Some Have Called LPGA Policy “Xenophobic” While Others Say It’s Smart

The LPGA possibly instituting an English proficiency test for its players "has touched an international nerve," and the N.Y. TIMES notes the organization “has been both pilloried and praised around the globe." The proposal still is garnering major newspaper and web coverage, hitting mainstream media and even being debated on talk-radio. And to this point, reaction seems surprisingly split, with many of the players actually silent on the topic. Most agree that the foundation for a policy change is there, but the approach the LPGA has taken is misguided. What is unclear is just how advanced any plan is and what the organization will do now -- they certainly would have been more successful had they been able to control the message, and it’s not entirely evident how much the LPGA anticipated such a media backlash. While most of the columnists and pundits point out that an English mandate comes from the desk of Commissioner Carolyn Bivens, she has been noticeably silent, and has left Deputy Commissioner Libba Galloway, apparently in charge of the plan, to be the public face of the policy.

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