On Friday June 24, as some of the best female professional golfers in the world teed it up for the second round of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship just minutes from Washington, DC the Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe vs Wade decision that protected a woman’s constitutional right to an abortion.
In reaction, the LPGA was silent for an entire day and then released a carefully worded statement, which was followed by a separate letter posted by individual players to their social media accounts expressing disappointment with the Supreme Court decision. Mel Reid was one of those players, and she elaborated on why she was disappointed with the LPGA’s post on this week’s episode of Henni & Hally: Women with Game.
“I think it’s very important for women in our industry to get together and rally behind this,” Reid said. “Especially with the statement that was put out – I was disappointed with the statement that the LPGA came out with. I may get in trouble for that, but I’ll take it. I just thought it was very neutral, and it was a scared message.”
Reid also shared how the unique statement posted by more than 15 LPGA players came about. She credited Michelle Wie West and Marina Alex with spearheading the effort to craft a new collective statement, which was refined by the other women in the group.
“It actually made me pretty emotional how many of the LPGA women got together and did that. I thought it was really powerful,” Reid said. “As a women’s sports organisation, I do think the LPGA could have done more. It was just a bunch of words to me. It was just a bunch of words to tick the box.”
Also in the episode, Leadbetter, Koyak, and Reid discuss elevating the women’s game, increasing golf’s accessibility, and celebrating Pride Month, as Reid is an outspoken member of the LGBTQ+ community.
You can listen to the full episode of Henni & Hally: Women With Game below, or subscribe wherever you get podcasts.
