The Solheim Cup has one very big, very glaring, very obvious issue.
The best players in the world of women’s golf are not/were not there.
This biennial contest that pits the USA against Europe has the pomp and ceremony and enthusiasm but that still doesn’t make up for the fact that the only two of the world’s top 10 players were at the Inverness Club last week.
Has the rise of golf in Asia, Australia and New Zealand rendered the Solheim Cup insignificant?
A lot of golf observers will say “yes” to that , some will offer up that it’s still a great spirited competition. But what separates it from Ryder Cup status is the lack of the world’s best being able to compete and show off their skills.
What if — and this is a big “What If” — you formed a team from Asia that included South Korea, Japan, Thailand, the Philippines, Australia and New Zealand? Suppose that team took on the best players from the U.S. and European teams? It would probably be a lopsided affair if you consider the type of “International” team that could be assembled. Perhaps add Canada to the mix so Brooke Henderson (world’s No. 9) would be able to play.
Sure, you had world’s No. 1 Nelly Korda playing her heart out for the losing American side but No. 2 Jin Young Ko (South Korea), No. 3 Inbee Park (South Korea), No. 4 Sei Young Kim (South Korea), No. 5 Lydia Ko (New Zealand), No. 6 Hyo Joo Kim (South Korea), and No. 10 Minjee Lee (Australia) were not there. And that’s a lot of world-class talent that’s NOT on display.
Just outside the top 10 you find 11th-ranked Nasa Hataoka (Japan) and No. 11 Patty Tavatanakit (Thailand). Now throw the Jutanugarn sisters (Ariya and Moriya) into the mix and it would be really, really tough to make that International squad.
So there really needs to be a Solheim International Cup. Only problem, given the depth of international talent it might not be much of a contest.
One Comment
baxter cepeda
This is a non issue Tom.
The Solheim cup as is will not change. And why would it ?
People are increasingly watching it. And it’s quite competitive.
The lpga tour has a 4 woman international team event and a two woman event which are both great.
But golf fans clearly love these 12 player teams and the rowdy home and away feel of these events. We need more of these events.
The obvious answer is an international team to match the men’s game but to Toms point they may be too strong.
For now At least two new teams are in order: Asia—we might even need 2 Asian teams (separated north-south or East-west- and an international team.
I don’t see the US team or Europe changing. I personally would consider including Mexico or Canada with the US but that’s unlikely.
I can also see a Latin American team —or South and central America —being competitive in the near future. A team like this would help golf grow in that region.
In the long run teams should be separated by somewhat equal population groups. Teams should be from about half a billion people. The euros currently have a population of about 700 million to the 350 million in the US. So Europe has double the US population which is why the additional 200 million people from Canada and Mexico would be nice for the US to pick players from. It they are both close enough to 500 million.
The most important thing to remember is that things change. Just because Korea and some other Asian nations have an abundance of top ranked players today, doesn’t mean it will be that way forever. In fact we are already seeing trends change in the women’s game.
There is nothing wrong with the solheim cup. In fact it’s so good we want more of it. The opportunities are endless.
12 member team events can be made into one big event but it would be the same. The individual cups format works incredibly well; mainly because they maintain this home and away feel, which is they key to maintain the rowdiness associated with these 12 man/woman team events.