AROUND THE GREENS
Stephenson's apologies not enough

By Bill Kwon

Jan Stephenson's racially insensitive comments gave the game that she has supported and loved for so long a serious black eye. Associated Press

Instead of promoting senior women's golf — her intent in accepting a sponsor's exemption to become the first woman to play on the men's senior tour — Stephenson gave the game that she dearly loves a black eye with her racially insensitive comment that "Asians are killing our (LPGA) tour. Absolutely killing it."

We can give her a mulligan on that. But she really got racially offensive by suggesting that there should be a quota system to limit international players on the women's tour. There's no mulligan for that kind of dumb statement. An Australian, Stephenson might not have had a chance to win 16 LPGA events if a quota system had been employed when she first started.

Any world tour has to include the best players with no restrictions attached based on ethnicity. For that, shame on Stephenson.

She apologized profusely during the weekend, eager to give her side of the story to anyone who would listen, breaking out in tears every time she started to defend herself. She conveyed her deepest apologies to the Asian community, saying her comments were not racially motivated. But it was too late.

Stephenson's views made front-page news in both Honolulu dailies. But except for brief comments to the Associated Press by Annika Sorenstam, who said that Stephenson's views were "pathetic" and Grace Park, "I don't like the fact that she picked on Asians and I'm Asian," her views didn't create as much of a furor as Rich Limbaugh's racist comment about Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb.

Park, who played junior golf in Hawai'i before moving to Arizona at the age of 14, said if Stephenson wants emotions on a golf course, play with her sometime. And Park said it in perfect English.

What surprised a lot of national observers, including Eric Adelson of ESPN Magazine, was that there was no sense of outrage about Stephenson's discriminatory comment to limit players on their ethnicity.

"For her unfair generalizations, Stephenson got ... nothing. No punishment whatsoever. She apologized and continued to play in her weekend tournament," Adelson wrote.

Imagine if someone asked for a quota because there were too many talented African American wide receivers in the National Football League. And I know some New York Yankee fans think that one Dominican is one too many on the Boston Red Sox pitching staff.

But Stephenson's comments hardly created a stir, even in Hawai'i, where Asian Americans make up the largest ethnic group (41 percent) of any state in the union. The likely reason is because they think they're Americans, not Asians.

Greg Nichols, director of golf at Ko Olina, also thinks it's because the "people in Hawai'i are more gentle and understanding."

"At first, I was taken aback by her comments as was the rest of the golf world," said Nichols, deeply concerned because Stephenson will be doing a clinic Sunday at his course.

He got a call from Stephenson right after USA Today ran a story, quoting her from the November issue of Golf Magazine just before last Friday's first round at Turtle Bay.

"Knowing Jan, she's not like that. I don't think she meant it the way it came out," Nichols said.

Taking part without any reservations in the clinic, which will be held from 10 a.m. to noon, will be State Sen. Donna Mercado-Kim and Michelle Wie, both of Korean ancestry.

BJ Wie had no comment about Stephenson's remarks, but said that Michelle, who turned 14 last Saturday, "will participate as scheduled because it's for Hawai'i junior golf.

"I don't look at her as a racist," said Kim, who played a round of golf with Stephenson a month ago at Ko Olina when plans for the clinic were finalized. Wie replaced Cindy Rarick, another LPGA veteran, who had a commitment with the Waikoloa Women's Challenge this weekend.

Stephenson also called Kim, apologizing to the state senator as well.

"She felt terrible and asked for my advice," said Kim, who accepted Stephenson's remorse and told her it's over and done with, that it's time to move on.

"I don't have any problem with her (holding the clinic). I know how it is when you say certain things and it can get taken out of context. I'll be there to support the clinic," Kim said. The outing will also benefit the University of Hawai'i women's golf team.

Whatever happens next, Stephenson's publicity appearance turned into a disaster, according to Golf Channel's Jim Kelly.

"I didn't want to take away from this event," she said in her Golf Channel interview. "Because of my mistake, I've taken something I'll never get a chance to do again and ruined it."

But to put it all in perspective, a local guy now living in Cincinnati e-mailed Advertiser golf writer Ann Miller and said it created a stir back where he lived, but his neighbors wanted to know, "Who the (heck) Jan Stephenson was?"

Bill Kwon can be reached at bkwon@aloha.net.