The BulleTin • Thursday, March 4, 2021 A7
GOLF | PGA TOUR
DEAR ABBY
Write to Dear Abby online at dearabby.com
or by mail at P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069
Dear Abby: I am a 49-year-
old woman who has been in
a romantic relationship with
a good, caring man for two
years. We live together, and
he shows me all the time how
much he loves me. We have
amazing chemistry and are
very affectionate. We enjoy
spending time together, espe-
cially outdoors.
When we first started dat-
ing, he told me he was bisex-
ual and had had relationships
with men. He insists I am his
true love and he is with only
me now. He has never shown
signs of straying, but some-
times I get insecure and won-
der if I should take him at his
word that he only wants me.
Should I trust him?
— Wants to Be Sure
in Rhode Island
Dear Wants: This man
has been upfront with you.
Because someone finds
members of both genders at-
tractive does not mean the
person is incapable of mo-
nogamy.
During the last two years,
he has given you no reason to
believe he is untrustworthy,
so take steps to deal with
your insecurity and take him
at his word.
Dear Abby: My son and
daughter-in-law — the par-
ents of three minor children
— were divorced in 2019.
Prior to their divorce, the ex-
DIL got pregnant by another
man. She has since had a little
girl. My dilemma is, do I in-
clude the new little girl when
they come to visit Grandma?
She is still my grandchildren’s
half-sister. As they get older
and come to visit me, I would
feel bad leaving her out of
events.
My son is livid that I would
even consider including her.
Her other grandparents re-
fuse to have anything to do
with her. How do I deal with
this?
— Dilemma in the Midwest
Dear Dilemma: You have a
loving heart. I assume all the
children live together with
their mother. To exclude their
half-sister would be logisti-
cally difficult and cruel to a
child who is blameless. Your
son may not like the situa-
tion, but it is time for him to
grow up and face reality. You
are the only grandmother
that child has ever known,
so remain calm, assert your
right to self-determination
and refuse to allow yourself
to be bullied or intimidated.
Dear Abby: Unfortunately,
I am not in the same income
bracket as my family and
some of my friends. Also, I
married a guy who doesn’t
like to socialize because he’s a
recovering alcoholic, and he
also has hearing problems.
Family and friends rarely ask
us to join them when they go
out, but they never fail to call
and tell me all about the great
time they had and where they
plan to go next. It hurts, and
I resent them for it. I want to
be happy for them and not
feel the way I do. Help!
— Different in New York
Dear Different: Your hus-
band may have hearing prob-
lems, but your relatives ap-
pear to be tone deaf in the
sensitivity department. What
they are doing is cruel.
Rather than compare your
life to that of friends and rela-
tives who have more freedom
to socialize than you and
your husband do, it would be
more constructive to figure
out what you CAN do. So-
cialize either with others or
by yourselves in places that
don’t serve alcohol and aren’t
overly noisy. Ask your rela-
tives to join you there — and
put the ball in their court.
YOUR HOROSCOPE
Woods comparisons aside,
Morikawa on his own course
BY DOUG FERGUSON
AP Golf Writer
BRADENTON, Fla. — The red shirt for
Collin Morikawa to wear on Sunday at the
Workday Championship never arrived in
time.
The comparisons with Tiger Woods keep
coming up in other ways.
When Morikawa turned pro in 2019 af-
ter graduating from Cal, he began his PGA
Tour career by making the cut in 22 con-
secutive events. That was the longest such
streak since Woods began his career mak-
ing 25 in a row.
Morikawa became a youthful footnote
in history at Torrey Pines last year when he
was in the same group with Woods. It was
the first time Woods had played alongside
someone who was born after he turned pro.
Most notable about his three-shot vic-
tory at The Concession against another
stacked field was the 24-year-old Morikawa
joined Woods as the only players to win a
major and a World Golf Championship be-
fore turning 25.
Some context is in order.
Rory McIlroy was 25 years and three
months when he had two majors and a
World Golf Championship, and then he
won a third major the following week.
Jordan Spieth isn’t on that list because he
hasn’t won a World Golf Championship,
though capturing three legs of the career
Grand Slam before turning 24 is not some-
thing he would trade for that.
Each year, the pool of young talent keeps
getting deeper.
