Sorenstam proves mettle to play irons with the men
Kathy Daniel, Reporter

    Amidst a lot of ridicule, Annika Soren-stam is preparing to play against the best male golfers in the PGA tour at the Colonial in May.
    Why shouldn't she be able to play?
     It's not like she is going to win.
     Nobody, even Soren-stam herself, thinks she will win the tournament, so just let her play.
     I don't see why her playing is such a big deal. If she wants to embarrass herself by not doing well, then let her.
     And if she does really well and earns some money, then doesn't she have the right to compete against people at the same level as she plays?
     As long as Sorenstam plays by the same rules as the men, such as driving from the same tees, then she should be able to test her abilities.
     She won 13 events last season on the LPGA tour, so what challenges does she have now? It is time that she sees how she measures up to the likes of Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Ernie Els.
     This tournament is really Annika vs. Annika. She is testing herself more than competing against the men. She needs to see if the PGA possibly is the next step for her. After all, the LPGA is not a minor-league tour. Once Sorenstam has dominated that tour and wants to challenge her skills, the PGA is the obvious choice.
     The PGA is not a men-only association, so women cannot be excluded because they are women; however they should not receive any special treatment.
     Sorenstam is not the only woman playing in a PGA event this season either. Suzy Whaley will be competing in the Greater Hartford Open in July.
     Furthermore, 13-year-old superstar Michelle Wie already tried to qualify for a PGA tour event last year.
     So why is her playing such a big deal?
     I think people just need to get over it and let her play. She has every right as long as she earns her spot and nothing is given to her.
     On the flip side, Brian Kontak wants to play in the U.S. Women's Open.
     He is currently on the Nationwide tour because he did not qualify for the PGA tour. The LPGA events have bigger cash prizes than the Nationwide tour, so is the LPGA the next step for him?
     The LPGA tour rules state that competitors must be female by birth in order to play in the events, but if all these women want to try out the PGA tour, why can't it go both ways?
     Kontak obviously is not a good enough golfer to compete on the PGA tour, and if several of the women are, then he isn't as good as they are, right?
     If women want equal access to the PGA tour, then it should go both ways.
     Let's face it; this is not a contact sport. Women are not going to get injured playing in the same league as the men. Let's just break down the barriers and let everyone play together.
     If this doesn't work, then let's just once and for all say the PGA is for men only and keep the LPGA for the women.