New Zealander Lydia Ko has just cashed the rich check she deservedly earned at the Saudi Ladies International, Anna Nordqvist is no longer wearing the Aramco cap, but there is another novelty that those who follow the LET will certainly have noticed: the participation of the English Meghan MacLaren.
Meghan MacLaren, statements
Three years ago Meghan MacLaren declared that she did not want to play in Saudi Arabia because she did not fit her values, denouncing the serious limitations on women’s rights still present in the country.
The presence of Saudi money in women’s golf has continued to grow over the past two years, and MacLaren’s thinking has also changed. “At some point you have to reconcile”. MacLaren said, “On the one hand there is my competitive spirit, my being a professional player, and on the other there is my life with her battles.
You can have a voice up to a point. Becoming a stronger and more recognizable player will make my voice on certain topics louder.” The stark truth is that, as things stand right now, refraining from playing Saudi-backed events makes it very difficult to hold onto the LET card.
“At the end of the day, money is power,” MacLaren continues, “We live in a world where that’s the truth, you can’t ignore it. It’s how you choose to use your money that says who you really are. For some people it’s much easier not to ask questions and pretend not to see.
Red lines and conflicts of interest are everywhere. When I make a decision, I always consider these aspects as well, even if I know that not everyone does it”. In the field of women’s golf, the arrival of Saudi money, the novelty of the Aramco Team Series (very close to being a LIV Golf for women) has not aroused all the protests that still affect men’s golf (on this topic the ‘expert is my friend Stefano Mora).
In this regard Meghan MacLaren continues: “The media coverage of women’s golf is certainly much lower than that of men, and consequently also the criticisms are not at the same level. I’m always convinced that looking, realizing things, is always better than pretending nothing happened.
Individuals will always have limited possibilities to change the world. The best way to make my voice heard is to become a stronger golfer… I hope that will help improve things, at least in the long run. That will always be my goal.” Meghan MacLaren’s latest LET win is at last year’s Australian Women’s Classic. At Saudi Ladies International, however, she did not pass the cut.
