So here's the question: Is it right that the LPGA has instigated a rule requiring all players to speak English or face suspension?

First and foremost, the LPGA's clearly within its rights. It's struggling to drum up a fan base, and sponsorship and—rightly or wrongly—sees the influx of non English-speaking players to a U.S.-based Tour as a problem that needs to be addressed to keep U.S. sponsors and consumers interested.  It's common practice elsewhere in the world to limit the number of foreign competitors allowed to play in events, a move often taken to try and boost local interest in the game.  This decision, while slightly different (foreign competition isn't being discouraged, just caveated), is essentially the same in spirit.

So why does it feel so wrong?

As a golfer, and a sports fan in general, I thrive on competition—something sport would be meaningless without.  When I tuned in to watch the Olympics, it was to watch the best athletes from all over the world competing to win the ultimate prize available in their chosen sports. There were no language restrictions, and what we got was the opportunity to witness the highest, purest form of sport there is: top athletes competing against one another on an equal playing field.  It's disappointing to know that if I tune into a future LPGA event, there's the possibility that I won't be getting to watch the best players out there, only the best players that happen to speak a passable form of English. If I'm being honest, that knowledge isn't likely to discourage me from watching it—competition is still competition—but it definitely cheapens the event, and the Tour.

Out of interest, I took a quick glance at the Top 50 female golfers—the official LPGA list, compiled by Rolex, dated August 25th, 2008.  Here's what I found: only 17 of the top 50 hail from countries where English is the first language; 12 Americans, three Australians, one Englander, and one Scot.  The rest of the list was comprised of 15 Koreans, nine Japanese, four Swedes, and one each from Brazil, China, Mexico, Norway and Taiwan.

And one final point: golf as a game is increasingly expensive to play, and to be involved in.  Look around any golf tournament, and you're looking at a list of players who have invested a significant amount of time and money to get to where they are. At a time when the game is struggling for diversity, and to broaden its appeal internationally, why would any governing body that cares about the game threaten that?  And especially with a rule that will add yet another layer of expense (in time and money) to up-and-coming international players, who now face the prospect of paying for English lessons on top of everything else, just to make it onto the Tour.

The good news is that there's still time for the LPGA to reverse this ridiculous decision before the 2009 season begins.  It's not something that needs to be done in the name of race or discrimination—they're not really the issues here—but in the name of ensuring fair competition and sporting integrity. As such, it shouldn't be too embarrassing of an about-face for the Tour—if giving way to common sense can ever be seen as embarrassing.  Should that fail to happen, then the only thing we can hope for is a female, non-English-speaking equivalent to Tiger Woods to come along and shake things up on the international scene. Then we'll see how long it takes the corporate guys to insist the LPGA changes its mind.

Phil Stott is a staff writer for a career publishing firm in New York. His real passion, however, is in writing about things that make him angry