LPGA Commissioner Carolyn F. Bivens released the following statement on the LPGA’s policy on effective English communication. (Previous post on LPGA English speaking Requirements are racist.)

The LPGA has received valuable feedback from a variety of constituents regarding the recently announced penalties attached to our effective communications policy. We have decided to rescind those penalty provisions.

After hearing the concerns, we believe there are other ways to achieve our shared objective of supporting and enhancing the business opportunities for every Tour player. In that spirit, we will continue communicating with our diverse Tour players to develop a better alternative. The LPGA will announce a revised approach, absent playing penalties, by the end of 2008.

During that time we will continue to provide support under the three-year-old Kolon-LPGA Cross Cultural Program. This popular program provides all LPGA members with the best cross-cultural training in the form of tutors, translators, Rosetta Stone®, the official language-learning system of the LPGA, as well as assistance from LPGA staff and consultants.

LPGA was definitely feeling more heat from the Asian Pacific American Legal Center, California State Senator Leland Yee, California Assemblywoman Mary Hayashi, Californai State Assemblyman Ted Lieu, Filipinos for Affirmative Action, California Immigrant Policy Center, Korean American Coalition, National Council of Asian Pacific Americans, Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA), the National Korean American Service and Education Consortium (NAKASEC), and many more. The announcement to rescind the English policy came hours before a coalition of multienthic groups holding a press conference. The groups would send a signed letter protesting the LPGA Tour’s policy that would require all tour members to speak English.

Here’s the controversy on the LPGA’s English Policy