Teenage golfer denied trophy because she’s a girl
16-year-old Emily Nash also missed out on the chance to compete at state level due to club rules
A teenage golfer from Massachusetts who came first in a regional tournament this week was denied a trophy and a chance to compete at state level because she's a girl, according to local media reports.
Emily Nash, 16, shot a three-over-par 75 at the Central Massachusetts division three boys’ golf tournament on Tuesday, writes the Worcester Telegram & Gazette, putting her in first place, four strokes ahead of second place.
However, while girls are allowed to compete in the tournament as part of a larger team, they are not eligible to win as individual players.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
“I was definitely disappointed, but I understand that there are rules in place,” Nash told the Gazette. “I don’t think people expected for this to happen, so they didn’t really know how to react to it.”
T.J. Auclair, a writer for the Professional Golfers' Association, called her three-over-par score “impressive” and criticised the decision not to award her the trophy.
“So, let's get this straight” she wrote on the PGA website. “Nash's score, which was the best in the field by four strokes, was OK to count toward the team effort, but not OK to count individually? And for those wondering, yes, Nash did play from the same tees as the boys, which makes this situation all the more perplexing. It's 2017. This rule sounds like it was created in 1917.”
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Quincy Jones, music icon, is dead at 91
Speed Read The legendary producer is perhaps best known as the architect behind Michael Jackson's 'Thriller'
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Moldova's pro-West president wins 2nd term
Speed Read Maia Sandu beat Alexandr Stoianoglo, despite suspicions of Russia meddling in the election
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
2024 race ends with swing state barnstorming
Speed Read Kamala Harris and Donald Trump held rallies in battlegrounds over the weekend
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
English cricket is ‘racist, sexist and elitist’, says independent report
Speed Read Chair of governing body apologises after crushing indictment of the sport ‘at all levels’
By Rebekah Evans Published
-
World Cup 2018: Argentina FA sorry over flirting manual
Speed Read Handbook given to journalists includes chapter on how to woo Russian girls
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Lewes FC becomes first to pay men and women the same
Speed Read Sussex club hands equal budget to both sexes and same coaching and training facilities
By The Week Staff Published
-
Andy Murray praised for correcting press conference 'sexism'
In Depth BBC journalist omitted women from list of US players to make Wimbledon semis
By The Week Staff Published
-
What does Moyes 'slap' threat reveal about football and him?
Speed Read Commentators weigh in on whether the Sunderland manager's comments to BBC reporter Vicky Sparks had a deeper meaning
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Muirfield golf club finally allows women to join
Speed Read Decision means Scottish course is once again eligible to host The Open – although it will have to wait
By The Week Staff Published
-
Rachael Heyhoe Flint: Trailblazer for women's sport dies
In Depth Five things you might not know about the former England cricket captain who did so much to raise the sport's profile
By The Week Staff Published
-
Muirfield banned from hosting the Open after men only vote
Speed Read The world's oldest golf club fails to drum up enough support to admit women members and is put into exile
By The Week Staff Published