Don’t turn women’s golf into a pity party
I enjoy John Hawkins’ musings. They are insightful and entertaining.
However, I disagree with him that Annika Sorenstam’s opening drive at the 2003 Colonial is the No. 1 tee shot in golf history (“Only 1 drive in golf ranks better than Collin Morikawa’s at 16,” Aug. 13). If it had been a game-winner such as what we witnessed from Collin Morikawa on Sunday at the PGA Championship, then, yes. Yet, it was just a cultural event. Ranking her shot No. 1 actually dismisses the relevance of women's golf. It turns it into a sideshow, almost a pity party.
If women's golf is to be taken seriously, it needs to be judged on real athletic achievements and not cultural advancements.
Tom Abts
Excelsior, Minn.
(Abts is the general manager and head golf professional at Deer Run Golf Club in Victoria, Minn.)
Hey, at least he’s No. 1 at something
I really did try to like Justin Thomas, but he continues his brattish, inconsiderate behavior.
If a PGA Tour event sponsor puts up a $10 million bonus pool, and you’re going to take home $2 million from that pool, wouldn’t you feel somewhat obligated to support that sponsor and play in its event? You’d think so, but not Justin Thomas. He’ll take Wyndham’s $2 million and pass on this week’s Wyndham Championship.
He may be the No. 1 player in the world. In my book, he’s the No. 1 something else.
Charlie Jurgonis
Fairfax, Va.
It’s a cure as bad as the disease
Reader Jonathan Matthews’ comments were downright irresponsible, at best (“From the Morning Read inbox,” Aug. 13). I am not a doctor, but I do have a lot of common sense.
COVID-19 is killing about 3.6 percent of cases worldwide; the common flu kills far less than 1 percent. Influenza is nowhere near as vicious.
The other key in the comparison is that a lot of people have built up immunity against seasonal-flu strains, while no one has done so for COVID-19. The more people who have COVID-19, the more likely their elderly loved ones will be critically affected.
It’s not about how the vast majority are able to recover; it’s about how that vast majority spreads the virus to those who will not recover.
Matthews obviously is not “fully aware of the severity of SARS-COVID-19,” as he claims. Too bad, doc, that football season will be dearly missed. Guess what? So are the 167,000 who have lost their lives in the U.S., and the 750,000 who have succumbed worldwide. In U.S. numbers, the death toll equates to more than 1½ times the number of sold-out football crowds at my alma mater, Penn State’s Beaver Stadium. If you’d like to see that number grow to two full stadiums or more, then, sure, let’s play football.
There is only one thing the good doctor was right about: the childish behavior of politicians. Never have I seen more of this than in the past four years.
Thank God I do not need to seek medical care in Texas.
Gregg Cook
Mechanicsburg, Pa.
(Cook is the executive director of the Hershey Harrisburg Sports & Event Authority.)
Take notice, Miceli, and emerge from the ‘sea of claptrap’
Ah, at last, a voice of reason in a sea of claptrap. Thank you, Dr. Jonathan Matthews, for your letter to the editor (“From the Morning Read inbox,” Aug. 13).
Alex Miceli, please read it before you start to write your next paranoia-inducing article about this pandemic (“Count your blessings, golf fans,” Aug. 12).
Robin Dea
Vancouver, Wash.
(Dea is a retired physician who specialized in psychiatry and psychopharmacology.)
Make up your mind, Miceli
OK, I can’t resist.
Two months ago, at the Hilton Head event, Alex Miceli labeled the PGA Tour restart a “fiasco,” as a few players had tested positive for coronavirus (“PGA Tour’s ‘bubble’ bursts with Nick Watney fiasco,” June 22). Now, Miceli is urging golf fans to count their blessings as we enjoy watching our favorite sport, and the PGA Tour restart is a “model” to other sports (“Count your blessings, golf fans,” Aug. 12).
So, which is it? A “fiasco” or a “model”?
Jon Lucas
Little Rock, Ark.
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