The PGA Tour can't win.
Tim Finchem knows it. Even if the Tour does pull the biggest upset since the 1980 U.S. Hockey team - and what are the odds of that given the narrow decision Federal Magistrate Thomas Coffin handed down a week ago? - Finchem and his team loses. He said as much before the trial began Monday.
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The outcome of the Casey Martin case might not be a winning situation in any case for the PGA Tour. (AP)
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It doesn't matter what side you take or even if you're one of those swaying back and forth on the fence. The Tour is in a no-win situation. Win and the world shakes its collective fist at the bad guy who stands between Martin and his American Dream. Lose and that same world gives the boys in Ponte Vedra a giant I-told-you-so raspberry.
In the past two months, this case has taken on a life of its own. You knew it would even before Martin won. Now that he has . . . well, the White House press secretary, among others at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., must be thankful for having another story to shoulder the load on the nightly news.
THE ONLY REASON MOST politicians wade into sports stories is to bet a case of Texas fajitas against a crate of Wisconsin cheese at the Super Bowl or NBA Finals. Yet here's Bob Dole standing shoulder to shoulder with Martin. Here's Capitol Hill taking time away from the latest dish on the Oval Office intern affair to stand up for the Americans With Disabilities Act. People who could care less about golf have an opinion on this case. Suddenly, Martin's not only a plaintiff, but the kid next door who can't shake the neighborhood bully; a guy whose story grabs so hard at your heart, your mind doesn't care what it thinks.
Walk or ride? You just have to watch the film clips, not the video shown in court Monday, to know this kid's in as much, if not more pain than Ben Hogan felt those first few months he was learning to walk again on twisted legs. You want him to ride. You know golf -- at this highest professional level -- is meant for walking.
It doesn't matter what Arnold Palmer or Jack Nicklaus think -- and, in case you missed it, they both say no to a cart for Martin. Forget that Tiger Woods has backpedaled a bit in recent days, admitting Martin, his old Stanford teammate, probably would have an advantage in a cart. Or that Peggy Kirk Bell, one of golf's grandest dames, and Tom Watson agree players should walk not ride.
Tom Kite pointed out Monday in a New York Times editorial that he played with Emmitt Smith and Marcus Allen two weeks ago at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic and after walking four competitive rounds, two of the league's best running backs admitted they were worn out. And that was on one of the easiest courses on Tour. He pointed out that fatigue from walking is part of a 36-hole day at the Ryder Cup and that each year he has to work harder to stay in shape. But you think that swayed sentiment?
It should have made people think about Tom Lehman dropping 20 pounds to get into better shape for this season. Instead it brought on another round of jokes about the fitness levels of Craig Stadler and Colin Montgomerie.
THE TOUR CAN'T WIN for losing. They stipulate to Martin's disability, yet much of the first day of court is taken up with medical discussions and a video of his leg. It was, by accounts, a tough video to watch. Just the description of it on the news pushed the Tour even deeper into the corner.
You have to wonder where golf is headed with all of this. Last fall, the world was at its feet. Anything was possible. Tiger Woods became the first black man to win at Augusta. The Tour, in a combined effort with all major golf organizations, introduced The First Tee, an inner city program that probably should have been introduced decades ago.
Suddenly everyone wanted to be Tiger or to pick up a club. Golf was not just a game for the elitist idle rich and everyone in white collars. It was an all-inclusive game that was reaching out to kids in the inner city; a market that was ready to bear mega-bucks Biggest Big Berthas and still make room for good, yet affordable lesser-line clubs.
Yet now golf is the elitist sport once again -- a sport that's kicking a kid right in the middle of his dream.
COULD THE TOUR HAVE avoided this ugly mess? Could Finchem have found a way to accommodate Martin and turned a black eye into another marketing dream? It's not as easy for the Tour as it was for Nike's main man, Phil Knight, who saw a brilliant addition to his "I Can" campaign -- "I Can Play Through." Knight certainly had more on his mind than the bottom line, but from a business standpoint, that's all he had to worry about. Finchem has to look at legalities.
When Coffin narrowed his decision and said the Tour was bound by the Disabilities Act within the ropes, the Tour's case became even tougher to prove. And, it made other professional sports sit up and take note. At the center of the storm is should the rules be changed to accommodate one person?
If the rules of PGA Tour and Nike Tour golf -- Senior golf is excluded because of the players' age and admission this isn't the highest level of golf -- say players should walk, why shouldn't everyone abide by that? Should Dan Marino be able to move out of the pocket and still intentionally ground a ball because he has bad knees? Apples and oranges, perhaps, but rules are rules.
If the Tour is forced to allow Martin to ride in a cart and amend the rules, what could be next? The hope is a ruling in Martin's favor would narrowly define disabled so as not to allow frivolous lawsuits by players claiming bad backs, knees or feet. No matter what, it will still change the face of the game.
No one is certain how much of an advantage Martin, who struggles to walk from cart to shot, would have in a cart, but it could be considerable in microwave summer heat or on a hilly course. And, even if Martin wins this case, he would likely have to take the USGA to court to use a cart for the 36-hole qualifier should he decide to enter the US Open.
We wonder if the Tour could have simply abolished carts at the qualifying level, perhaps by having a smaller field, if we would be facing this question. We wonder if Martin breaks his ankle walking on a Nike course or even getting out of a cart, if its allowed, if the Tour is liable. We wonder if there is a solution. We wonder if rules should be rules. We wonder how much public sentiment to let Casey play will enter into the judge's decision. We wonder if our hearts are getting in the way or telling the truth. Or if our logic that walking is an integral part of the professional game is the right conclusion.
But there is one thing we know for sure. The Tour can't win this one.
We hope golf can.
Melanie Hauser is a freelance writer and a board member of the Golf Writers Association of America.
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