Morikawa didn’t wade into the pool. It
was a cannon ball. In his fourth event, he
lost out to an eagle on the final hole in Min-
nesota to Matt Wolff. Two events later, he
won the Barracuda Championship with a
cool precision in the final holes that quickly
is becoming his trademark.
He won at Muirfield Village last summer
by making a 25-foot birdie putt in a play-
off right after Justin Thomas had holed a
putt from twice that long. He won the PGA
Championship at Harding Park by chang-
ing his plan as the situation warranted, hit-
ting driver on the reachable par-4 16th to 7
feet for eagle.
That’s four PGA Tour victories in his
first 39 starts as a pro. The only better start
since 1990 was Woods, who had seven vic-
tories (including a 12-shot victory in the
“I’ve said for a year or plus now, he’s
the one that everyone’s got to look out
for. Yeah, he doesn’t hit it 320-plus. I
can’t say it’s overrated — it’s helpful out
here — but if you can’t hit straight and
put it in the fairway, then it doesn’t give
you any advantage.”
— Billy Horschel, golfer who finished
runner-up in the Workday Championship
behind Morikawa
Masters) in the same span.
No one should suggest Morikawa is
on the same trajectory as Woods. It’s way
too early for that, and Morikawa doesn’t
have nearly the same skill set, starting with
power.
Even so, he has done enough — and
looks good doing it — to warrant a prom-
inent spot in any conversation about golf’s
leading stars.
“I’ve said for a year or plus now, he’s the
one that everyone’s got to look out for,”
Billy Horschel said after his runner-up
finish to Morikawa. “Yeah, he doesn’t hit
it 320-plus. I can’t say it’s overrated — it’s
helpful out here — but if you can’t hit
straight and put it in the fairway, then it
doesn’t give you any advantage.”
Morikawa hits it straight. He didn’t miss
a fairway in the final round after the open-
ing hole, and that made it tough for anyone
to catch him on the back nine.
Most telling was his thought process
down the stretch at Concession. The big-
gest putt was a 12-footer for par on No.
11 and an 8-foot birdie putt on the short
par-4 12th as a cast of contenders were
closing in. He had two par 5s ahead of
him. But with his lead back at three and no
one making a move, he applied pressure by
not making mistakes.
“Yes, I wanted more birdies coming
down the stretch, but guys weren’t really
making birdies, so it wasn’t forcing me to
keep up with their pace, as well,” Mori-
kawa said.
He didn’t have a red shirt, like a dozen
other players Sunday, to show support for
Woods as he recovers from serious leg in-
juries suffered in his Los Angeles-area car
crash. Morikawa honored his golfing idol
Phelan M. Ebenhack/AP
Collin Morikawa, right, and his caddie watch
after hitting from the second fairway during
the final round of the Workday Championship
Sunday in Bradenton, Florida.
by playing like he would in that situation.
McIlroy has never played with Mori-
kawa on the PGA Tour, though he has seen
enough because McIlroy pays attention
to everyone, and he has been around him
during TaylorMade commercial shoots.
“He makes a really good move at it; club-
face stays so stable through impact,” McIl-
roy said. “It’s sort of hard to think that he
could hit a ball offline. Great iron player.
And I think the thing with Collin is when
he gets the putter going, he’s always going to
have a chance.”
Morikawa says he has never felt com-
fortable with his putting — remember, he
missed a 6-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole
and a 3-foot par putt in a playoff to lose
at Colonial. He heard about Hall of Fame
member Mark O’Meara using a “saw” put-
ting grip and decided to try it out. Then,
wisely, he caught up with O’Meara the next
day and talked to him for an hour.
His chipping was a mess on the Bermuda
grass at Concession. He called over Paul
Azinger, a Concession member and NBC
analyst, for Azinger to show him a few
techniques. The chat lasted 10 minutes and
paid big dividends.
“It saved my life this week,” Morikawa
said with exuberance and possibly a bit of
exaggeration.
He already is winning big and always
learning, a nice combination going forward.
By Madalyn Aslan
Stars show the kind of day you’ll have
DYNAMIC | POSITIVE | AVERAGE | SO-SO | DIFFICULT
Transgender
Continued from A5
HAPPY BIRTHDAY FOR THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 2021: Private,
intimate and autonomous, you need a cozy place in which to exist. You pro-
duce your best work this year, and it’s very successful. If single, you so crave
creative isolation that you don’t even search for a mate this year. You wait some
years before joining your soul mate. If attached, you can communicate without
speaking and have an intensely psychic bond. VIRGO will never lead you on.
