Paulina Gretzky has made the cover of Golf Digest, dressed in a sports bra and form-fitting white pants, much to the dismay of LPGA tour players who believe they don’t get the respect as golfers that they deserve.
The issue has come under fire for featuring Paulina Gretzky, who has yet to earn her LPGA playing card and whose claim to golf fame comes as the fiancé of Dustin Johnson of the PGA tour, who has eight wins on his record.
According to the USA Today, the last three women to have appeared on the cover of Golf Digest are Golf Channel anchor and personality Holly Sonders (May 2013), Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue cover girl Kate Upton, and Gretzky. The last LPGA player to make the cover was Lorena Ochoa in 2008.
According to the New York Times, when asked about Gretzky, Inbee Park, the world No. 1 in women’s golf, asked, “Who is that?”
Julie Inkster told Karen Crouse of the New York Times, “It’s frustrating because it’s Golf Digest; it’s not Sports Illustrated’s swimsuit issue. I think they should maybe recognize some of the great women golfers that we have. It’s like, What do you have to do to get a little respect? I’m guaranteeing you right now, it was not a woman editor who chose that cover.”
Stacy Lewis, the top-ranked American in the world at No. 3, added, “”It’s frustrating for female golfers. It’s the state of where we’ve always been. We don’t get the respect for being the golfers we are. Obviously, Golf Digest is trying to sell magazines, but at the same time you like to see a little respect for the women’s game.”
Sam Weinman of Golf Digest wrote an article addressing the concern titled “What’s Paulina Gretzky Doing On The Cover Of Golf Digest?” He writes that Gretzky is a “certified celebrity within the golf world” and that when it’s factored in “that she’s an attractive, fit woman who — like many of our prospective readers — is fairly new to golf, and she seemed a natural cover subject for our second annual issue devoted to fitness.”
“Sports figures, celebrities and models have appeared on Golf Digest covers since the magazine’s beginning,” Golf Digest Editor-in-Chief Jerry Tarde said. “Paulina ranks at the high end of the golf celebrity scene today, and she has a compelling story to tell. She also might get some new people interested in the game.”
Paulina had her own comment on Twitter:
So Excited To Be On The New Cover Of @golfdigestmag!! Check It Out Now On http://t.co/2Y5SjuyU2l ♡ http://t.co/l3UpqUBRA0
— Paulina Gretzky (@PaulinaGretzky) April 3, 2014
The issue will be available on tablet edition April 8 and on newsstands April 15.
Image via Twitter
