Only the blue bloods of New Jersey could manage to both elate and grate on the same day. The USGA announcement of holding the 2014 Women's US Open at Pinehurst No. 2 on the week following the men's Open is the kind of bold and innovative thinking you'd want from a national governing body. Personally, I think this will prove to be a brilliant move. The only potential stumbling block is if there is the out-dated Monday 18 hole playoff to the men's championship. Perhaps, if we're lucky, infringing on the Women's Open will provide them with a convenient "excuse" to move to some form of a sudden death format, like every other major championship has done.

But on the heels of that comes the news of this year's Women's US Open qualifying, which was held yesterday. Almost as if they can't stand prosperity, the USGA has limited automatic qualifying to the top 10 on the current LPGA money list, down from the top 30 a year ago. What possible logic could have been used to come up with that little gem? The LPGA is the greatest collection of female talent in the world - and it isn't even close. Why would you not want every one of those top 30? Pardon me for suggesting but I'd have to say that all of them are easily within the top 156 golfers in the world and should be in the Open, no questions asked. Some of the elite players between 11th and 30th who are playing at a very high level so far in 2009, are players like Natalie Gulbis and Michelle Wie. But don't look for them at the 2009 Women's US Open. They just missed out in the 36 hole qualifier on the day after the LPGA Championship where they finished 21st and 23rd.

Apparently, half a golf season on the toughest women's tour in the world is not qualifier enough for the USGA. Idiots.

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