News
Michelle Wie slams Hank Haney for “racist and sexist” remarks on the women’s professional game
Hank Haney has come under fire on social media for comments made on Wednesday about women’s professional golf on his radio show on SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio.
Michelle Wie is the highest profile LPGA star to slam Haney who when asked for a prediction at this week’s U.S. Women’s Open, stated
“I’m gonna predict a Korean. That’s gonna be my prediction. I couldn’t name you, like, six players on the LPGA Tour. Nah, maybe I could. Well, I’d go with Lee. If I didn’t have to name a first name, I’d get a bunch of them right. I don’t know… Lexi Thompson… Michelle Wie’s hurt. I don’t know that many. Where are they playing, by the way?”
You can listen to the full audio in the embedded tweet below.
If you'd prefer to listen to Hank Haney disparage the LPGA and US Women's Open this morning on SiriusXM, here's the audio: https://t.co/WWIItaWAG5
— Ryan Ballengee (@RyanBallengee) May 29, 2019
Golf Channel’s Jerry Foltz shared the comments from the former swing coach of Tiger Woods and added in a tweet “I’m not sure if that’s more racist or sexist. Shame on you Hank.”
Michelle Wie, as well as several other LPGA Tour competitors and golf fans, have echoed Foltz’ sentiments and blasted Haney on the social media platform throughout Wednesday afternoon.
As a Korean American female golfer, these comments that @HankHaney made disappoint and anger me on so many different levels. Racism and sexism are no laughing matter Hank….shame on you. I don’t ever do this, but this must be called out. https://t.co/P18JByTosN
— Michelle Wie (@themichellewie) May 29, 2019
Unacceptable! https://t.co/5LvSPe5muh
— Annika Sorenstam (@ANNIKA59) May 29, 2019
Thanks @HankHaney ???????????????? Shameful. https://t.co/kLAt62ofdo
— Marina Alex (@Marina_Deee) May 29, 2019
What the heck ???? https://t.co/IWPLAUNYfw
— Brittany Lincicome (@Brittany1golf) May 29, 2019
The U.S. Women’s Open gets underway from Country Club of Charleston on Thursday.
Update: Haney tweeted the following apology early Wednesday afternoon.
— Hank Haney (@HankHaney) May 29, 2019
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Tommy Fleetwood has been attached to his Odyssey White Hot Pro #3 putter for years now. However, this week at the Wells Fargo Championship, we did spot him testing a new putter that is very different, yet somewhat similar, to his current gamer.
This new putter is a TaylorMade Spider Tour X head but with a brand new neck we haven’t seen on a Spider before. A flow neck is attached to the Spider head and gives the putter about a 1/2 shaft offset. This style neck will usually increase the toe hang of the putter and we can guess it gets the putter close to his White Hot Pro #3.
Another interesting design is that lack of TaylorMade’s True Path alignment on the top of the putter. Instead of the large white center stripe, Tommy’s Spider just has a very short white site line milled into it. As with his Odyssey, Tommy seems to be a fan of soft inserts and this Spider prototype looks to have the TPU Pure Roll insert with 45° grooves for immediate topspin and less hopping and skidding.
The sole is interesting as well in that the rear weights don’t look to be interchangeable and are recessed deep into the ports. This setup could be used to push the CG forward in the putter for a more blade-like feel during the stroke, like TaylorMade did with the Spider X Proto Scottie Scheffler tested out.
Tommy’s putter is finished off with an older Super Stroke Mid Slim 2.0 grip in blue and white. The Mid Slim was designed to fit in between the Ultra Slim 1.0 and the Slim 3.0 that was a popular grip on tour.
- Check out the rest of our photos from the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
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Editor’s note: This is an excerpt from a piece our Andrew Tursky originally wrote for PGATour.com’s Equipment Report. Head over there for the full article.
…The Jailbird craze hasn’t really slowed down in 2024, either. According to Odyssey rep Joe Toulon, there are about 18-20 Jailbird putter users on the PGA TOUR.
Most recently, Akshay Bhatia won the 2024 Valero Texas Open using a broomstick-style Odyssey Jailbird 380 putter and Webb Simpson is switching into a replica of that putter at the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship.
Now, Fowler, who essentially started the whole Jailbird craze, is making a significant change to his putter setup.
Fowler, who has had a couple weeks off since the 2024 RBC Heritage, started experimenting with a new, custom-orange Jailbird 380 head that’s equipped with a standard 35-inch putter build, rather than his previous 38-inch counter-balanced setup.
According to Fowler, while he still likes the look and forgiveness of his Jailbird putter head, he’s looking to re-incorporate more feel into his hands during the putting stroke.
