Golf: Penny Newbrook banned from men's competition

11.45am

Craig Newbrook will not let his daughter's ban from playing in the Bay of Plenty Golf's men's interclub championship proceed without a fight.

New Zealand representative Penny Newbrook was last night thrown out of the men's interclub pennant championship, although Bay of Plenty Golf today refused to confirm their decision.

Bay of Plenty Golf president Dan Doughtery today said the executive's decision would remain secret until it was checked legally.

"You'll get a press release in due course... in the next few days."

Newbrook is in Melbourne playing for the New Zealand women's team in the Riversdale Cup, but her father today said he was considering his options in response to the decision.

"Penny's not overly concerned herself -- all this ever was, was an opportunity to improve her golf -- but I'm pretty pissed off, more because of the principle of it.

"For Bay of Plenty Golf to come out yesterday and say this ban had nothing to do with sexism is a load of rubbish.

"The only reason they've stopped her playing is because she's a woman, so what is it then if it's not sexism? It's discrimination because she's a female golfer."

Craig Newbrook doubted he would go as far as engaging lawyers to push his daughter's case, but he would forward the matter to the Human Rights Commission for their interpretation

"It's a decision right out of the archives. If Penny's good enough to compete she should be able to compete. We put up our best teams from (Rotorua club) Springfield to play and it just happened that one of the club's top players is a woman."

Newbrook played for the Springfield-B team alongside her father in the men's championship pennant against Omanu on February 8.

She earned her place in the team by finishing fourth in a 17-player trial.

It was the first time a female had contested a men's event in Bay of Plenty, but Lisa Aldridge, then of Wellington, and Kyla Welsh, then of Timaru, had previously played in their respective men's pennant championship.

Bay of Plenty Golf vice-president Graeme Price, who was behind the rule change to have Newbrook banned, yesterday denied it was sexism.

He said banning females from the pennant championship preserved the spirit and intent of the competition of the men's matchplay competition.

Price also dismissed a pro-Newbrook petition circulated among senior golfers to let Newbrook stay that attracted 60 signatures, 90 per cent of them pennant players.

Bay of Plenty representative George Kinghorn said: "If Bay of Plenty Golf wants to be seen as a forward thinking association it shouldn't have a problem with it if the players don't."

Price disagreed.

"It's got absolutely nothing to do with the players. They're not the ones who make the rules," he said.

Craig Newbrook said the ban had everything to do with the players.

"I talked to Mark Smith (Bay of Plenty No 1 and Newbrook's boyfriend) yesterday and he couldn't believe that statement.

"These guys have got to realise they're voted in by the players. They're there solely as the players' representatives. They're not there to run a dictatorship."

When he learned of the technicality his daughter was to be thrown out on, Newbrook said he paid her affiliation fees to New Zealand Golf, who administer the men's game.

He said Penny had not played with the men to make a political statement.

"All she wants to do is play golf and improve her game. The fact she could go out there and beat most of them off the men's tees hasn't got anything to do with it.

"Penny's not in it for the publicity or to stir anything up, that's the last thing she wanted."

- BAY OF PLENTY TIMES