The RCGA announced its field for the CN Canadian Women’s Open this afternoon, and it is mighty impressive. It includes 45 of the Top 50 money winners, which is remarkable when you contrast it with the Canadian Open, which had five of the Top 50 in the world. What a difference between the men’s and women’s games.
Lorena Ochoa, the best female player in the world, fresh off her British Open win, will be there, as will Morgan Pressel, Lorie Kane, Paula Creamer and pretty much everyone else of any note.
However, there’s one notable exception and that’s Annika Sorenstam. Now the LPGA has a rule that every player has to play every tournament every four years and since Sorenstam hadn’t been to Canada since 2003, this would have been her year. But she’s not coming and she’s not hurt. So why isn’t she coming?
Well, according to Sean VanKesteren, the tournament director for the RCGA, the LPGA now has a rule that allows players to skip one tournament per year from the four year rule. That sort of ends one of the best elements of the LPGA Tour — and I don’t think the tour has made it well known.
So Sorenstam has used the rule to skip the Canadian Women’s Open, and I must admit to having lost a lot of respect for her. She came to Canada last year to play in an event for one of the big banks, so she’ll come when there’s money on the table. Other years she had her tournament in Sweden as an excuse, but it was played this week. So in the end, she used a rule not to come. And she’s not hurt — having played the last four weeks.
Sorenstam has slipped as of late, but at one time she was the Tiger Woods of the women’s game. It would have been good to have her in Canada.
Interestingly, VanKesteren said the RCGA wouldn’t “force” Sorenstam to come to Canada — but after further explanation, it doesn’t look like the organization could have compelled her to come even if it wanted to.
