Tiger wood

The “Weekend Edition” of the Wall Street Journal reports on the lack of diversity that persists in professional golf, notwithstanding the dominance of Tiger Woods. The Journal notes a bit wryly:

“Despite several similarities between Messrs. Obama and Woods — both are about 6 feet 1 inch tall, are multiracial with one foreign-born parent, and rose to the apex of their professions by virtue of preternatural talent and exceptional focus — there is one striking difference. The organization that Mr. Obama leads, the U.S. government, reflects the rich racial composition of American society at large, whereas the organization that Mr. Woods dominates, the PGA Tour, does not. Many hoped early on that Mr. Woods’s example would change the face of professional golf, but that has not happened. And the half-dozen leaders of the African-American golf community … would like to see that situation change as soon as possible.”

Eddie Payton, golf coach at Jackson State in Mississippi (and brother of the late great Chicago Bear Walter Payton) remarks, “If you turn on the golf tournament Sunday and Tiger Woods isn’t playing, what do you see? About 140 white guys competing and no blacks. What kind of message does that send to kids? That they should watch basketball instead, even though they aren’t going to grow up to be 6-foot-10? If we don’t get some black players on Tour soon, we’re going to lose a generation of potential African-American golfers.”

The Journal reports: “At the recreational level, African-Americans’ participation was only about half the 14.5% rate of whites in 2003, according to the most recent data available from Golf 20/20, an industry group whose charter is to expand the game. And there are shockingly few African-Americans among the club pros and teachers in the PGA of America — only 145 members and apprentices out of about 28,000. Mr. Woods is the only active African-American on the PGA Tour. The LPGA has