|
|
Post by bullfinch on Sept 18, 2023 7:09:39 GMT
I imagine there will be little or no interest in Korea for this tournament. It's strange we have this one weekend and then the following weekend the Ryder Cup. I've seen Solheim is switching to even years from 2024 so avoiding this clash with the men. Anyway come on Europe!
|
|
|
|
Post by haneymademedoit on Sept 19, 2023 5:57:48 GMT
Yes, I guess that the Solheim will be big news, as big as women's golf ever gets, here in the USA and in Europe. I'll be cheering for USA but hope for a good competition and not an uninteresting blowout like Hanwha a few months ago. (No offense to the Thai golfers, they deserved it! They destroyed the competition that weekend! Lilia Vu alone defeated a Thai golfer in twelve Hanwha matches.) Glad to see some of my USA favorites participating, Lilia "I love you" Vu, Jen Kupcho, Angel Yin. Hope that Rose and Lexi rise to the occasion to show that their media attention is justified. (Missing Alexa Pano but I understand that she's a newcomer, a newbie; wish that the captain had noticed that she'd outperformed the more-publicized newbie Rose in every tournament for over a month...) Although I appreciate the history and tradition of the Solheim, similar to the Ryder, it always disappoints me that so many of the best golfers are excluded. I've often thought that it would be great to have a worldwide version of the Solheim. Four teams, North America, Europe, Asia, and 'others' being the southern hemisphere golfers from Australia, NZ, Africa and South America combined as a fourth team. Call their team "South" or "Southern hemisphere."
The "North America" team would obviously include Brooke. She's excluded by the Solheim format just like the Asians and 'others.' Doesn't Minjee Lee deserve to play? Lydia Ko? Ash Buhai? Paula Reto? Let Mariajo Uribe or other sudamericanas have their moment in the sun? Probably "Southern hemisphere" would be overmatched but why not give them a chance to participate?
Which golfers would be on the Asian team? How would the automatic qualifiers be chosen? By Solheim Cup points and Rolex rankings like the USA and Europe teams? Who would be the captain's picks? For that matter, who would be the captain? Inbee seems a natural choice, but maybe someone else? Love to hear some ideas about a "worldwide" or "extended" Solheim from the members of Seoul Sisters. We can dream! |
|
|
|
Post by don on Sept 19, 2023 10:58:32 GMT
The LPGA’s takeaway from the Ryder Cup is that fans need to be able to cheer for a country despite one of the teams, Europe, being a continent. That’s why we’re stuck with the failed International Frown.
The biggest problem with any team format is the players never do their part by talking smack about their opponents. It’s all too polite and boring.
|
|
|
|
Post by drdezmo on Sept 19, 2023 13:58:35 GMT
Yes, I guess that the Solheim will be big news, as big as women's golf ever gets, here in the USA and in Europe. I'll be cheering for USA but hope for a good competition and not an uninteresting blowout like Hanwha a few months ago. (No offense to the Thai golfers, they deserved it! They destroyed the competition that weekend! Lilia Vu alone defeated a Thai golfer in twelve Hanwha matches.) Glad to see some of my USA favorites participating, Lilia "I love you" Vu, Jen Kupcho, Angel Yin. Hope that Rose and Lexi rise to the occasion to show that their media attention is justified. (Missing Alexa Pano but I understand that she's a newcomer, a newbie; wish that the captain had noticed that she'd outperformed the more-publicized newbie Rose in every tournament for over a month...) Although I appreciate the history and tradition of the Solheim, similar to the Ryder, it always disappoints me that so many of the best golfers are excluded. I've often thought that it would be great to have a worldwide version of the Solheim. Four teams, North America, Europe, Asia, and 'others' being the southern hemisphere golfers from Australia, NZ, Africa and South America combined as a fourth team. Call their team "South" or "Southern hemisphere."
The "North America" team would obviously include Brooke. She's excluded by the Solheim format just like the Asians and 'others.' Doesn't Minjee Lee deserve to play? Lydia Ko? Ash Buhai? Paula Reto? Let Mariajo Uribe or other sudamericanas have their moment in the sun? Probably "Southern hemisphere" would be overmatched but why not give them a chance to participate?
Which golfers would be on the Asian team? How would the automatic qualifiers be chosen? By Solheim Cup points and Rolex rankings like the USA and Europe teams? Who would be the captain's picks? For that matter, who would be the captain? Inbee seems a natural choice, but maybe someone else? Love to hear some ideas about a "worldwide" or "extended" Solheim from the members of Seoul Sisters. We can dream! |
|
|
|
Post by drdezmo on Sept 19, 2023 14:02:33 GMT
I concur. Ryder Cup and Solheim Cup were created long before golf became an international sport. The format needs to be updated. All it takes is money.
