Golf Mag Features Hot Ladies, But Not Lady Golfers

The latest edition of Golf Digest has a woman on the cover. Ladies, we've made it! The only problem: The woman featured, Paulina Gretzky, isn't a professional golfer. She's hockey Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky's daughter, and a PGA player's fianceé. Oh, and she's not wearing a shirt.

When the leading LPGA (Ladies Professional Golf Association) golfer Inbee Park saw the magazine, she was a bit confused, reports The New York Times. "Who is that?" she wondered.

Park, who is South Korean, has been No. 1 in the sport for over a year. She's won four major championships and five other LPGA tours. As the Times notes, she's never graced Golf Digest's cover. She's apparently not that concerned, though:

I think I’ve been in many Golf Digests in Korea. I think that still counts as a Golf Digest. That’s just been the way it is for over 20, 30 years.

Golf Digest sometimes puts professional golfers on the cover, though! The last time was in, well, 2008.

The magazine's editor, Jerry Tarde, defended the decision to give Gretzky top billing:

Sports figures, celebrities and models have appeared on Golf Digest covers since the magazine’s beginning. Paulina ranks at the high end of the golf celebrity scene today, and she has a compelling story to tell. She also might get some new people interested in the game.

Somebody should tell Tarde that the guys picking up Golf Digest this month may be interested in more than Gretzky's golf game.

We're all for looking good on magazine covers, and Gretzky should feel free to flaunt her bangin' body wherever she wants. But, seriously: What's up with the editors' decision to put a sexy woman with a golf club on the cover of a professional golf magazine while ignoring the sport's incredibly accomplished female athletes?

Image: Golf Digest