He told GolfWRX.com on Tuesday at the Wells Fargo Championship that the 38-inch counterbalanced setup “served its purpose” by helping him to neutralize his hands during the stroke, but now it’s time to try the standard-length putter with a standard-size SuperStroke Pistol Tour grip to help with his feel and speed control.
Although Fowler was also spotted testing standard-length mallets from L.A.B. Golf and Axis1 on Tuesday, he confirmed that the custom Odyssey Jailbird 380 is the putter he’ll use this week at the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship.
Head over to PGATour.com for the full article.
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Editor’s note: This is an excerpt from a piece our Andrew Tursky originally wrote for PGATour.com’s Equipment Report. Head over there for the full article.
So, with a couple of weeks off following his latest start at the 2024 RBC Heritage, Thomas sought to re-address his driver setup with the remote help of Titleist Tour fitting expert J.J. Van Wezenbeeck. About two weeks ago, Thomas and Van Wezenbeeck reviewed his recent driver stats, and discussed via phone call some possible driver and shaft combinations for him to try.
After receiving Van Wezenbeeck’s personalized shipment of product options while at home, Thomas found significant performance improvements with Titleist’s TSR2 head, equipped with Thomas’ familiar Mitsubishi Diamana ZF 60 TX shaft.
Compared to Thomas’ longtime TSR3 model, the TSR2 has a larger footprint and offers slightly higher spin and launch characteristics.
According to Van Wezenbeeck, Thomas has picked up about 2-3 mph of ball speed, to go along with 1.5 degrees higher launch and more predictable mishits.
“I’d say I’d been driving it fine, not driving it great, so I just wanted to, honestly, just test or try some stuff,” Thomas said on Tuesday in an interview with GolfWRX.com at Quail Hollow Club. “I had used that style of head a couple years ago (Thomas used a TSi2 driver around 2021); I know it’s supposed to have a little more spin. Obviously, yeah, I’d love to hit it further, but if I can get a little more spin and have my mishits be a little more consistent, I felt like obviously that’d be better for my driving…
“This (TSR2) has been great. I’ve really, really driven it well the week I’ve used it. Just hitting it more solid, I don’t know if it’s the look of it or what it is, but just a little bit more consistent with the spin numbers. Less knuckle-ball curves. It has been fast. Maybe just a little faster than what I was using. Maybe it could be something with the bigger head, maybe mentally it looks more forgiving.”
Head over to PGATour.com for the full article.
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underachiever
Jun 2, 2019 at 7:52 pm
Any irony in him getting the Lee prediction correct…
2putttom
Jun 3, 2019 at 1:40 pm
roflmao
J
May 31, 2019 at 12:53 pm
This is stupid. It sounds like a compliment to the Koreans. As far racism? Go spend a year in Seoul or work for Samsung. You will truly feel what racism is like. Koreans are the most racist/ xenophobic people on Earth.
mark
May 30, 2019 at 4:29 pm
There’s still an LPGA tour?????
2putttom
Jun 3, 2019 at 1:42 pm
come out from under your rock
HKO
May 30, 2019 at 1:20 pm
comments here are worse than what Haney farted thru his mouth. unbelievable level of racism & misogyny. oh and dyslexia. #shame
Todd
May 30, 2019 at 12:44 pm
His Voodoo snake oil must be effecting his brain….
2putttom
Jun 3, 2019 at 1:42 pm
well if it works then I want some., opps! guess it works lol
Patricknorm
May 30, 2019 at 10:43 am
This is a typical American old white guy response. I know many don’t get the implication but golf is a world game. Much of the LPGA tour is sponsored by Asian companies. Hank is not very bright. And this response didnt surprise me. Tiger Woods mother is Asian. Michelle Wie is Asian American. Goodbye Hank. Probably cost you a gig on PGA tour radio.
Joe
May 30, 2019 at 4:21 pm
Your comments are just as racist and thoughtless as Haney’s.
Steve
May 30, 2019 at 7:26 pm
No they’re not, Joe.
Thomas A
May 30, 2019 at 10:33 am
Man, this comment section shows that ignorance abounds in the golf world. Way too many men (and it’s always men) are so easily offended that you can’t disparage other people. What Hank said was racist and sexist. He should have just said “I don’t pay enough attention to the LPGA to pick a winner.”
Pepe
May 30, 2019 at 3:24 pm
if he said “not sure, probably an american named smith” would that be racist?????? NO
Freeze
May 30, 2019 at 7:08 pm
Obviously you dont know the meaning of racist
Steve
May 30, 2019 at 7:57 pm
Maybe not racist but just as dumb.
J
May 31, 2019 at 12:56 pm
It’s not racist if u talk about white people.
2putttom
Jun 3, 2019 at 1:48 pm
lol…. but he does and he did.
Adam
May 30, 2019 at 10:16 am
Always disliked Haney. He’s a jerk. He gives golf a bad name, like all those country club jerks.
