Is women's golf....

[Kalen Braley]

...that bad that a 10 year old can qualify for the U.S. AM?

http://msn.foxsports.com/golf/story/latanna-stone-10-years-old-qualifies-for-2012-us-womens-amateur-072912

[Phil Benedict]

My wife saw a picture of the girl and couldn't believe she's only 10.  Puberty happens a lot earlier nowadays.

[David_Tepper]

Kalen -

Is mens' golf that bad that a 17-year old can contend thru 3 rounds in the U.S. Open?

By the way, Beau Hossler could not get past the 2nd round of the USGA Juniors just a couple of weeks ago.

DT    

[Phil McDade]

Does the USGA lack any common sense when it allows 10-year-olds to compete for their national championships?

[Garland Bayley]

Kalen,

Even you break 80 on rare occasions.

[Kalen Braley]

David,

A 17 year old and a 10 year old aren't even close in physical stature and/or muscle development.....

Even a 15 year old girl and a 10 year old girl are miles apart...

[Terry Lavin]

That bad. And worse.

[Mac Plumart]

Is my game so bad, I can't beat a 10 year old girl?

[David_Tepper]

"A 17 year old and a 10 year old aren't even close in physical stature and/or muscle development.....
Even a 15 year old girl and a 10 year old girl are miles apart..."

Kalen -

On the other hand, the 10-year old girl was competing in a local amateur field and the 17-year old boy was competing against the 50-100 best golfers in the entire world.

The picture of the young Ms. Stone would indicate her physical stature is not that of the average 10-year old.

Didn't Morgan Pressel qualify for the US Women's Open when she was 12 years old? Haven't we seen a number of relatively young girls (Chris Evert, Andrea Jaeger, Tracey Austin, etc.) compete at a very high level in women's tennis over the years? Didn't we just see a 15-year old girl win a golf medal in a distance swimming event in the Olympics? Don't girls mature physically younger than boys?

I recently saw the final match of the USGA Girl's Juniors here in San Francisco. Those 2 young ladies can play very, very, very well.

DT  
    

[Mike_Young]

The most difficult thing about Womens golf is trying to announce it on TV.  As one noted announcer told me.  It's difficult to make interesting and one has to learn new golf terms such a "reachable par three"

[David_Tepper]

http://www.geoffshackelford.com/homepage/2012/8/6/video-us-womens-am-has-started-includes-the-10-year-old-who.html

She does not look like any 10-year old I have ever seen!

[Mike Nuzzo]

The most difficult thing about Womens golf is trying to announce it on TV.  As one noted announcer told me.  It's difficult to make interesting and one has to learn new golf terms such a "reachable par three"

How is it different from men's?

Because they hit way more fairways than Tiger or Phil?

[Patrick_Mucci]

The really great thing about golf is that it's results oriented.

It doesn't matter if you're young or old, rich or poor, all that matters is what you score.

If a youngster, male or female, outscores their competitors and qualifies for an event, more power to them.

The one concern I would have is the same concern I have with all child prodigies, namely, that they may not get to enjoy a normal childhood.

Tom Brady's father made the comment that he wouldn't let his son play football if he was 16 today.
More parents are introducing their kids to non-contact sports that don't lead to permanent injuries or wreak havoc on their adult lives.

Golf is a natural outlet and a game that youngsters can play for the rest of their lives.

I like the concept of qualifying, versus exemptions, it rewards performance.

Congratulations to all those youngsters trying to improve their games and qualify for championships, local and/or national.

[noonan]

Corn syrup and hormones in meat are at fault

[Mark Johnson]

A few thoughts from me

1) she isn't old enough to play in the junior am (they have an age-minimum);  surely, they will create a rule in the off-season.

2) physically, men and women mature at very different ages.   Men around mid-20s,  women in their mid-teens.    (Look at any major sport, younger women are at the top of the game in golf, tennis, swimming, soccer, etc.)     I would argue that a 14 year old girl would win a US open before a 20 year old male

3) the womens qualifer is only 18 holes, compared to 36 for men.   this alone will let more riff-raff in.

4) i am most disturbed by the fact that she has a website

5)  When I take lessons in the winter, the person in the time slot before me in an 11-year old girl.   She can already shoot low 70s from a 6000 yard course and has a swing i could only dream about.   When she plays varsity next year as a 7th grader she will be one of the favorites in the state of minnesota.   Based on this one example alone, i cant say that she shouldnt be playing.

