Robbie Matz

Bio: Robbie Matz is an academic researcher. The author has co-authored 1 publications.

Sexism and racism in women’s professional golf: the 2019 US Women's Open

Abstract: The chapter details the development of one of the most lucrative professional sports for women in the world, whilst drawing attention to institutionalised issues of racism and sexism in the sport. We discuss the history of women in professional golf, from the roots of the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA), through the modern-day game where women now play for large sums of money each week. We then shed light on the development of a global tour which started with the likes of Annika Sorenstam, Lorena Ochoa, and Se Ri Pak dominating a once Americentric tour, and how the LPGA struggled to embrace this cultural shift via the Five Points of Celebrity marketing plan and the contentious English-speaking rule. The discussion then moves to focal point of the chapter: the US media’s reaction to long time American professional golf coach and former radio broadcaster Hank Haney’s disparaging comments before and at the conclusion of the 2019 Women’s US Open. Twenty-five articles were collected from US golf and sport media outlets and coded resulting in four themes: (a) a downplaying of the remarks, (b) ambivalence to the women’s game, (c), a privileging of men, and (d) a global Tour. The chapter concludes with remarks that highlight the media’s struggle to find the appropriate framing and language to cover the incident and how an intersectional approach reveals that oppression of women on the LPGA Tour exists beyond gender.