US golf competition winner denied trophy because she is a girl
The winner of a golf competition has been denied the trophy because she is a girl, according to a local media report.
16-year-old Emily Nash, from Massachusetts, finished first in a regional tournament this week and was also denied the opportunity to play at the state high school golf championships because she is female.
The high school student 16, shot a three-over-par 75 at the Central Massachusetts Division 3 boys’ golf tournament on Tuesday, according to the Worcester Telegram & Gazette.
She was four strokes ahead of the runner-up.
“It’s a real injustice that she wasn’t announced as the winner,” Robert Dufresne, a volunteer rules official with the Massachusetts Golf Association, told the local paper.
According to Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association rules, "Girls playing on a fall boys’ team cannot be entered in the Boys Fall Individual Tournament. They can only play in the Boys Team Tournament. If qualified, they can play in the spring Girls Sectional and State Championships."
This means girls can play as part of a team but not as an individual.
Her score only went towards her team’s total.
Despite the fact she was denied the trophy, she told the local paper that she was pleased with her performance, considering the blustery conditions.
“The wind didn’t bother me that much,” she said. “You’re striking the ball no matter what the wind is.”
She said that she was especially proud of her 20-foot birdie putt on the par-3 13th hole.
Ms Nash proudly told the paper: "I golf every day".
“I was definitely disappointed, but I understand that there are rules in place,” she said.
“I don’t think people expected for this to happen, so they didn’t really know how to react to it. None of us are mad at the MIAA or anything like that, but I was definitely a little bit disappointed.”
