Golf instructor and radio host Hank Haney returned to Twitter to try to make a point after his remarks about Korean LPGA Tour players got him suspended earlier in the week.
Haney was asked for predictions for the U.S. Women’s Open. After saying that he couldn’t name six LPGA Tour players, he cracked, “I’d go with Lee. If I didn’t have to name a first name, I’d get a bunch of them right,” referring to the large proportion of Korean and Korean-American players on the tour.
Haney was quick to post an apology on Twitter after facing backlash, and SiriusXM suspended Haney for his comments for an undisclosed period of time.
Fast-forward to Sunday. The winner of the U.S. Women’s Open was Jeongeun Lee6, a 23-year-old Korean who added the number 6 to her surname because when she came up on the Korean tour, there were already five players who shared her name.
The fact that she won after the Haney controversy proved to be awkward for everyone involved. Haney sought redemption Sunday afternoon with this tweet:
My prediction that a Korean woman would be atop the leaderboard at the Women’s US Open was based on statistics and facts. Korean women are absolutely dominating the LPGA Tour. If you asked me again my answer would be the same but worded more carefully.
— Hank Haney (@HankHaney) June 2, 2019
Former LPGA Tour player Maddie Sheils responded by pointing out, “Nobody denies there are a lot of Lees in golf. But it’s 2019 & the rest of us are capable of appreciating the individual stories & personalities beyond a common last name.”
Sheils added Haney should be taken “off the air forever.”
Haney also caught flak for struggling to spell Lee6’s first name correctly in subsequent tweets, which he chalked up to misadventures in autocorrect.
But fans of Haney defended him and decried a culture of political correctness for his suspension.
#freehankhaney. These social justice warriors are ruining America. Keep being you. Love the show.
— RunninCM (@RunninCm) June 2, 2019
This PC crap is out of hand. A Korean named Lee is going to win and you got suspended for saying it. Unbelievable
— R (@rhodges59) June 2, 2019
Always better to be factually correct than politically correct. Well done Hank!
— John Newcomb (@jc_newcomb) June 3, 2019
• Adam Zielonka can be reached at azielonka@washingtontimes.com.
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