This year, the Presidents Cup and Solheim Cup are just weeks apart. They usually fall at the same time since they occur in opposite years of the Ryder Cup.
Team USA captain Stacy Lewis made an incredible statement about a potential way to mix the LPGA and PGA Tour in a team event.
“To be honest, I’d love to see the Presidents Cup become mixed,” Lewis said. “It’s the perfect way to blend the two Tours. The international team will get better very quickly. It would be amazing to have the two Tours together that way.”
The Americans have dominated the Presidents Cup for years, holding a 12-1-1 overall record over the International team.
So many fans find this team event less important than the Ryder Cup. How can professional golf make this team tournament more interesting?
Adding women to the mix would immediately make the Presidents Cup better and more relevant.
Lewis knows doing this will stiffen the competition. Team USA usually dominates against the International Team because they use similar lineups for the Ryder Cup.
The International Team does not have the same privilege because only European golfers play. While many talented players are on the international team, they are not as strong as those on the European team.
Think of all the incredibly talented women allowed to play on the International team. Ladies that could be on the team are Ayaka Furue, Haeran Ryu, Lydia Ko, Hannah Green, Ruoning Yin, Jin Young Ko and Brooke Henderson, just to name a few.
That group of women is quite the lineup and it would make the Americans have to work way harder.
Not only would it give the Presidents Cup more validity but it will raise the bar for qualifying. The women would take up have the spots, ideally, so it would be harder to make this team, adding more importance to it.
Lastly it will grow both the men’s and women’s game. Growing the game is one of the biggest things in golf right now. While it gains popularity, right now is the time to make golf more accessible across the board. Let’s make women’s golf a priority.
Adding them to the Presidents Cup will do just that and it will give fans something to look forward to.
Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. For more golf coverage, follow us @_PlayingThrough on all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @golf_girl_sl.