Much talk has been made of the The LPGA looking to put in place a policy that will require all of its players to pass an oral evaluation of their English skills by the end of 2009. Players who fail to speak the language “effectively” will be suspended until they meet the as-yet-undefined standard.

Working with LPGA star Natalie Gulbis, we’ve followed the Tour closely since 2000. Over that time there have been several attempts at marketing campaigns that were mostly misses. Sponsorship for tournaments and players is almost equivalent to the IRL (ie struggling), TV rights money is not there like other sports, and to top if off there most marketable star – Annika Sorenstam – is retiring after this year.

Fact is foreign players dominate that Tour – only 5 out of 22 events this year have been won by US players (3 by Paula Creamer). For the purposes of inteviews, winner event/sponsor obligations, and interest from the US audience, the Tour needs the foreign players to become more integrated into the US fan landscape.

Should they have to pass a oral test – for the sake of the Tour’s future, and their own potential purse winnings – yes.

Should the Tour set in place a format to help the top foregin players better handle interviews and PR, and make sure they can pass the oral test without threat of suspensions – yes.

And would this be a complete non-issue if an American player was dominating the Tour like Lorena Ochoa – yes.