Yani TsengPICHI CHUANG
Yani Tseng will one day play against men in a PGA event. It just won't be next year, according to her advisor Ernie Huang.
Huang tells GolfWeek they have turned down an invitation to play in next year's PGA Puerto Rico Open but they are not ruling out any future invitations.
"Yani is still interested in men's tournaments, but not in the immediate future," Huang is quoted as saying. "She has other goals to accomplish, and she would like to remain focused on women's tournaments."
Among those goals are to become the youngest player to capture the career Grand Slam with a victory in the U.S. Women's Open next year. At 22, Tseng could also accumulate enough points in 2012 to qualify for the LPGA Hall of Fame.
At a recent tournament in China, Tseng spoke about the possibility of playing against men on the PGA Tour.
"I wouldn't care about the results because I'd just want to enjoy the feeling of playing with guys and learning from them to further improve my skills," said Tseng, an 11-time worldwide winner this year including two majors on the LPGA Tour.
That prompted tournament chair Sidney Wolf to come forward with an invitation to take part in next year's Puerto Rico Open, which is held opposite the WGC-Cadillac Championship at Doral on the PGA schedule. Wolf said the offer was made for all the right reasons.
"Having the No. 1 player here would open our event to a broader audience," Wolf told GolfWeek. "It could open up the possibility of a LPGA event here, and ultimately help us raise funds for our charities. It would also creates awareness of Puerto Rico globally, which would economically be very positive for the island."
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. Michelle Wie has played four times on the PGA Tour and each time she has missed the cut.