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IMG
og Jan Ove Nystuen tar på
seg skylden for US Open
fadesen
Suzann Pettersen hadde
muligheten til å få
være med i US Open -
verdens største og mest
prestisjefylte turnering.
Hun ble invitert til å
delta i kraft av at hun
var blant de tre beste på
damenes Europa Tour i
fjor, men meldte seg ikke
på innen fristen utløp
1. mai. Jan Ove Nystuen i
IMG tar på seg ansvaret
for fadesen.
Golfsiden mener at det i
dette tilfelle er så
mange formildende
omstendigheter at Suzann
Pettersen likevel får
være med. Vi får håpe
det er rom i USGA for litt
forståelse, sympati og
rom for skjønn i denne
saken. Vi lurer på
hvordan folk hadde reagert
hvis Tiger Woods var
kommet opp i den samme
ulykkelige
situasjonen.
Her er hva Martin Park
skriver: (Han er Tour
Communications Manager på
Evian Ladies European Tour)
Norway’s
Suzann Pettersen has not
had the best of luck
recently with both her
health and her golf and
when she arrived back from
illness at the Evian
Masters, the news broke
that last year’s Tour
rookie of the year will
not be playing in the US
Open at Prairie Dunes in
Kansas from July 4-7.
Despite being exempt
from qualification due to
her top three standing on
the 2001 Evian Tour order
of merit, Pettersen's
management company failed
to enter for the event
before the May 1st
deadline.
Her only route into
the $3million event, the
richest prizefund in
women’s golf, is to win
at the Evian Masters or at
the ShopRite LPGA Classic
in from June 28-30, for
which her management
company secured an
invitation to partly
compensate for the mistake.
“It is a very sad
story, and should not have
happened, it’s very bad
news for everyone
concerned,” said her
agent Jan Ove Nystuen,
fully admitting the
mistake on behalf of the
International Management
Group.
“Suzann had an
invitation and normally
they all come to me at my
offices. She was invited
play at first, but there
was no entry form with it.
When the USGA sent the
entry form, it went to
Suzann’s private address
and she did not receive it
as she was travelling
around Europe practising
and playing in Tournaments.
“We have discussed
the issue with Suzann and
her family and she says
that no one person is to
blame, but as her
management company, I must
take responsibility.”
Pettersen is not the
only one to have
squandered the chance to
play in the US Open, Akiko
Fukushima from Japan, who
was also exempt, failed to
register and is in exactly
the same position.
However, all is not
yet lost with two events
to take the chance of
winning and getting in
through the back door. But
with the missed
opportunity to play for a
share of a huge purse and,
if Pettersen made the top
ten, Solheim Cup points,
the 21-year-old from Oslo
is bitterly disappointed.
“It’s not ideal,
let me put it that way,
but I have now put it out
of my mind,” said
Pettersen, diplomatically.
But Nystuen will be
putting Pettersen’s case
to the USGA for a special
exemption into the event.
However, it states clearly
on the entry form that no
special cases will be
looked into, so chances
are slim.
“We are going to
have discussions with the
USGA next week, and hope
for a special exemption,”
added Nystuen.
“We hope they will
look sympathetically at
the case, but the USGA are
very strict with their
rules and we are not 100%
confident of their
decision.”
Fortunately for
Pettersen, her health is
improving and the mystery
virus that laid her low
before the Spanish Open
was traced back to vitamin
B and iron deficiencies.
“I’ve been the
vitamin Queen back in
Norway, I took so many to
get better that I rattled
when I walked,” laughed
Pettersen.
“I spent six days
at home in Oslo doing
absolutely nothing, and
I’ve been overloading on
vitamins. It’s nice to
be back on Tour, but I am
still only about 85
percent fit.”
And last years
French Open Champion will
be undergoing Lasik Eye
surgery at the end of this
season to improve her
eyesight.
“I have been
getting a few headaches
and now I have to wear
contact lenses sometimes
on the course, so I
thought it would be a good
idea to get the operation
done. Lots of sports
people have done it and I
think it will be
beneficial to my game.”
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