A cheap shot from the LPGA

WHAT A brilliant stroke for the Ladies Professional Golfers Association to require its golfers to speak English, starting in 2009 ("LPGA's ultimatum to foreigners: Speak English or else," Sports, Aug. 27). That should give their golfers plenty of time to learn their paymaster's tongue between practice putts. This new, enlightened LPGA policy couldn't come at a better time, what with America being so popular in the world at large.

And thank God the LPGA has come to the rescue of its tolerant, accepting, and inclusive fans, besieged as they are by hordes of slothful golfers who don't have the decency to learn the empire's lingua franca.

With a billion prospective fans in India and 1.2 billion in China, I assume LPGA officials will be required, under the new policy, to learn Hindi and Chinese. But with two languages to learn, I think they should be given until 2010 to complete the task.

LAWRENCE REICHARD
Rockland, Maine