This year, the Presidents Cup and Solheim Cup are just a few weeks apart, even though they usually take place at the same time since they take place in opposite years to the Ryder Cup.
Team USA captain Stacy Lewis made a surprising statement about the possibility of combining the LPGA Tour and PGA Tour in a team event.
“Honestly, I would love for the Presidents Cup to be a mixed-gender tournament,” Lewis said. “It would be a great way to bring the two tours together. The international teams would be really strong straight away. I think it would be great to have the two tours come together like that.”
Team USA has been a perennial Presidents Cup winner, with an overall record of 12 wins, 1 loss and 1 draw against international teams.
Many fans believe this team competition is not as important as the Ryder Cup. How can professional golf make this competition more interesting?
Add women to the mix and the Presidents Cup will instantly become better and more meaningful.
Lewis knows doing so will make the competition tougher; the U.S. team typically has an advantage over international teams because they use a similar lineup to them in the Ryder Cup.
The International team does not have the same privileges because only European golfers compete on the team, and although there are many talented players on the International team, they are not as strong as the players on the European team.
Think of all the incredibly talented women who have been allowed to play on international teams: Ayaka Furue, Liu Helan, Lidya Ko, Hannah Green, Ying Luoning, Ko Jinyoung, Brooke Henderson, and others who could have made the team.
The group of women is impressive and will force Americans to try harder.
Not only does it increase the legitimacy of the Presidents Cup, it also raises the bar for qualification, and ideally, women will take up the spots, making it harder and more important to get on that team.
Finally, both men's and women's golf will grow. Golf growth is one of the biggest challenges in the sport right now. With golf's popularity growing, it's time to make golf more accessible overall. Make women's golf a priority.
Adding them to the Presidents Cup would do just that and give fans something to look forward to.
Savannah Lee Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation Playing Through. Follow us for more golf articles. Follow You can follow us on all major social platforms. You can also follow us on Twitter Follow Her Instagram account is @golf_girl_sl.