ARIES (March 21-April 19)
An old demon no longer troubles you. Inwardly, you’ll feel more
peaceful and strong. New financial strategies are worth considering. Your
legendary analytical ability is in top form, enabling you to find solutions to
several pesky problems. Tonight: A sigh of relief.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20)
Be lighthearted about partnerships today. Today doesn’t favor a
serious or committed situation. Use caution in making promises, and select
closest associates with care. Trust your own instincts if a project of time-in-
vestment seems risky. Tonight: Vulnerable to peer pressure.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20)
Today accents domestic relationships. Be alert to the needs of beloved
pets; they’ll be especially sensitive and emotional — also with any assis-
tantship you hire and use. Companions surprise you with progressive plans.
Tonight: A marvelous cycle for decision-making.
CANCER (June 21-July 22)
Your charisma is at a peak, and interesting new prospects are attract-
ed to you. Genuine drama is followed by the fireworks clearing. A companion
whom you’ve lost track of can resurface. Tonight: Double-check all agree-
ments, for questions of propriety come into play.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22)
Work hard and be patient. Quiet contemplation helps you find con-
tentment. It’s a perfect cycle for redecorating projects in your home. You’ll
be devoting great energy to family matters. Honor your childhood memories
and heritage. Tonight: A long and soothing herbal bath.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)
You’re ready to explore and wander. Reflect upon a world map to
help intuit the best places for visits once this pandemic is over. There is an
urge to be active, not to wait or postpone. Today reminds you to savor the
present. Tonight: Savoring.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)
Today marks a wonderful time to separate the promising from the
outmoded with regard to your source of income. You’re very progressive in
analyzing new economic trends. You get good financial news. Tonight: In-
vestment clubs and other group activities help you with financial planning.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)
Today your charm and beauty impress the right people and help
is offered. Pursue social and professional opportunities. Tremendous mental
energy and artistic aptitude are heightened. New ideas abound. A friend is
helpful and has knowledge to share. Tonight: Dance like no one’s watching.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)
Take time for quiet reflection today. Explore your subconscious
needs through meditation and dream analysis. A person from the past
unexpectedly gets in touch. You will be glad. Helping others who are less
fortunate brings you joy. Tonight: A good night’s sleep.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)
Today emphasizes help, charity and wellness. A reunion of some
type can be planned. Goals crystallize. Healing and growth are due. A larger-
than-life quality prevails, but stay grounded and keep your perspective. Seek
efficiency. Tonight: Involvement on Zoom with a large group.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)
Be a good listener. You may learn a lot. Today creates a limiting and
somewhat frustrating career situation. Accept others as they are and use
your creative ideas constructively. By the end of the day, recognition is yours.
Tonight: Celebrate with older family members.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20)
Today brings a cycle of great insight and awareness. Discussion
groups and an eclectic combination of cultural traditions awaken your higher
mind. Studying another language can have a positive impact too. Tonight:
Watch a foreign movie or documentary.
Supporters of transgender rights say the
Connecticut case gets so much attention
from conservatives because it’s the only ex-
ample of its kind.
“It’s their Exhibit A, and there’s no Ex-
hibit B — absolutely none,” said Shannon
Minter, legal director of the National Cen-
ter for Lesbian Rights and a prominent
trans-rights attorney.
The multiple sports bills, he says, address
a threat that doesn’t exist.
There’s no authoritative count of how
many trans athletes have competed recently
in high school or college sports. Neither the
NCAA nor most state high school athletic
associations collect that data; in the states
that do collect it, the numbers are minimal:
No more than five students currently in
Kansas, nine in Ohio over five years.
Transgender adults make up a small
portion of the U.S. population, about 1.3
million as of 2016, according to the Wil-
liams Institute, a think tank at the UCLA
School of Law that specializes in research
on LGBTQ issues.
The two dozen bills making their way
through state legislatures this year could be
devastating for transgender teens who usu-
ally get little attention as they compete.
In Utah, a 12-year-old transgender girl
cried when she heard about the proposal,
which would separate her from her friends.
She’s far from the tallest girl on her club
team and has worked hard to improve her
times but is not a dominant swimmer in
her age group, her coach said.
