Obama Enters Debate Over Augusta's Men-Only Policy Bill Pennington Bill Pennington writes the On Par column and stars in the related video series on nytimes.com. Pennington, who covers a number of sports in addition to golf, joined The New York Times in 1997 from the Bergen Record, where he was a sports columnist. A longtime golfer, Pennington grew up near some of New England's historic golf courses, but hasn't been able to get his handicap below 11. A six-time winner of the Associated Press Sports Editor's writing award, Pennington is a graduate of Boston University. He lives with his wife, Joyce, and three children in Warwick, N.Y. Karen Crouse Karen Crouse has written about a number of sports, including golf, since she joined The New York Times in 2005. Crouse was raised in California by golf-mad parents who never did forgive her for choosing, despite her Fred Couples-esque swing, to become a competitive swimmer. She graduated with honors from Southern California, where she was a member of the swim team, and covered men's golf for the Daily Trojan. Much to the chagrin of her husband, Roderic Millie, Crouse has eschewed the opportunity to play Augusta National each of the five times she covered the Masters.