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The following editorial appeared in the Chicago Tribune on Thursday.

In 10 years on the U.S. women's professional golf tour, South Korean Se Ri Pak has won 20 tournaments and more than $10 million. Her English isn't nearly as good as her tee shot, but you'd think her athletic performance would speak for itself. Not in the LPGA.

Last month, the LPGA Tour told its players to brush up on their English or risk suspension, beginning in 2009. Language barriers hamper players' ability to interact with fans, reporters and especially sponsors, LPGA officials say. That makes it hard for the LPGA to market its tournaments and its players.

Some people suspect darker motives. The South Korean news agency Yonhap said the action "raises suspicions that it is targeting Korean players," since 45 of the LPGA's 121 international players are South Korean. The rule was decried as xenophobic, discriminatory, nativist and just plain snobby. In fact, it was nothing more than a boneheaded public relations move.

The ranks of professional sports are filled with players who speak other languages, and no other league has seen a need to insist on English proficiency. Unlike those who play baseball, basketball or tennis for a living, though, professional golfers are obliged to help promote their sport by playing pro-am events with potential sponsors. The hope is that a corporate big shot with a 12 handicap might be moved to write a big check after playing a round alongside a charming professional. But getting your butt kicked by a woman who barely speaks for 18 holes can be a real buzz kill.

The LPGA surely didn't set out to alienate the foreign players who are key to its future. Only two of the top 20 women's players are Americans; seven are Korean. The No. 1 player, Lorena Ochoa, is from Mexico. Asian players have won seven of 24 tour events this year, and 27 of the last 32 majors have been won by foreigners. Most of them, by the way, speak English, and not because the LPGA told them to.

The LPGA holds events in Mexico and France, and next year will play in Singapore, China, Korea, Thailand and Japan, but nobody has suggested the English-speaking players might benefit from a rudimentary command of any other language. And Korean TV is the LPGA's biggest single source of income, according to Golf International.

Many fans insist indignantly that golf is about the score, period. But professional golf is also a business. Says Pak, who has won five majors, "When you win, you should give your speech in English."