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Post by HappyFan on Jul 10, 2019 17:54:05 GMT
Anyone with half a brain would look at the enormous crowds at last year's International Crown and ask, how can we get all these people interested in Solheim? Almost none of those fans will watch the SC. But they're going to stick with this format until the LET is a distant memory (which, judging by current events, might be sooner rather than later).
The Solheim-branded swag would fly off the shelves at the 30+ LPGA stores in Korea if they somehow got Namdalla on one of the teams.
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Post by don on Jul 10, 2019 20:22:06 GMT
Anyone with half a brain would look at the enormous crowds at last year's International Crown and ask, how can we get all these people interested in Solheim? Almost none of those fans will watch the SC. But they're going to stick with this format until the LET is a distant memory (which, judging by current events, might be sooner rather than later). The Solheim-branded swag would fly off the shelves at the 30+ LPGA stores in Korea if they somehow got Namdalla on one of the teams. The LPGA vs KLPGA is the real main event now.
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Post by don on Jul 11, 2019 3:38:58 GMT
Let’s cut to the chase. US vs South Korea. Everybody is watching that.
That’s also the most surefire way to introduce all the ROK stars to the broader US golf audience.
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Post by HappyFan on Jul 11, 2019 22:32:14 GMT
Remember: if Bosnia or Hungary come up with an LET star, she can play in the Solheim, despite the fact neither of those countries has any tradition of golf whatsoever.
But Korea, the home of countless Major winners and stars, will never play in the Solheim. Nor will Australia, Japan, Canada. Nor will any of the three Major winners this year.
Someone at LPGA HQ really needs to get a clue.
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Post by SoYeonFan on Jul 12, 2019 2:59:24 GMT
Remember: if Bosnia or Hungary come up with an LET star, she can play in the Solheim, despite the fact neither of those countries has any tradition of golf whatsoever. But Korea, the home of countless Major winners and stars, will never play in the Solheim. Nor will Australia, Japan, Canada. Nor will any of the three Major winners this year. Someone at LPGA HQ really needs to get a clue. Out dated or not it's a Tradition. It will probably never change, so why think so much about it. Once every two years so let them have their fun. It's probably never going to be competitive again because the LET is going down. But still, it is what it is. Also I really don't think that there should be a USA versus Korea. Because it would send a message to other Countries that they aren't worthy. It supposed to be a Global tour, so embrace it as such.
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Post by don on Jul 12, 2019 14:31:53 GMT
Also I really don't think that there should be a USA versus Korea. Because it would send a message to other Countries that they aren't worthy. It supposed to be a Global tour, so embrace it as such. This is a fair point. The "Ryder Cup" style matches started at a time when golf was a US/UK sport. (1927) But professional golf is about entertainment and entertainment is about drama. The US vs Korea has potential to produce major drama. The crowds there would be enormous and in the States it would bring a lot of attention to the US performance, win or lose. So far the flawed UL Crown has only produced a handful of head to head matches between the two women's golf super powers. Unacceptable!
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Post by HappyFan on Jul 12, 2019 17:25:50 GMT
Back in 1998, two of the top three golfers in the game (Se Ri and Webb) were not able to play at the Solheim. Even then, there was a lot of complaining about how they should change the teams. And even then, the 'tradition' excuse was used. The Solheim Cup was *eight years old* at that point. Tradition indeed.
What gets my goat about Solheim is how the media (what few bother to cover it, anyways) continue to treat it as the 'premiere event of women's golf'. If it were a biennial team match and no more, OK, I guess. But it cannot possibly be the premiere event in the game with so many top stars excluded. Especially when they are excluded on nationalistic lines, which has all sorts of icky subtext.
Plus, even the Ryder Cup changed when it became obvious it had to: they went from UK vs. US to Europe vs. US. And they had far more than eight years of tradition.
It's fear, pure and simple. The Americans know they would get their hair ribbons blown off by a Korean team, let alone a Rest of World team.
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Post by don on Jul 12, 2019 21:53:32 GMT
Any team might have problems against
Lexi Kerr Kang Salas Korda Korda Yin Alex or Lewis Pillar
It gets a little dicey in singles though.
Someone needs to start talking some sh!t in the media to spark this thing.
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Post by philknj on Jul 12, 2019 22:35:00 GMT
What gets my goat about Solheim is how the media (what few bother to cover it, anyways) continue to treat it as the 'premiere event of women's golf'.
It's not the media's fault that thousands of maniacs in make-up and costumes (for both teams) travel hundreds or thousands of miles to attend the Solheim Cup every two years. I'll bet a small majority of them don't even follow women's golf! It's not the GIC or the media or Mike Whan or Captain for Life that's keeping the Solheim Cup alive...no, it's the freaks, lunatics and drunks that will keep the SC going indefinitely and I respect them for their fervor...it won't matter how sucky the Euros play.
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Post by don on Jul 12, 2019 23:20:28 GMT
What gets my goat about Solheim is how the media (what few bother to cover it, anyways) continue to treat it as the 'premiere event of women's golf'.
It's not the media's fault that thousands of maniacs in make-up and costumes (for both teams) travel hundreds or thousands of miles to attend the Solheim Cup every two years. I'll bet a small majority of them don't even follow women's golf! It's not the GIC or the media or Mike Whan or Captain for Life that's keeping the Solheim Cup alive...no, it's the freaks, lunatics and drunks that will keep the SC going indefinitely and I respect them for their fervor...it won't matter how sucky the Euros play.
Sometimes I wonder. Without the media's focus and hype it would probably be dead out there. Coke advertises on TV for a reason. We all know that the "media covers what the people want." It could be the opposite in a lot of almost all cases. The people want what the media covers.
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Post by HappyFan on Jul 13, 2019 5:24:26 GMT
Right, and we have no idea how many more maniacs would show up if we changed the teams up...
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Post by don on Jul 13, 2019 8:33:33 GMT
Right, and we have no idea how many more maniacs would show up if we changed the teams up... One of our intrepid Men’s Golf reporters could ask the Solheim family if they think about changing the event since the women’s game went more global. Curious if the US team will do any trailblazing compared to the USWNT. And not just about pay. Here is an angle for them. Everybody rips on the American women on the LPGA. They do better than the men in team events!
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Post by HappyFan on Jul 13, 2019 11:28:58 GMT
My understanding is that the Solheims have repeatedly responded to this question that they do not want to change the format. The last time I remember them being asked was about a decade ago, but I suspect their attitude hasn't changed much lately.
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Post by don on Jul 13, 2019 17:18:32 GMT
Only like 7 of the top 25 are playing in this thing. You have to put the best players in front of the GIC's Men's Only Golf Media when you know they are going to somewhat cover it.
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Post by philknj on Jul 15, 2019 18:03:44 GMT
philknj Kristen's best chance is through Rolex World Ranking. She needs a win, any win; will vault her over Angel Yin and Austin Ernst and qualify via the highest ranked player that's not already qualified.
I don't know why Gillman skipped Toledo...it's not like she's old and has to rest a sore back every once in a while...she could have had a another high finish, which would have shot her up the Roles rankings much faster than normal because she has a small number tournaments counted so far. She'll get NOTHING out of the team event this week (except money). She now has four events (thru the CP Open) to get it done...passing Ernst is still within reach.
Kerr skipped Toledo and fell further behind Altomare in the Solheim Cup points, but the current narrative says it doesn't matter. I guess we'll hear it for the next few weeks that Kerr is Lexi's baby sitter/head shrinker/mother all rolled into one, so she's on the team regardless.
Captain for Life's "daughter" knows how to work the system when it counts: T-8, MC, T-13 and T-19 in her last four starts.
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