Yani Tseng of Taiwan watches her putt on the 16th green during the final round of the Women's British Open golf championship at Carnoustie, Scotland, July 31, 2011. REUTERS/Russell CheyneRUSSELL CHEYNE/Reuters
Last week, Yani Tseng mused that she would play against PGA players if the opportunity presented itself. That opportunity has apparently presented itself in the form of Sidney Wolf, who helps organize the Puerto Rico Open.
According to GolfWeek, Wolf intends to offer Tseng an exemption into the 2012 PGA event, scheduled to be held March 8-11.
While the 2012 LPGA schedule has yet to be released, it's projected there would be no conflicting tournament scheduled that week for the women. The Puerto Rico event would be opposite the WGC-Cadillac Championship in Florida, which would field a majority of the top PGA players.
"Having the No. 1 player here would open our event to a broader audience. It could open up the possibilty of a LPGA event here, and ultimately help us raise funds for our charities," said Wolf, who added he has yet to contact Tseng or her management group about the possible exemption.
There's been no comment from Tseng, who is skipping this week's LPGA event in Japan to attend the wedding of a friend in Taiwan. However, her adviser, Ernie Huang, told GolfWeek that competing against the men at this time was likely not "in the near future."
"She has more goals to accomplish, such as completing the Grand Slam and qualifying for the Hall of Fame," said Huang. "To play on (the) PGA Tour now will be too much distraction for her."
At the recent Ladies European Tour event in China, Tseng indicated she would like to follow in the footsteps of Annika Sorenstam and Michelle Wie and play in a PGA event.
"I wouldn't care about the results," said the Taiwanese golfer. "I'd just want to enjoy the feeling of playing with guys and learning from them to further improve my skills."
Tseng has won 11 times worldwide this year including seven times on the LPGA Tour, including two major victories.
In 2003, Annika Sorenstam became the first woman in 58 years to compete on the PGA Tour when she accepted an invitation into the Colonial event. She missed the cut by four strokes. Connecticut club pro Suzy Whaley took part in the Greater Hartford Open in July of the that year after she qualified by winning a PGA of America sectional tournament. She would miss the cut by 13 strokes. Michelle Wie has played four times on the PGA Tour and each time she has missed the cut.