Is It Finally Time For The Solheim Cup To Include An International Team?
With Solheim Cup week upon us, a handful of Golf Monthly staff members debate whether the event is missing out by not including Team International...
'Inside The Ropes' is the chance for Golf Monthly's expert team to share its honest thoughts on the biggest subjects in the game. This time, it's all about the future of the Solheim Cup.
It's Solheim Cup week and the excitement is building as Team Europe and Team USA face off on the golf course for the 20th time.
The Netherlands' Bernardus Golf is hosting the biennial event, and it's on home soil that the European side plans to win back the trophy following their 15.5 - 12.5 defeat at Robert Trent Jones GC two years ago.
That match saw the widest margin of victory in the past four editions, with Team Europe managing to either narrowly win outright or retain in the other three.
Historically, even if the actual matches haven't been that close, the overall record is pretty tight - standing at 11 USA wins, seven European wins and one tie.
So what's the problem? The contests are close, the sport is entertaining and fans love it.
For some, the issue is that many of the best female golfers in the planet are sat watching at home. At the time of writing, 15 of the world's top-20 do not hail from either the USA or Europe.
Conversely, in the men's game, only Si Woo Kim and Ryan Fox are not eligible to compete in the Ryder Cup - unequivocally the biggest team event on the planet - from the world's top-25.
Therefore, while there is certainly a place for the existing Solheim Cup to take place, plenty of fans have questioned why an international team is not involved either as part of a three-way event or against either side in something akin to the Presidents Cup.
With the Solheim Cup very much on the horizon now, a handful of the Golf Monthly team asked whether Team International should become part of the Solheim Cup in the future or whether there's an alternative idea which might benefit all parties?
If you have any thoughts or ideas on the subject, please feel free to comment them in the box below this article. For the time being, here's what we thought...
Definitely not. When the USA dominated the Solheim Cup in the early days, winning seven of the first 10 editions, I might have contemplated a change in format.
However, Europe moved the needle when they won in Ireland in 2011 and then followed up in 2013 with their first win on US soil in the history of the event, making it game on.
The Solheim Cup has since become one of the most exciting and closely fought matches on the golfing calendar. The rivalry has intensified, crowds and TV audiences have surged and the margins have tightened even further, including a 14-14 draw in 2023.
This tournament stands on its own two feet, there’s no need to change the current format. That said, when 15 of the top 20 players in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings are ineligible to take part, it does seem a real shame there isn't a similar team event for them to compete in.
I think the PGA Tour should seriously consider turning the Presidents Cup into a mixed event. Since its inception in 1994, the International team has won just once, making the match so one-sided that it has understandably lost spectator interest.
Given the incredible depth of international female talent right now, featuring six men and six women on each side would instantly level the playing field, reignite global interest, and finally put some much-needed points on the board for the Internationals.
No, the Solheim Cup should remain as it is. Europe versus the United States.
However, we're far, far past the point of redeeming the President's Cup on the men's side, so why not blow it up and make it a mixed event?
Plagued by predictable US dominance and roster depletions from LIV Golf departures in the last number of editions, the event urgently needs a format change to stay relevant.
Transforming the tournament into a mixed-gender event presents an ideal solution. Given the immense global strength of international women’s golf, especially in Asia, incorporating female golfers would level the playing field, closing the skill gap between teams to deliver far more competitive matches.
Keep the format the same with teams of 12, but have six men and six women on each. Having mixed matches out on the course would be fascinating and offers golf fans something we've never really seen before - certainly not at this level of competition.
This should be a no-brainer for golf's decision makers.
I don't think it's time for the Solheim Cup to include an international team, no. It's doing well as it is. Having said that, it seems kind of ridiculous there isn't a similar version in women's golf featuring the best players from Asia and Oceania in.
There's the LPGA's International Crown, which I do quite enjoy, but I wonder if it's maybe a little too complicated to really take off in the way it should.
In an ideal world, I think a female version of the Presidents Cup is the obvious step forward where Team USA takes on Team International every other year outside of the Solheim Cup.
Compared to Europe, the US has a better depth of talent and that would make a bit more sense than the Solheim Cup pair switching in and out every other time.
Then again, I feel like Alison and Conor's idea of making the Presidents Cup a mixed event is the one I'd like to see the most.
However, that would require some collaboration between various bodies and golf has shown itself - time and time again - to be absolutely incapable of that, so I won't be holding my breath.
I think there's a strong case to be made for the Solheim Cup to include International players, but I have no idea how that would look in reality.
Could it logistically be done as a three-way round robin? Would it require a new tournament altogether? Would the US or European teams miss out?
I guess it's possible for the winning team one year to play the team it didn't compete against at the following contest, although that would be a logistical nightmare.
So, in theory, Europe defeats the USA in 2026, so they play the International team in 2028. Could that work? Is two years enough time to coordinate everything, from qualification to host venues? I don't think so.
I can't see a new tournament getting off the ground given how packed the global schedule is and it's just not practical, feasible or realistic to lose either the USA or Team Europe.
So perhaps someone smarter than me can figure out a way for three teams to compete against each other during the same week, because that's the only viable option as far as I see it.
Personally, I don't think the Solheim Cup should introduce an Internationals team, given that it's one of, if not, the biggest events in women's golf.
For me, I think if they are to introduce an Internationals team, you could do it like a Northern vs Southern Hemisphere match up and make it a separate event.
This style has worked in rugby union, where the Autumn Internationals and Nations Championship means you get teams from both hemispheres playing each other in eye-catching matches, so there are examples of it working.
Another way would be to copy my colleagues' suggestion and make the Presidents Cup a mixed event.
It hasn't really caught on, I believe, so like the Olympics in 2028, it would be a more appealing product if there was mixed golf involved, given the quality of Asian and Oceanic golf in the women's game.
I believe the Solheim Cup should stay as it is, but there's definitely scope for an International team to be added in some calibre, albeit in a different style of event.
Let us know your thoughts in the comments box just below. Should the Solheim Cup include a Team International or should there be a separate event? What about any other options?