Nationwide Tour Pro Wants Shot at the Ladies By Kraig Kann - February 18, 2003 You had to figure this might happen. And it has. A male professional wants to play in a women's tour event. Thirty-one-year-old Brian Kontak, who won the Order of Merit title on the Canadian Tour in 1998 and has conditional status on the Nationwide Tour this year, confirmed to The Golf Channel Tuesday night moments before Golf Central that he will attempt to qualify for this year's U.S. Womens Open set for July 3 - 6 at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club in North Plains, Ore. Kontak, reached by phone in Phoenix, Ariz., told me, "I'm exploring the possibility. That's all I can say. But I'm dead serious about it." As to United States Golf Association qualification standards that require any entrant to be a female professional or female amateur with a USGA handicap index not exceeding 4.4, Kontak added, "We're going to try and work our way around it." Kontak, who reached the final stage of the PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament last fall, shot 58 in an Arizona mini-tour event little more than a year ago. In that round he made 12 birdies in a row. At the time of Kontak's remarks, the USGA office was closed. Chris Anderson, a rookie on the PGA Tour and friend of Kontak's, told me Tuesday that Kontak isn't bluffing. "I think he wants the publicity," Anderson quipped. "He's doing what a lot of guys talk about, but don't have the (guts) to do. He could look like a complete (fool), but what if he wins by 30?" Kontak has five Canadian Tour victories to his credit and has played in events on the PGA Tour, the Nationwide Tour and the NGA Hooters Tour. He spent much of 2002 on the Gateway Tour.
OK, so this 'tard that has no shot of ever making a name of himself in men's golf thinks he can get famous with some cheesy publicity stunt...more power to him...
Simply to be fair they will have to do it and let him hit from the lady's tees. That being said, I think there are two things going on here. He is wanting to try to get a win, or hoping they deny his opportunity and file a law suit.
There will be many jokes at his expense, but truth be told, he's going to get wealthy pretty fast if he's any good. I can't fault a guy for getting easy money. He's probably in the mob. In addition, we all might be laughing at him, but he could very well be making history as we know it. This could change everything if he gets away with it.
This is frickin' craptastic. ...United States Golf Association qualification standards that require any entrant to be a female professional or female amateur with a USGA handicap index not exceeding 4.4, Kontak added, "We're going to try and work our way around it." As the English say to the Scots, "You can wear a wee skirt all you want but you are still not hitting from the wench's tees."
I love it.... Paging Martha Burke....Ms Burke to the microphone please. Why not, if Annika can play on the men's tour, let's just even the playing field totally. What is good for the goose is good for the gander. DD
Correct me if I'm wrong, but the but nowhere in the PGA Tour bylaws is it stipulated as a "men's only" tour. The LPGA, however, is specifically for females. If he fails at this, is he off to the Special Olympics next?
Burn!!! Damn, wait til NJRocket reads this. He was the one that started the "Annika hurting the poor on the bubble golfers" thread, right?
Yeah try and start a "men's only" anything (or have rules that are for men only) and see what you get... SUED More power to this guy. He will look like an a-hole but he's making a point.
Yeah, I'm going to go try out for the Special Olympics today. I'll root harder for this guy to fall flat on his face than I ever have against the Jazz. Idiot.
Do you not see a difference here? Sorenstam does not have a natural physical advantage over the men she will be competing with. This guy does. Would you be fine with non-mentally challenged people participating in the Special Olympics?
Am I the only one who remembers when Rene Richards, a man previously before his sex change operation, successfully joined the women's pro tennis tour? Let him have a sex change operation first.