If he’s so concerned about Korean players dominating, why doesn’t he coach up some US players? He is top level coach, isn’t he?
Shaolin
May 30, 2019 at 9:40 am
It’s not just he said, it’s how he said it.
Just saying the truth doesn’t not mean you can’t make it racist and sexist.
hank
May 30, 2019 at 9:35 am
wonder what the reaction is by those who are so incredibly offended….when a korean wins.
sometimes the truth hurts
Blake
May 30, 2019 at 9:30 am
So your telling me if vegas offered a bet of “a korean wins or someone named lee” your not gonna bet that?
Haney did nothing wrong
HKO
May 30, 2019 at 1:15 pm
dyslexia is also a disease. you need help.
Steve
May 30, 2019 at 7:33 am
I was literally thinking the exact same thing earlier this week when they announced the prize money has increased to $1 million. “Which Korean will get it and does anyone know even three players that aren’t named Paige or Lee?”
He’s 100% right and those ladies better not complain too much or the gravy train may come to a grinding halt.
Steve
May 30, 2019 at 7:48 pm
Nice threat! You sound like a real swell guy.
JThunder
May 30, 2019 at 3:38 am
People who have no empathy for what may offend others are very often, ironically, the easiest to offend if you find the right button to push. They find it very easy to say “what’s the big deal” or “he’s speaking the truth” when it’s something they’d say themselves. But insult something *they* hold dear and watch their head explode…
The world needs more empathy and less people just “speaking their mind”. Kids who are raised right are taught by their parents not to just “speak their mind” without thinking first when they’re about 5 years old.
The anonymous internet and ludicrous amount of “content” being generated are driving the world rapidly in the opposite direction. The last two years have proven that lacking empathy does NOT make the world a better place.
bud
May 30, 2019 at 9:30 am
i see a world where people are live in constant outrage over the dumbest things and will always find something to be offended about. haney literally said what most think…that a korean will likely win and where are they playing…
cue up those eager to be offended and play the role of the victim. its so tiring
Thomas A
May 30, 2019 at 10:29 am
Bud, you can start by getting you head out of you a**. What he said was completely offensive to Koreans and Asians and women. He just wrote off an entire segment of the population because he’s too ignorant to not know when to shut up. You seem to be in the same category.
Billy Bob
May 30, 2019 at 1:23 pm
Bud, if you would be so kind, please explain something about the comment you made. If someone were to ask you who you thought would be most likely to win the Women’s U.S. Open, would you name a golfer’s name or would you simply make some broad statement that probably some Korean woman is likely to win?
Because one could assume that if you are able to reply with a golfer’s name, you probably would have a bit more than just a passing or casual interest in women’s golf and have an opinion on who is currently playing well and has their game in order, but if the remark you make is focused on the probability of the player’s nationality, you have opted to completely ignore the question and simply use the moment to spout off some lame, off the cuff, social commentary.
The simple fact is that everyone who has any small degree of interest in golf is well aware of the fact that currently there is an unusually high number of Korean women who are competing at the very highest level on the LPGA tour, so for an insider professional like Hank Haney to cavalierly point that out, it is nothing more than boring at best.
But unfortunately, Hank – perhaps thinking that he has a budding future in the ‘golf entertainment business’ – decided not to let his boring remark simply die or or use it as a lame prelude to discussing what we could do here in the United States to get more young American women interested in playing golf at the highest level; no Hank decided to use his first lame comment as a springboard into making unnecessary comments about people’s family names.
Not exactly a class act.
So in summary Bud, I would like to defend what JThunder wrote, because it isn’t always about ‘freedom of speech’ vs ‘politically correct’, often it’s about something more. Often it is about things like politeness and self restraint – you know, those kind of things that are often grouped under a general label of ‘basic potty training’ when we talk about raising our children.
Blake
May 30, 2019 at 12:15 pm
Agreed, like people are offended that other people are offended. People, women and minorities especially, are no more offended than they always have been. They’re just not keeping it in any more and have a lot more platforms to express their feelings.
Carole
May 30, 2019 at 12:36 am
Hank stepped on this tong this time….he is just one of the majority of people in the golf business that know the PGA TOUR is the place where the money and fans are. As good at the game as members of the LPGA are they are not at the same level and never will be with the PGA TOUR. Like any sport it is the BEST and highest level of that sport that people want to see…anything else is minor league events good just not the best….
Brandon
May 29, 2019 at 11:32 pm
Millennials crying about racism and sexism when the statement is just straight factual. Color me shocked.
Johnny Penso
May 29, 2019 at 11:19 pm
While I agree it’s much ado about nothing, I’m a little surprised the HH would be so dismissive of a part of the game that puts food on his table. He’s not a dummy so he’s got to know that being dismissive of the female side of professional golf is not going to go over well.
