"What occurred in this case is not typical of the USGA's level of service to the golf community."

Stina Sternberg on the USGA Women's U.S. Open exemption gaffe involving 2011 Ladies Amateur champ Lauren Taylor who will not be automatically exempt because there will be a 2012 champ before the U.S. Women's Open is next played (unless she is a repeat winner).

Sternberg wonders if the USGA should extend an extra exemption to Taylor after discovering their error...

You can call it a clerical error and an honest mistake, but it's a mistake that will undoubtedly cause Taylor some heartbreak.

The USGA released the following statement to GDW Thursday afternoon:

"The United States Golf Association extends its sincere apologies to 2011 Ladies British Open Amateur Champion Lauren Taylor. We have the deepest appreciation for how disappointed Ms. Taylor must be. The USGA proudly created an exemption category for the champion of the Ladies British Open Amateur Championship into the U.S. Women's Open as a further commitment to the presence of amateur golfers in our respective major championships. We realize that our error may have caused the Taylor family an inconvenience and we wish to extend to them our regrets and our appreciation for their understanding. What occurred in this case is not typical of the USGA's level of service to the golf community. We remain committed to working with the highest standards for the good of the game."

Comments

[Ky Laffoon's Ghost]

"What occurred in this case is not typical of the USGA's level of service to the golf community." How's that? Fixing this is a no brainer that a mouth breather could figure out.

[Brad Ford]

For the cost of a stamp, e-mail, or phone call, they could fix the problem at no cost to the USGA. That is service that would make the DMV proud.

[JerryG]

It is merely a case of doing the right thing. That should not be beyond the USGA, though it appears they aren't looking.

[carnaptious and camsteerie]

PR disaster for the USGA and, desperately sad for Lauren.

Ky, I would love to know why they can't fix it. It's not as if the event is being held tomorrow. It's not till bleedin' July. And I'm sorry but quoting rules of competition won't cut it either. She earned her spot. End of!

[Ky Laffoon's Ghost]

c&c: It was a long time ago, but this is the organization that took away Francis Ouimet's amateur status because he was working in a sporting goods store in Boston. They were probably simply aghast that one of their amateur champions (the year after he beat Vardon and Ray) actually had to work for a living.

[Randall]

Typical. I guess they were too busy keeping technology in check to deal with the error.

[Kevin]

This is really weird. You mean an organization that chooses to omit players from the Walker Cup squad because they don't like them, has golf course spend millions of dollars to make the courses more difficult, and can't stop technology from ruining the game, can't do the right thing? I'M SHOCKED!!

[Pete the Luddite]

KLG- You took the words right out of my mouth. This is unbelievable and another demonstration of an organization that appears to just not give a damn about anything not involved with a sponsor's check clearing.

I would like to think that they will find a way to let her play. Email campaign? Any way to help this young lady out?

[Matt]

All the above comments plus this...

What is your problem USGA? Get your act together and fix ii !

[Adam Clayman]

So, It is typical.

[jstiles]

So easy to remedy and so sad they apparently will not do so.

[One Putt]

Lauren is a member at my club and she is a really great kid - her response on Twitter last night:

@lauren_taylor94 There are always speed bumps in the road to success. But you will come back stronger. #keepsmiling :)

For those of you on the other side of the pond she won The BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year last year and she is ranked 17th in the WAGR. We have another junior at the club Charley Hull who is ranked 9th - both should be representing GB&I in the Curtis Cup in June this year.

[carnaptious and camsteerie]

Hadn't appreciated that Ky so I had a little google to find out a bit more and it seems he lost his amateur status as the result of using his celebrity status to promote his sports business but, after war service, was reinstated and even served on some USGA ctts.

Come to think of it, it's not really that long ago when the R&A was very strict about such matters but the amateur status lines these days have become very blurred.

