- Missed Opportunity of Consecutive Solheim and Ryder Cups
- Stacy Lewis’s Calls for Collaborative Approach
- Europe’s Strong Confidence in Solheim Cup Team
Stacy Lewis, the US captain, has bemoaned the “massive missed opportunity” of golf not promoting back-to-back Solheim and Ryder Cups together. Lewis disclosed that her appeals for a collaborative approach between team events fell on deaf ears.
On Friday, Europe hosts the United States in the Solheim Cup in Spain. Next weekend, the same entities will compete in the Ryder Cup in Rome. The competitions, however, have no discernible connection. The pandemic caused scheduling issues, which resulted in this unusual 2023 scenario.
When asked if the approach of governing bodies should have been different, Lewis responded, “One thousand percent, sure. This could have been advertised as two weeks in Europe and two cups to contend for. It was a squandered opportunity for the sport of golf, in my opinion.
I wish that people could put aside their sponsorship concerns and find out how we can work together, because the two cups occurring in the same year may never occur again.
“Therefore, I believed it was a tremendous lost opportunity. We attempted to do something with the guys, but we weren’t able to advance things in the direction I desired. I simply want to see it for the sake of the game. It is not to advance women’s golf, but to advance golf in general.”
The Ladies European Tour and LPGA Tour are in charge of the Solheim Cup.
The PGA of America and DP World Tour manage Ryder Cup. “I tried,” Lewis stated. “I tried very hard. And I probably devoted more time than necessary to it. I do not know if the scheduling was off or if it was too late in the process. This presumably should have occurred two years ago if it were to be done correctly. Going forward, I believe the game of golf needs to be on the same page and do a better job with this.”
Lewis believes the United States are underdogs against a European team that has won the last two Solheim Cups. The commander of Europe, Suzann Pettersen, is in no mood to downplay the prospects of the home team. “On paper, we have the strongest team I’ve ever been a part of, and that’s due to great performances from all the players over the past few years,” the Norwegian said. With excellent results come expectations, but these girls are so motivated that we can’t wait.
Georgia Hall of England concurs with her captain. “I think this is the strongest team we’ve ever had on paper, for sure,” Hall said. “We have no weak players on our side. I believe you can deploy any of us at any time and we will perform admirably. I believe this simplifies the process of selecting competitors to send out Suzann’s pairings. We are extremely assured entering this.”