DB
May 29, 2019 at 10:08 pm
Where’s the lie?
tomas
May 29, 2019 at 8:47 pm
what is racist about what he said?? He said the truth. The LPGA tour is a joke. An american based tour with mostly Koreans who contend every week… not racist just fact .. little girls can’t identify with them anymore. Broken or little english, not good for tv .. they can deny it all t why want. 1 american has won this year … 1 .. the golf is good, better than ever , but americans could care less
Rick
May 29, 2019 at 10:48 pm
So Americans do care? Seems like you’re contradicting yourself.
Shallowface
May 30, 2019 at 9:12 am
If Americans don’t like the fact that Koreans have taken over the LPGA Tour, there is one solution.
Play better.
The Korean LPGA stars are to be admired. Their work ethic is unmatched. I wish American children were raised with the standards of hard work and respect for parents and others with which Asian children are raised.
It’s going to happen to the men’s PGA Tour as well. That part of the world is going to bury us in every way imaginable. Why? Harder work and better parenting. Higher standards. Not coddling every form of deviancy imaginable. And that’s just for starters.
Steve
May 30, 2019 at 8:07 pm
All those players are just some chick named, Lee,right?
If you’re daughter cannot identify with these great players maybe your daughter just doesn’t like golf (which is fine!) or maybe she’s just picking up on the racist tendencies you exemplify. NHL, MLB and NBA have players who don’t speak great English. Young people don’t seem to mind.
Golf golf golf
May 29, 2019 at 8:37 pm
I hope this ends Hack Haney’s career.
2putttom
Jun 3, 2019 at 1:50 pm
if anything his prediction was correct so, he has that goin for him.
Byron
May 29, 2019 at 8:34 pm
It’s the LKPGA Tour…right?
Justin L
May 29, 2019 at 8:02 pm
Wow, he says something that is absolutely correct and he is being lambasted for it.
Oh my I might offend someone. I better be careful of what I say. FO
gendut
May 29, 2019 at 8:17 pm
agreed
Steve
May 30, 2019 at 7:55 pm
So you also think every Korean golfer is named, Lee?
Dave r
May 29, 2019 at 7:46 pm
Oh Hank really.
Mums
May 29, 2019 at 7:34 pm
From what I’ve listened to on his radio show on xm, HH comes off, imo, a bit of a douche. I am surprised he didn’t mention his time with Tiger in this take. There are a lot of Koreans killing it on the LPGA, and, as a smallish country (South Korea), really kicking ass. His take is glib, but idk if it is racist or sexist. Obviously, economic reasons dictate coverage, so it is unlikely the pedestrian golf fan will be as acquainted with the women’s tour as with the men. It is what it is…
Rich Douglas
May 29, 2019 at 7:27 pm
C’mon, Hank. That was really ignorant.
Yes, the LPGA is dominated by Korean golfers, as a group. But it used to be dominated by American golfers, and no one made a big deal about that.
Adding insult to injury, you made fun of them because you can’t remember their names, like it’s their fault you’re not paying attention. And the nonsense about “Lee” was really over the top. If it had been a bunch of black golfers you named “Leroy,” it couldn’t have been worse.
BTW, the most common Korean surname isn’t even “Lee.” It’s “Kim.”
No, Hank, you’re not a racist. You’re much worse. You’re an insidious bigot, assuming the rest of the world should be as you understand it, and if you don’t, it’s their fault. I’m sure you’re a nice guy and you meant no harm, but that’s really the point, isn’t it? For once, take a lesson instead of giving them.
TexasSnowman
May 29, 2019 at 7:21 pm
he’s not wrong; but he is a douche.
Jack Nash
May 29, 2019 at 6:32 pm
Wee is still playing golf? Didn’t know. I bet Nike is pi$$ed that they’re still paying and not getting any promo value.
Rich Douglas
May 29, 2019 at 7:28 pm
“Wie.” She’s injured. It’s odd that you have a problem with that.
Jack Nash
May 30, 2019 at 7:21 am
No problem with injuries. She was Mia prior to them. I suppose you knew that too.
Bogeypro
May 29, 2019 at 6:17 pm
Snowflakes got triggered. He’s not wrong.
Geoffrey Holland
May 29, 2019 at 6:05 pm
Hank just had his big miss. Good riddance to nasty losers.
dtrain
May 29, 2019 at 5:37 pm
Ha, Michelle Wie is angry because he wasn’t including her as one of the Koreans he favors.
Tiger
May 29, 2019 at 4:53 pm
I mean he isn’t wrong…
dj
May 29, 2019 at 4:26 pm
Comments like those make him appear to be a douche
The dude
May 29, 2019 at 4:15 pm
It’s a PC world we live in….enjoy
2putttom
May 29, 2019 at 3:01 pm
Geez ! if this is the full story then lighten up.