do not do, is not a very useful criterion of worth.  Not so many years ago the very idea of a woman walking Augusta in a 'green jacket' was blasphemy to the orthodoxy of white male privilege.  Maybe the Master's is really 'for men only' and not for the best golfers.

[iacas]

Joe, when you re-enter earth's atmosphere, let us all know. :)

[joekelly]

I'm back!!

[KrazyTrain18]

Ok, I went and saw her play the final round at Vancouver golf club in person, and have to say, she is a phenominal golfer ! She outdrove her playing partners almost every hole by a good 20 yards and she was playing with good players (Stacy Lewis, Na Yeon Choi).  Hits it straighter than anyone and is calm as a pro.  At one point while waiting to hit her shot in the fairway she talked to some people on the sidelines.  And NO she isn't allowed to take the cash prize since she is an amateur.  She was offered a 750$ gift card to the courses pro shop.  Personally I think she should be invited to the Masters but I know that will never happen, women are just now being let in and the only ones in are only in because of the connections and who they are.

[CDNinATL]

Me and the wife were quite impressed by her play. And I heard the same thing. That most she'd get is the $750 gc. I'm sure that has to do her amateur status more than anything. The $300k for the win actually went to Inbee Park who finished second.