With hours left to go for the Solheim Cup, the US team’s captain, Stacy Lewis, attended a press conference. Amid the many questions she answered, however, one stood out that was about how the Solheim Cup and the Ryder Cup are happening quite close to each other, both in terms of time and place.

The hype for the Ryder Cup has been so intense that it has undoubtedly slightly overshadowed the Solheim Cup. With star talents like Nelly Korda and Rose Zhang enjoying an ardent fan following, surely women’s golf deserves more space. And when the skipper was questioned in line with that, the excitement on the captain’s face was quite evident. She got candid about all she had to say on the topic, but surprisingly, her idea was not just to “further women’s golf“!

Stacy Lewis opens up about how golf as a sport has missed out

The interview’s question focused on how the two events were happening as two very distinct sporting events with no connection. Lewis was asked if this was a missed opportunity for the golf community since both the ideas and proximity of the events were far too similar!

The captain eagerly said, “1000 percent yes.” She explained her idea of how the events could have been marketed together as a package. “I thought this could have been marketed together as two weeks in Europe, two Cups for play.” 

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Lewis thought it was a massive missed opportunity. She confessed that she tried to do her bit to make this happen but couldn’t go all the way. A bit disappointed at the outcome of her efforts, she claimed, “It’s not to further women’s golf. Let’s further the game of golf in general.”

Stacy Lewis pointed out how this may never happen again. While this happened in 2021, and now again, and once in 2002, these were extraordinary circumstances. The tour management has been particular about not letting the two events clash in the same year, but why? Well, it has everything to do with recognition!

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The history and economics behind the scheduling of the Solheim and Ryder Cups

When the Solheim Cup debuted in 1990 as a biennial event, the Ryder Cup was happening in the odd years. This changed when the 2001 Ryder Cup was canceled because of the 9/11 attacks and postponed to 2002. Both events happened in the same year.

In the next year, Solheim Cup 2004 was advanced to 2003, and it was to be scheduled in the odd years going forward. They apparently did this to ensure the Solheim Cup got its due attention.

The equation changed again in 2021, when the Ryder Cup 2020 got canceled and was postponed to the subsequent year. If we were to go with the past, either of the events could get advanced to 2024. Or perhaps the management will consider the strategy that Stacy Lewis passionately suggested.

What do you think about Stacy Lewis’ idea of marketing the events as a package? Would you be more interested if that were to happen? Let us know in the comments!

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