Women's golf could use 'U.S. vs. world' challenge
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By Bill Kwon
Farewell, Athens. Hello, Beijing.
AP library photo
You probably were overwhelmed by NBC's 1,200-hour television coverage of the Olympics from Greece, but underwhelmed by the performance of the USA men's basketball team. So you aren't waiting for the next go-around in 2008 with bated breath.
South Korea's Grace Park could be part of a strong international team if the LPGA were to develop a match-play event between the United States and non-European players, similar to the men's Presidents Cup.
Anyway, a golf enthusiast inquired why his favorite sport isn't an Olympic event. I mean, he said, there's mountain biking, the twirly sport of rhythmic gymnastics and even beach volleyball.
As the host country for the 2008 Olympics, China will get to pick an event or two of its choice. But you don't have to worry about golf, which was last an Olympic event in the 1904 Games in St. Louis. Its only other appearance occurred in the 1900 Paris Olympics.
Even when Australia's foremost golfer, Greg Norman, urged his country to add it to the 2000 Games in Sydney, his plea fell on deaf ears.
The demographics of golf on a global basis far exceeded those of other Olympic sports, he reasoned.
It's unlikely that golf will ever be a part of the Olympics for two major reasons. One, there's already the World Cup, an annual event since 1984, which drew 24 nations last year at Kiawah Island, S.C. Two, it's unlikely that the leading professional golfers would take time off during the summer to compete simply for a medal.
Norman, though, was the catalyst when the PGA Tour finally recognized the rest of the world in starting up the Presidents Cup in 1994. The Presidents Cup gives golfers other than from Europe a chance to play in a team match-play competition against the Americans during non-Ryder Cup years.
Now all of the talented Australian players, South Africans Ernie Els and Retief Goosen and other international standouts such as Vijay Singh, Mike Weir, Carlos Franco, K.J. Choi and Shigeki Maruyama have an opportunity to compete in a prestigious international event against the United States.
"The Presidents Cup turned the corner as an established event last year in South Africa," said NBC-TV golf analyst Mark Rolfing, who was there 13,000 miles away from his Kapalua, Maui, home for the team competition that ended in a stirring 17-17 tie.
Rolfing is a firm believer in international competition. He ranks the 1991 Ryder Cup at Kiawah Island as one of the most dramatic and exciting moments in golf.
So what the world needs now isn't the Olympics adding golf. What it needs is for the LPGA to come up with what the PGA Tour has done, recognizing the rest of the world other than Europe by coming up with the Presidents Cup to go along with the Ryder Cup.
The LPGA's equivalent to the latter is the Solheim Cup, a biennial trans-Atlantic team match-play competition between the best U.S.-born players on the American tour and European-born players.
BIG TALENT POOL
Considering the growing impact of talented women golfers from the rest of the world now playing on its tour, it's time for the LPGA to take steps to come up with a biennial event for all its non-European players.
There would be no difficulty in selecting such a 12-player international team. Just take a look at the latest list of LPGA money leaders. Six of the top 10 are from "the rest of the world."
South Korea will undoubtedly dominate the team with Grace Park, Se Ri Pak, Mi Hyun Kim, Hee-Won Han and Jeong Jang among those who would easily qualify in the selection process.
If that isn't talent enough, you can add Australia's Karrie Webb, Wendy Doolan and Rachel Teske, Jennifer Rosales of the Philippines, Mexico's Lorena Ochoa, who won last week's Wachovia LPGA Classic, Thailand's Aree Song, Canadian Lorie Kane and Taiwan's Candie Kung.
Rolfing thinks the need for the LPGA to initiate another biennial international team competition to go along with the Solheim Cup isn't just feasible, it's imminent.
"There has been some discussion," said Rolfing, who added that the Americans might be overmatched if it happens. "It might not help if the first two, three matches are one-sided."
Still, it's time to recognize the rest of the world.
Scheduling might be difficult, especially when the United States isn't the host country. But with a lot of open dates on the LPGA schedule, there's a lot of room to maneuver, Rolfing said.
Considering that the last Presidents Cup was held in South Africa with even Tiger Woods showing up, distance shouldn't be a factor if Australia or South Korea hosts the event. It would be a snap if it's held in Canada or Mexico.
And, if you think about it, Hawai'i would be a good venue, too. It's a convenient midway point, if not exactly a neutral site.
Bill Kwon can be reached at bkwon@aloha.net.