Mike
|
|
|
|
Post by verdantgarden on Sept 19, 2023 18:02:06 GMT
Not that long ago, I would have predicted Europe to win this handily. Now I'm not so sure.
|
|
|
|
Post by fanofseri on Sept 20, 2023 3:40:15 GMT
The other players in the world get to go home for a few weeks, pet their dogs & cats and get some home cooking. Maybe even take some lessons & actually compete in the 2024 majors.
|
|
|
|
Post by haneymademedoit on Sept 20, 2023 5:02:28 GMT
The LPGA’s takeaway from the Ryder Cup is that fans need to be able to cheer for a country despite one of the teams, Europe, being a continent. That’s why we’re stuck with the failed International Frown. The biggest problem with any team format is the players never do their part by talking smack about their opponents. It’s all too polite and boring. It's interesting that some team events 'work,' Ryder and Solheim. Probably it's due to tradition; maybe it's due to a North American / European centric bias in the golf world. I'll name another team, really pairs, event that works on the LPGA tour, the Dow Great Lakes. Oh, I know, the field is lame and seems lamer each year. Just look at Tony's field rating. It's really a pretty minor tournament. The location is not 'exciting,' and I say that as a resident of the state where the tournament is held. The defending champions did not even bother to return to defend their title this year (Jen, you disappointed me! I support you when the golf media ignores or minimizes you to focus on Lexi, Nelly, Jessica, or Rose... I still do... you are my favorite American golfer who is not Asian-American. Why couldn't you come back to my state for the Dow?)
But the golfers, the 'teams' themselves actually seem excited about playing together. That's easier with pairs compared to larger teams. They had to choose each other. Was there any doubt that KT and Castren were devastated by coming in 2nd for two years in a row? Dow GLBI is a team or pairs event that works. The pairs are self-selected and there is an emotional investment in their success.
Hanwha (formerly UL) also suffered this year when team members from some countries skipped out, some of them without even informing their teammates. That was low! Some commenters suggested that those golfers should have been penalized by removing them from the Solheim team, while other commenters pointed out correctly that there was no policy or mechanism for doing so. But I wish there had been!
Not sure that LPGA golfers will ever 'talk smack' and avoid politeness. That's a guy thing and not a gal thing. In what I believe was the championship match of the Hanwha this year, about the 16th hole, Thai golfer Atthaya Thitikul won the hole when her opponent the Australian Stephanie Kyriacou missed a short putt. Instead of trash talking, Thitikul walked up to Kyriacou and hugged her to console her. That's LPGA. Look for trash talk on PGA maybe but probably especially on LIV.
|
|
|
|
Post by fanofseri on Sept 20, 2023 7:34:42 GMT
Now Danielle has fake clubs except for a rifle she carries in a putter box. I don't think she's going to open fire. Maybe it is quail season, dove or cotton tail rabbit that can be part of the Winner's celebration dinner. I think those little animals taste lousy, even if you kill the taste with ketchup .
|
|
|
|
Post by don on Sept 20, 2023 20:59:38 GMT
The LPGA’s takeaway from the Ryder Cup is that fans need to be able to cheer for a country despite one of the teams, Europe, being a continent. That’s why we’re stuck with the failed International Frown. The biggest problem with any team format is the players never do their part by talking smack about their opponents. It’s all too polite and boring. It's interesting that some team events 'work,' Ryder and Solheim. People watch what the media hypes and showcases. Their effort is everything in the production quality. |
|
|
|
Post by philknj on Sept 20, 2023 22:13:26 GMT
That’s why we’re stuck with the failed International Frown.
Technically, it's not failed until they cancel it ... it's just dead-man-walking at the moment.
Meanwhile, people keep trying to scheme up a new format as a sop to The Old Ko and The ECP (a big yawn from both) ... either is capable of winning a gold medal in Paris next year, which is what they really want, aside from LPGA wins.
******
Back to the concept of failure ... here is a glorious, spectacular, full-blown train wreck of a failure:
2007 Lexus Cup: Asia vs. "The World" (minus Ochoa ... and minus Webb ... and minus The Pink One ... and minus Canada's Sharpy)
|
|
|
|
Post by philknj on Sept 20, 2023 22:18:59 GMT
Now Danielle has fake clubs except for a rifle she carries in a putter box. I don't think she's going to open fire. Maybe it is quail season, dove or cotton tail rabbit that can be part of the Winner's celebration dinner. I think those little animals taste lousy, even if you kill the taste with ketchup .
|
|
|
|
Post by bullfinch on Sept 21, 2023 21:06:44 GMT
Stacey Lewis looks like she wants to lose. Leaves Lilia and Rose on the sidelines and starts with Lexi. Easy win for Europe this weekend!
|
|
|
|
Post by haneymademedoit on Sept 22, 2023 1:55:16 GMT
Stacey Lewis looks like she wants to lose. Leaves Lilia and Rose on the sidelines and starts with Lexi. Easy win for Europe this weekend! Agree that this does not seem to make sense. Lilia won two majors this year. Rose has varied from solid to spectacular in her pro debut and her golf game suffers only by comparison to the extreme level of media hype that no one could live up to. Kupcho is another solid experienced player; why is she on the sidelines? Also a bit surprising that Europe did not lead with Ciganda in her home country on the 1st day. |
|
|
|
Post by don on Sept 22, 2023 2:44:09 GMT
Best to be done with Lexi’s round while everyone is still sleeping in the states. But maybe Lewis sees something she likes in Thompson’s game. As someone who bought a 1/2 box of pull tabs before I believe in betting a hunch.
|
|