“Other than body parts, I’ve been a girl
my whole life,” she said.
The girl and her family spoke with The
Associated Press on the condition of ano-
nymity to avoid outing her publicly.
Those who object to the growing visi-
bility and rights for transgender people,
though, argue new laws are needed to keep
the playing field fair for cisgender girls.
“When the law does not recognize dif-
ferences between men and women, we’ve
seen that women lose,” said Christiana Hol-
comb, an attorney for the Alliance Defend-
ing Freedom, which filed the Connecticut
lawsuit on behalf of four cisgender girls.
One of those girls, Chelsea Mitchell, de-
feated Terry Miller — the faster of the two
trans sprinters — in their final two races in
February 2020.
The ADF and others like it are the be-
hind-the-scenes backers of the campaign,
offering model legislation and a playbook
to promote the bills, most of them with
common features and even titles, like the
Save Women’s Sports Act.
When asked for other examples of com-
plaints about middle or high school trans-
gender athletes, ADF and the Family Policy
Alliance, cited two: One involved a Hawaii
Matt Rourke/AP
Rebekah Bruesehoff, 14, poses for a portrait in New Jersey on Friday. The transgender teenager
competes on her middle school field hockey team and hopes to keep playing in high school. “It’s
all been positive,” she said. “The coaches have been really helpful.”
woman who coaches track and filed a com-
plaint last year over a trans girl compet-
ing in girls’ volleyball and track. The other
involved a cisgender girl in Alaska who
defeated a trans sprinter in 2016, then ap-
peared in a Family Policy Alliance video
saying the trans girl’s third-place finish was
unfair to runners who were further behind.
Only one state, Idaho, has enacted a law
curtailing trans students’ sports participa-
tion, and that 2020 measure is blocked by a
court ruling.
Chase Strangio, a transgender-rights
attorney with the American Civil Liber-
ties Union, notes that in several states with
proposed sports bans, lawmakers also are
seeking to ban certain gender affirming
health care for transgender young people.
“This is not about sports,” he said. “It’s a
way to attack trans people.”
Some states’ school athletic organiza-
tions already have rules about trans par-
ticipation in sports: 19 states allow full
inclusion of trans athletes; 16 have no clear-
cut statewide policy; seven emulate the
NCAA’s rule by requiring hormone ther-
apy for trans girls; and eight effectively ban
trans girls from girls’ teams, according to
attorney Asaf Orr of the National Center
for Lesbian Rights.
Texas is among those with a ban, limit-
ing transgender athletes to teams conform-
ing with the gender on their birth certifi-
cate.
That policy came under criticism in
2017 and 2018, when trans male Mack
Beggs won state titles in girls’ wrestling
competitions after he was told he could not
compete as a boy.
While Beggs, Miller and Yearwood were
the focus of news coverage and controversy,
trans athletes more commonly compete
without any furor — and with broad accep-
tance from teammates and competitors.
In New Jersey’s Camden County, trans
14-year-old Rebekah Bruesehoff competes
on her middle school field hockey team
and hopes to keep playing in high school.
“It’s all been positive,” she said. “The
coaches have been really helpful.”
While New Jersey has a trans-inclusive
sports policy, Rebekah is distressed by the
proposed bans elsewhere — notably mea-
sures that might require girls to verify their
gender.
“I know what it’s like to have my gender
questioned,” Rebekah said. “It’s invasive,
embarrassing. I don’t want others to go
through that.”
The possibility that any athlete could
have to undergo tests or examinations to
prove their gender was among the rea-
sons that Truman Hamburger, a 17-year-
old high school student in North Dakota,
showed up at the statehouse to protest a
proposed ban.
“Once you open up that door on gender
policing, that’s not a door you can easily
shut,” he said.
Sarah Huckman, a 20-year-old sopho-
more at the University of New Hampshire,
ran track and cross country for three years
at Kingswood Regional High School in
Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, after coming
out as trans in seventh grade.
Huckman showed great talent in the
sprints and hurdles but was not dominant
on a statewide level. In her senior year, she
won several events in small and mid-size
meets, and had sixth place and 10th place
finishes in the Division II indoor state
championships.
The proposed bans appall her.
“It’s so demeaning toward my group of
people,” she said. “We’re all human beings.
We do sports for the love of it.”