[Ky Laffoon's Ghost]

c&c: That's what wiki says. But from what I remember from his autobiography he was working as a clerk in the Wright & Ditson store in Boston. Wright & Ditson sold all kinds of sporting goods and golf clubs under its own name at the time, and you can still find them in junk stores all over (sometimes for ridiculous prices). But the store wasn't Ouimet's business. At the time he was in his early 20s. That doesn't mean his celebrity in Boston didn't help the store, but that did not make Francis Ouimet a professional in any way, shape, or form. Or I could be mis-remembering the basic facts ;-). Ouimet seems to have been remarkably circumspect about this and all things.

More, but consider the source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Wright_%28sportsman%29
"Wright also laid out New England's - and America's - first public golf course, Boston's Franklin Park in 1890. Wright and Ditson Sporting Goods imported and sold golf clubs; none other than Francis Ouimet worked at the store while pursuing his amateur career. Wright later donated the 156 acres (0.63 km2), the former Grew estate, for Boston's second municipal course which became the Donald Ross-designed George Wright Golf Course located in the Hyde Park section of Boston."

[golf fan]

USGA's level of service to the golf community? What does that mean in relation to this gaffe? And who is writing their press releases? Person should be fired!

[carnaptious and camsteerie]

Ky ... in so far as accessing Wikipedia is concerned, is it too late to plead 'the 5th'?

Anyway, thanks for the clarification. One things seems to be clear: he was, first and last, a committed amateur golfer and a good all round canny lad to boot!

[fourputter]

Isn't it interesting the change in position over a century. Ouimet was crucified for nothing, yet look at how the USGA (and all US sporting organisations) treat elite college golfers / athletes, who are blatantly professional in all but name.

[No Longer Used to be Former S & T Convert]

Every organization has made mistakes in the past, what the USGA did to Francis, Harvey Ward and others was wrong and they cannot be proud of what occurred on someone else's watch.

But this is the present and on their watch, this is wrong and this is an easy problem to fix. Hopefully they do the right thing.

[Ted Mitchell]

They did fix it - they issued a corrected press release.

[elf]

Ouimet was so desperate to keep his amateur status, because if one was a professional athlete than one could not be a gentleman, it was looked down on as a base occupation (a situation that caused no end of issues for Vardon, who was contentiously looked down upon by many due to his background). Of course if you had to work as a sports clerk you clearly weren't a gentleman either.

And this is one (of several) reason why I have a big problem with using the term gentleman's game to describe golf, or as a praiseworthy terms.

[Animal Kingdom]

Agree with everyone's sentiments here. Clearly the right thing to do is to let her play. Re-thinking my USGA membership . . .

[Randolph]

FOURPUTTER & FORMER

I agree with the college angle, they actually have made it even easier for them and allowed more. Ol Harv, Kenny V, and Oumett definitely got screwed. This is a disturbing case that has the conspiracy theorist in me thinking there is more to the story. It couldn't be that cut and dry, they couldn't be that dumb? Could they?

[F. X. Flinn]

Really, there is one less slot for qualifiers if they extend her the exemption. I don't understand the reasoning of the USGA, just like I don't understand why they can't control the ball. On the other hand, they probably don't understand why I stopped paying dues after faithfully doing so for over a decade.

[Jeff Smith]

Good Lord, why hasn't this been corrected in two minutes? You give her the exemption she earned; you have one less player in the field who gets there by shooting 78-79 in qualifying. Mike Davis: Do this today.

[Ky Laffoon's Ghost]

@elf: Please cite your sources in support of Francis Ouimet's "desperation" as you define it.

I stopped paying dues when they stopped publishing Golf Journal...RIP. But I still use the case of Eben Byers as an example of what radiation poisoning does to a human body. Golf Journal's article on Byers' love for Radithor was excellent journalism.

[Ted Mitchell]

"You give her the exemption she earned;"

She didn't earn an exemption; rather, it was misreported (and uncorrected for a little over 2 weeks) that she had earned an exemption.

[Ed]

so if the bank sends a wire to the wrong acct, you get to keep the money? if someone leaves their keys in theor car, the first person to happen by gets a free car?