6) look at scores from any women's am qualifer,  25% of the field doesnt break 85.  hard to say a legit scatch golfer shouldnt be playing.

[Mike_Young]

The most difficult thing about Womens golf is trying to announce it on TV.  As one noted announcer told me.  It's difficult to make interesting and one has to learn new golf terms such a "reachable par three"

How is it different from men's?

Because they hit way more fairways than Tiger or Phil?

The pins are not tucked...and the short games are much worse...of course myth says they have great short games but just watch....there are many fine women players but the sport just doesn't have the finesse or power related to men's golf. 

[jeffwarne]

...that bad that a 10 year old can qualify for the U.S. AM?

http://msn.foxsports.com/golf/story/latanna-stone-10-years-old-qualifies-for-2012-us-womens-amateur-072912

How exactly does a 10 year old shooting 70, make women's golf bad?
Know any 10 year old boys who can shoot 70 competively on a tournament sized course?

[Phil McDade]

Jeff:

You're not troubled -- even a little bit -- by a 10-year-old competing in the biggest amateur championship in golf?

[Brian Colbert]

This doesn't surprise me. The number 1 women's amateur in the world, Lydia Ko, is 14. Latanna is on pace to be an incredible star in the Michelle Wie/Lexi Thompson/whoever else mold. Let's just hope she is managed better than Michelle.

But it is a talent issue. Girls who can't break 80 from 6000 yards get full scholarships to D1 schools regularly. Guys who can't break 80 from 7000 yards find themselves on a DIII team. The competitiveness is too different from the women to the men.

By the way I don't know how they set up the US Women's Amateur but I know without any question if I played the 2000 US Amateur at Baltusrol as a 10 year old I'm pretty sure it would have been physically impossible for me to get over the pond on hole 4.

[Jud_T]

Hey, she qualified fair and square.  I hope she wins the damned thing.  Women's golf could do worse than to have a bunch of preteen girls this side of Seoul begging their parents to get them clubs and lessons.

[Gary Slatter]

No, women's golf is that good right now, so is men's golf.  Unfortunately kids can really play the game right now, hit first, leave the "strategy" for the older folk.

[John_Conley]

Girls who can't break 80 from 6000 yards get full scholarships to D1 schools regularly.

 

[Tim Gavrich]

I'm genuinely curious why it's a bad thing or demonstrative of a lack of common sense on the USGA's part that a 10 year old girl has qualified for the U.S. Women's Am. How can this be anything other than a fascinating and impressive story?

[Dan Kelly]

The really great thing about golf is that it's results oriented.

It doesn't matter if you're young or old, rich or poor, all that matters is what you score.

If a youngster, male or female, outscores their competitors and qualifies for an event, more power to them.

The one concern I would have is the same concern I have with all child prodigies, namely, that they may not get to enjoy a normal childhood.

Tom Brady's father made the comment that he wouldn't let his son play football if he was 16 today.
More parents are introducing their kids to non-contact sports that don't lead to permanent injuries or wreak havoc on their adult lives.

Golf is a natural outlet and a game that youngsters can play for the rest of their lives.

I like the concept of qualifying, versus exemptions, it rewards performance.

Congratulations to all those youngsters trying to improve their games and qualify for championships, local and/or national.

Bravo, sir. Bravissimo! (And bravissima to all of the amateur women who qualified. Note: amateur. Note: qualified.)

[Will Lozier]

The really great thing about golf is that it's results oriented.

It doesn't matter if you're young or old, rich or poor, all that matters is what you score.

If a youngster, male or female, outscores their competitors and qualifies for an event, more power to them.

The one concern I would have is the same concern I have with all child prodigies, namely, that they may not get to enjoy a normal childhood.

Tom Brady's father made the comment that he wouldn't let his son play football if he was 16 today.
More parents are introducing their kids to non-contact sports that don't lead to permanent injuries or wreak havoc on their adult lives.

Golf is a natural outlet and a game that youngsters can play for the rest of their lives.

I like the concept of qualifying, versus exemptions, it rewards performance.

Congratulations to all those youngsters trying to improve their games and qualify for championships, local and/or national.

VERY well said.  Judging purely from some comments here, it appears we have a number of sexist and/or insecure males in this group.  To all of you bashers, if your 10-y-o daughter had the talent to qualify for the premier AMATEUR tournament in the world, would you prevent her from competing?  I am stumped by all the negativity.