The 2017 U.S. Women’s Open at Trump National brought more to light than just some talented golf players.

It also brought sexual assault to the forefront of the conversation.

According to “USA Today”, the question, “Does the USGA have a position on sexual assault?” was raised at the opening news conference, and the four representatives dismissed the question rather quickly saying that they would be happy to address this after the match.

Every year, approximately 321,500 people ages 12 and older are sexually assaulted—that’s 321,500 too many.

Even though sexual assault rates have dropped since the 1990s, that doesn’t change the fact that this epidemic is a serious issue across the country.

The USGA had the perfect opportunity to stand up and say, “No, we do not advocate for any kind of sexual assault. It’s wrong, and those who commit this crime need to be punished.”

But, they didn’t say anything publicly—they cowered in a corner—hiding away from the real issue at hand. They downplayed a very serious issue by not saying anything.

Back in 2015, the USGA spoke out against Trump’s statements made against immigrants stating,

“In response to Mr. Trump’s comments about the golf industry “knowing he is right” in regards to his recent statements about Mexican immigrants, we feel compelled to clarify that those remarks do not reflect the views of our organizations. While the LPGA, PGA of America, PGA Tour and USGA don’t usually comment on presidential politics, Mr. Trump’s comments are inconsistent with our strong commitment to an inclusive and welcoming environment in the game of golf.”

The USGA took control and took a stance on comments they felt went against their philosophy before—why is this time any different?

Sports Reporter for “Think Progress” Lindsey Gibbs described this situation as, “When your desire to “stick to sports” is so overpowering that you can’t even condemn sexual assault without feeling like you’ve stepped out of bounds, perhaps you’re on the wrong side of the line.”

Perhaps the USGA is on the wrong side of the line.

If you feel that your ties to someone or something don’t allow you to speak out when something is wrong—then that is a serious problem.

Christie Kerr, who participated in the US Open, was almost kicked out of a club member’s house for standing up against Trump’s bullying.

“This is why women are so offended by Trump’s comment about women. It empowers the bullies and makes the women feel small,” Kerr said, according to the “New York Times.”

The USGA missed a major change to make a statement about sexual assault. How regardless of who owns the golf club you’re standing on that the USGA doesn’t stand for that kind of behavior.

We cannot let money or ulterior motives control our ability to stand up for what is right because while they are working to please the business, others are cowering in a corner fearing for their lives—fearing for what will happen next.

Every 98 seconds, another American is assaulted—we don’t have time to hide from this.

The USGA did a disservice to everyone by not saying something.

They wasted their 98 seconds on the game over someone’s well-being.