LPGA suspends rule requiring players to speak English
The women's golf tour had come under criticism for mandating that all its players speak proficient English. The LPGA commissioner now says 'there are other ways' to improve players' marketability.
Faced with growing criticism, the major women's professional golf tour in the United States has suspended a controversial policy that would require players to speak proficient English.
"After hearing the concerns, we believe there are other ways to achieve our shared objective of supporting and enhancing the business opportunities for every [LPGA] Tour player," said a statement from Carolyn F. Bivens, commissioner of the Ladies Professional Golf Assn. "In that spirit, we will continue communicating with our diverse Tour players to develop a better alternative."
The Asian Pacific American Legal Center scheduled a news conference in Los Angeles, where it will be joined by civil rights groups and elected officials demanding the LPGA overturn its policy.
The conference will come one day after state Sen. Leland Yee said he's seeking a legal opinion to determine whether the policy violates state or federal law.
The rule requires players to speak effective English starting in 2009. It is effective immediately for new players, while veteran members will be suspended if they can't pass an oral English test.
The LPGA Tour expects to have the policy written by the end of the year.
Yee, a Democrat from San Francisco, said the rule might violate California laws covering workplace discrimination or disabilities. He expects an answer from the state legislative counsel's office within a few weeks, before the tour returns to California.
The Associated Press contributed to this story
