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LPGA backs down on English-only rule

AP) - Under increasing criticism, the LPGA Tour on Friday backed off a proposed policy that would have suspended players who could not efficiently speak English.

LPGA Tour commissioner Carolyn Bivens said she would announce a revised plan by the end of the year, although it would not include penalties.

Bivens disclosed the tour's original plan in a meeting with South Korean players at the Safeway Classic in Portland, Ore., two weeks ago, which was reported by Golfweek magazine. The policy, which had not been completed, was widely criticized as discriminatory, particularly against Asian players, who won three majors this year.

"We have decided to rescind those penalty provisions," Bivens said in a statement. "After hearing the concerns, we believe there are other ways to achieve our shared objective of supporting and enhancing the business opportunities for every tour player."

The announcement came two hours before the Asian Pacific American Legal Center planned a news conference in Los Angeles, where it was to be joined by civil rights groups and elected officials demanding the LPGA overturn its policy.

A California state senator was seeking a legal opinion to determine whether the tour's language requirement for players violated state or federal law. Leland Yee, a Democrat for San Francisco, hoped for an answer before the LPGA Tour returned to California in October for the Samsung World Championship.

And one of the tour's title sponsor, State Farm, said it was "dumbfounded" by the initiative..

"We don't understand this and we don't know why they have done it," State Farm spokesman Kip Diggs told Advertising Age on its Web site. "And we have strongly encouraged them to take another look at this."

Bivens said the tour will continue to help international players through a cultural program that has been in place for three years and offers tutors and translators.