Solheim Cup staff US golfer Nelly Korda traces up a putt throughout the foursomes play on the Solheim Cup in Finca Cortesin, close to Casares, southern Spain, on Friday, Sept. 22, 2023. Credit score: AP/Bernat Armangue
Solheim Cup staff Europe golfer Celine Bouttier adjusts a putt throughout the foursomes play on the Solheim Cup in Finca Cortesin, close to Casares, southern Spain, on Friday, Sept. 22, 2023. Credit score: AP/Bernat Armangue
Solheim Cup staff Europe golfer Carlota Ciganda hits her tee shot on the primary gap throughout the fourball play on the Solheim Cup in Finca Cortesin, close to Casares, southern Spain, on Friday, Sept. 22, 2023. Credit score: AP/Bernat Armangue
CASARES, Spain — Golf followers have a novel alternative to observe the 2 biggest staff occasions within the sport being performed in back-to-back weeks, with the Solheim Cup in Spain being adopted by subsequent weekend’s Ryder Cup in Italy.
And whereas many followers had been planning journeys to attend each, some distinguished figures in ladies’s golf felt the Solheim Cup might have achieved a greater job of feeding off the recognition of the lads’s Ryder Cup.
“I assumed this might have been marketed collectively as two weeks in Europe, two Cups for play,” stated Stacy Lewis, captain of the U.S. Solheim Cup staff. “I feel it was a missed alternative for the game of golf. I want that folks might get the sponsorship issues out of their head and let’s work out how we are able to work collectively as a result of this will not ever occur once more of the 2 Cups being in the identical yr. So I assumed it was an enormous missed alternative.”
It’s the first time each occasions are being performed in back-to-back weeks. The Ryder Cup was performed on even-numbered years from 2002 till the 2020 version was postponed till 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Solheim Cup can be performed in 2024 once more, and the Ryder Cup in 2025, with organizers maintaining the competitions in several years.
“We tried to perform a little bit with the fellows and simply weren’t actually in a position to transfer issues alongside the best way I might have favored,” Lewis stated. “I simply wish to see it for the nice of the sport. It’s to not additional ladies’s golf. Let’s additional the sport of golf usually.”
Lewis stated she tried “actually onerous” to get organizers on the identical web page.
Solheim Cup staff Europe golfer Celine Bouttier adjusts a putt throughout the foursomes play on the Solheim Cup in Finca Cortesin, close to Casares, southern Spain, on Friday, Sept. 22, 2023. Credit score: AP/Bernat Armangue
“I most likely spent extra time on it than I ought to have,” she stated. “However whether or not it was timing or it was too late within the course of, I don’t know. I imply, to actually promote it appropriately, this most likely needed to occur two years in the past. So it’s one thing that going ahead, I feel the sport of golf must get on the identical web page and do higher with.”
The LPGA, which helps set up the Solheim Cup, stated in a press release that there have been “logistical issues introduced with bringing collectively two organizations”, however added that “we all know extra collaboration between the lads’s and ladies’s golfers representing america would show useful for athletes, followers and companions alike.”
For a lot of die-hard golf followers, all the things turned out good for this two-week span.
“It labored out nice to have them collectively like this,” stated Patty Evans, a 70-year-old American from Reno, Nevada. “If you’re going to come all the best way from america to Spain, you would possibly as nicely simply stroll over to Italy, proper?”
Solheim Cup staff Europe golfer Carlota Ciganda hits her tee shot on the primary gap throughout the fourball play on the Solheim Cup in Finca Cortesin, close to Casares, southern Spain, on Friday, Sept. 22, 2023. Credit score: AP/Bernat Armangue
Evans got here from the U.S. with a bunch of about two dozen folks to spend the 2 weeks in Europe touring Spain and southern Italy inbetween the 2 tournaments. Many Europeans had been doing the identical, coming to Spain earlier than heading to Italy for the extremely anticipated Ryder Cup in Rome.
“It was good for us,” stated Amanda Reynolds, who visited from Eire. “You get slightly little bit of Spain and slightly little bit of Italy whereas watching some good golf.”