Golf prodigy’s quick Apple pitch puts her amateur status in doubt
Big-time sports’ latest struggle over the notion of amateurism includes a strong Bay Area flavor — a teenage prodigy, one of the region’s business institutions and now a highprofile quandary for the United States Golf Association.
All because Lucy Li slipped an Apple Watch around her wrist and appeared in a video advertisement.
Li, the acclaimed 16-year-old golfer from Redwood City, stands ninth in the women’s world amateur ranking. But USGA officials could issue a ruling on her case as soon as next week, and the decision might strip Li of her amateur status and prevent her from competing in marquee events such as the inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur in April.
The view here: Amateurism still matters. It’s worth protecting.
But then the conversation logically veers into another realm. Should Li’s appearance in the Apple video really come at the expense of her amateur status? Shouldn’t the USGA modernize its definition of amateurism to reflect the times?
And the view here: absolutely.
This is a thorny issue, especially in an era when longtime interpretations of “amateur athlete” no longer apply. That once was clear, clean, obvious.
Amateurs didn’t make money off their sporting success. They typically competed in high school or college. Many of them strove for the Olympics.
Fast-forward to 2019 and this counts as a quaint thought. The Olympics are full of pro athletes, from basketball players to, yes, golfers. The line separating professionals and amateurs is blurred now more than ever.
“This is the first time in a long time I’ve heard amateur status even talked about,” said Ron Read, who spent 32 years at the USGA and now is retired and living in Carmel Valley (Monterey County). “In a way, I was pleased to know there’s still a commitment to preserve amateurism on the part of the USGA.”
So into the murky water steps Li. She burst into public view as a giggling, ponytailed 11-year-old who played her way into the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open in North Carolina. Li became the youngest golfer ever to qualify for America’s national championship.
Nearly five years later, she’s one of the world’s most accomplished amateurs. Li made the cut in two major championships last year, no easy feat at 15. She also led the U.S. to victory in the Curtis Cup and Junior Ryder Cup, prestigious team events.
But now Li’s status spins in doubt in the wake of her alliance with Apple. The Apple Watch ads are part of the company’s “Close Your Rings” campaign, designed to promote a feature monitoring the wearer’s movements. The videos on Apple.com show several active people, including Li and Olympic swimmer Haley Anderson, moving and exercising while wearing the watch.
Li’s 15-second appearance includes her hitting shots, walking on a golf course, mimicking her swing in a pool and ultimately smiling into the camera.
Her mom, Amy Zeng, told Golf Digest that Li did not receive compensation for her participation in the video. Zeng declined comment when reached by The Chronicle, and an Apple spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.
Li’s involvement seems to clearly violate Rule 6-2 of the USGA’s Rules of Amateur Status. That rule states, “An amateur golfer of golf skill or reputation must not use that skill or reputation to obtain payment, compensation, personal benefit or any financial gain, directly or indirectly, for (i) promoting, advertising or selling anything, or (ii) allowing his name or likeness to be used by a third party for the promotion, advertisement or sale of anything.
“In the context of this Rule, even if no payment or compensation is received, an amateur golfer is deemed to receive a personal benefit by promoting, advertising or selling anything, or allowing his name or likeness to be used by a third party for the promotion, advertisement or sale of anything.”
USGA officials thus find themselves in a lose-lose predicament. Uphold the rules by taking away Li’s amateur status, and they come off as mean-spirited. Look the other way, and they alienate other amateur golfers who abide by the rules.
Read predicted the governing body ultimately will issue a “slap on the wrist” to Li. He suggested there is precedent for the USGA minimizing punishment for violations such as these, especially with high-profile amateurs.
A USGA spokeswoman said the organization is still gathering facts and hasn’t yet made a decision.
Li has a fallback, of course, if she’s ruled ineligible for amateur events: She can turn professional. She probably would have done so in the next year or two anyway. This incident might just accelerate the timeline.
One interesting parallel is that of Alabama high school basketball star Maori Davenport. She was suspended, then reinstated by a judge last week, after USA Basketball mistakenly sent her a check for $857.20 to cover expenses for playing in an international event.
The Alabama High School Athletic Association had stripped Davenport of her amateur status, even after she returned the money.
That’s the kind of inflexibility the USGA must avoid with Li. No, amateurs should not receive payment for playing their sport. But does an ancillary benefit such as the Apple video really warrant punishment as severe as permanent ineligibility for amateur events?
This is a tricky balancing act. The interpretation of amateur status is not the same as it once was, and that’s fine. Still, it’s possible to modernize the rules and still preserve the idea of amateur athletics.
“I believe in amateurism,” Read said. “No question, it’s being tested.”