Hot News: Paulina Gretzky Golf Digest cover generates criticism from LPGA pros

Juli Inkster made her 120th start in a major Thursday at the Kraft Nabisco Championship. A seven-time major winner and a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame, Inkster is one of 11 women since 1969 to appear alone on the cover of Golf Digest. The list, which includes Marlene Hagge, Jane Blalock (twice) and Nancy Lopez, grew this week with the unveiling of the May issue, with Paulina Gretzky on the cover.



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'Who is that?' asked Inbee Park, the world No. 1 and the defending champion at this event.

Gretzky is the daughter of Wayne Gretzky, the Jack Nicklaus of hockey; her main connection to golf is that she is the fiancée of Dustin Johnson, an eight-time winner on the PGA Tour. She posed for the cover in white yoga pants and a matching sports bra.

Park, of South Korea, a nine-time winner on the LPGA Tour, won three consecutive majors in 2013 to tie a record set in 1950 by Babe Didrikson Zaharias. Park has never appeared on the cover of Golf Digest.

'I think I've been in many Golf Digests in Korea,' she said. 'I think that still counts as a Golf Digest.'

Shrugging, Park added, 'That's just been the way it is for over 20, 30 years.'

Stacy Lewis, who has won two major titles, has also never appeared on the cover of Golf Digest. Last year she was briefly No. 1 in the world on her way to winning the Vare Trophy for the tour's lowest scoring average.

Asked for her reaction to the magazine's cover choice, Lewis said: 'It's frustrating for female golfers. It's kind of the state of where we've always been. We don't get respect for being the golfers that we are. Obviously, Golf Digest is trying to sell magazines. But at the same time you'd like to see a little respect for the women's game.'

Does Lewis, 29, read the magazine? 'Not much,' she said. 'Obviously you see some of the covers; you see things like that ...' Her voice trailed off.

The last LPGA Tour winner to appear on the magazine's cover is Lorena Ochoa, in August 2008. Inkster, 53, was featured in October 1992.

Besides Gretzky, the only woman to be given sole billing on the cover without having won a pro or major amateur event is Golf Channel personality Holly Sonders, in May 2013. (Nicklaus' wife, Barbara, appeared on the March 1975 cover with her husband's instructor, Jack Grout.) Model Kate Upton posed alongside Arnold Palmer in December's issue.

'It's frustrating because it's Golf Digest; it's not Sports Illustrated's swimsuit issue,' Inkster said, adding: '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.'

Jerry Tarde, the editor-in-chief of Golf Digest, who approved the cover, said: 'Sports figures, celebrities and models have appeared on Golf Digest covers since the magazine's beginning. 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.'

Inkster said: 'OK, so I think next month the cover should be Paula Creamer's fiancé, who's a fighter pilot, or Brittany Lincicome's hot boyfriend, who's a long-drive hitter. Put one of them on there.'

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