Its a sad mistake, but a mistake nontheless.

[Ky Laffoon's Ghost]

Good points, gentlemen. Just skimming the interwebs and every report available since February 4, which is seems to be when the announcement was made, states that Lauren Taylor gets the first exemption into the Open for winning the Ladies Amateur. So, yes, in this case the statute of limitations on this particular mistake by the USGA has run, 20 days later.

[CBell]

I'm not a member. But someone -- Stina? Annika Sorenstam?? Nancy Lopez??? -- should start a movement for all members to withhold paying dues for one year REGARDLESS OF WHETHER THE USGA CHANGES ITS MIND. The original decision is an outrage.

[The O]

These guys suck at PR. Would the field be degrade because there is one more Am? I think not. This could have been handled with class and no fuss, with a simple: "our bad, you're in." Now, even if they eventually do that, they look like asshats.

[Average Golfer]

I only maintain my USGA membership for the toilet paper hats. Let the lass play or I'm flushing 2004-2011.

[Ted Mitchell]

If this were a civil suit, in what way would we say that Taylor has suffered?

1) [fact] She didn't make her decision to play in the 2011 Ladies British Open Amateur with the expectation that the champion would receive this exemption.

2) [reasonable assumption] She didn't, in the 2 weeks that she believed that she was exempt into the 2012 USWO, spend any money making travel plans to that event.

3) [reasonable assumption] She didn't, in the 2 weeks that she believed that she was exempt into the 2012 USWO, make plans to play in some other event that conflicts with USWO qualifying.

4) [fact] She didn't miss the USWO entry deadline because she believed that she did need to enter.

It seems reasonable to conclude that her only suffering is that she became excited about playing in the USWO (still a possibility through another qualifying channel) and she received congratulations (now invalid) for receiving the exemption.

If you can think of other suffering that should be included when we (the jury) award her damages, please let me know because currently I can't vote to award her anything other than the apology that she has already received.

[golf fan]

Ted, you sound like you're a spin doctor for the USGA.

[Kevin]

So Ted, if you were a really good amateur, won a big-time am event, were told it got you into the Masters by MASTERS OFFICIALS, and then two weeks later they called and said it was a clerical mistake, you would be ok with that? You and your family and friends and fellow clubmembers would be ok with that and wouldn't be saying why don't you just do the right thing and create one more spot in the event? You would be on the phone and calmly say "hey, they made a clerical mistake, it's no big deal guys, let it go", is that right? In the words of John McEnroe: "YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS"!! Do you have a heart?

[Ted Mitchell]

@golffan, is that because anyone who doesn't jump on the "the USGA is pure evil" bandwagon sounds like an apologist?

@Kevin, I would understand that humans occasionally make mistakes and move on happy with the victory that I earned rather than worrying about the gift that I was mistakenly told I would be receiving.

[golf fan]

Ted, As Cary Grant said "You're a better man than I am , Kunga Din". I don't hate the USGA, I am just surprised at the lack of wiggle room they are allowing. Hell, they give exemptions often enough to players who can hardly play anymore. Give one here to a deserving candidate!

[Ted Mitchell]

I think you're overstating on both sides -- the number of exemptions given out to players with a history of success and how worthy this player is (based on the expectation of future success).

In 2011 and 2010, amateurs at the US Women's Open made the cut 25% and 20% of the time with finishes in the T32 to 68th range. I wouldn't be in a rush to grant another amateur a spot based on the fact that someone made an error when writing a press release.

[The Taxi driver]

As I know Lauren very well, she would have put up a great show in the event. She is gutted not to be included in the draw but she'll get over it. Other opportunities have come up now anyway, so she has soon moved on. The USGA blundered big time but she has too stay cool with them as she is entering the 2012 US Womens Amateur ( unless the five exemption is also withdrawn...lol). At just17 she will get by this, her biggest disappointment yet, I hope we have another great year touring the world playing on great courses and in great events. We have had 99.9% support and it keeps coming in @lauren_taylor94 #letlaurenplay