Battle Over Trump And Women’s Golf Didn’t Help

For the past year, the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) and the United States Golf Association (USGA) faced pressure to move the tournament after Trump’s infamous “Access Hollywood” tapes surfaced.

Some golf lovers saw it as an opportunity for women’s golf to receive more exposure.

Women’s golf did not receive more exposure: It was Trump who stole the spotlight before the tournament began amid rumors that he would attend the tournament and present the trophy to the winner.

In fact, there was no proof that more people tuned in to watch women’s golf simply because Trump would be there.

It’s an unfortunate pattern: Women’s golf only receives headlines when controversy surrounds the tournament.

The issue is not isolated to women’s golf, and there are certainly several instances when it happens in other women’s sports.

As someone who used to play on the LPGA and who still follows women’s golf closely, I can’t help but notice when this happens with women’s golf.

Golf writers wrote columns asking how the magazine could put Paulina and not an LPGA player on the cover and published these columns in outlets that also show little love for women’s golf.

For Pederson, who has caddied for LPGA player Brittany Lincicome for several years, one thing was clear: “Yes, I 100% think there was more of a focus on Trump that took away from the players.

Open this week, none of it matters in the end if women’s golf isn’t treated as a legitimate sport and not just when there is controversy to cover.