Golf Central

It's good to see that at least a few people on the LPGA Tour have got a smidgen of sense. For now, the LPGA has backed off its stupid plan to ban players who couldn't speak English well enough to be understood in pro-ams, interviews and in making acceptance speeches.

We weren't the only ones left disgusted by this discriminatory plan and, after much criticism, tour commissioner Carolyn Bivens said a revised plan will be put in place by the end of the year. What we don't flippin' understand, however, is the fact that fining no-English speakers remains an option. Some people will never learn...

Stupid new rules introduced by the LPGA Tour will require the world's top females to speak English from 2009. It's all to do with players being able to interact with fans and sponsors, apparently. If a player fails the oral evaluation, she'll be suspended until the LPGA bigwigs feel she's met the criteria.

The ladies seem to be cool with it all, but we're not happy here at IGWT. Hasn't the LPGA Tour heard of discrimination, or racism for that matter? It's only a matter of time before those lawyers are on the case.

Imagine if Loren Ochoa couldn't actually speak English? 'Screw you guys, I'm going to play on another tour,' she'd say. We'll see how big your policy is without the world's best golfer...

If players have to speak English when playing in the States, it seems only fair that the likes of Gulbis and Creamer start brushing up on their Japanese, Korean and Mandarin for when they play abroad.

We'd love to see Gulbs get her head around Kenzaburō Ōe's 'Warera no kyoki o ikinobiru michi o oshieyo.'

Veteran American Juli Inkster showed the kids how it’s done, rolling back the wrinkles, with a sensational seven-under-par 65. An eagle and five birdies were good enough for a one-shot lead ahead of a crowded leaderboard.

English rose, Johanna Head knocked it around nicely in six-under-par with a plethora of unpronounceable others, including Ji-Yai Shin, Yuri Fudoh, Momoko Ueda, Ji Young Oh and Stacy Prammanasudh - Oh and Laura Diaz - that’s easy enough.

Saving the best until last. Annika Sorenstam recovered from a terrible start to card a level-par 72 in her last ever British Open.

Forget your Ochoas, Sorenstams and Creamers... say hello to 19-year-old Korean, Inbee Park, who became the youngest Women's Open champion at Interlachen CC, Minnesota. While all the big names bottled it, Park shot a two-under par 71 in the final round to finish at nine-under par and win by four strokes.

Winner of the 2002 US Girls' Junior championship, this was Inbee's maiden tour victory and as far as first bits of silverware to put in the trophy cabinet go, they don't come much better than this. It wasn't a great day for 54-hole leader Stacy Lewis, however. The 23-year-old Texan double-bogeyed her first hole, carding a dissapointing five-over to share third with In-Kyung Kim and brazil's Angela Park.

Sweden's Helen Alfredsson finished second after a final round 75, with Norway's Suzann Pettersen tied 13th on even par. Annika Sorenstam would have loved to have gone out with a bang at her final US Open, but a final round 78 saw her finish at five-over par.