OT: Solheim Cup

[vtcwbuff]

USA leads Europe 6 1/2 - 2 1/2 part way through Saturday foursomes.

Looking at the lineups for both team it struck me that the Solheim Cup no longer has much relevance in Ladies Golf. Of the 24 players only one is in the top 10 and there are but four in the top 20 in the world.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

I took in some play yesterday and again this morning. Not exactly riveting play.

 

[eebmg]

Well, Europe comes back a little 7.5 to 4.5. I agree, this is no longer a very interesting tournament since the very large majority of the best women golfers are Asian with Korea on top of the hill I think. Even worse than the american rankings, the Europeans tour does not provide suffiicient support for players to develop.

Catriona Matthew paints ominous picture of Ladies European Tour | Ewan Murray


The International Crown Tournament between the top 8 counties is far more interesting. How the USA won over South Korea was surprising but I do not expect it to happen in 2018 since it will be hosted in Korea.

Team USA Wins the 2016 UL International Crown | LPGA | Ladies Professional Golf Association

 

[pvdoggy]

USA leads Europe 6 1/2 - 2 1/2 part way through Saturday foursomes.

Looking at the lineups for both team it struck me that the Solheim Cup no longer has much relevance in Ladies Golf. Of the 24 players only one is in the top 10 and there are but four in the top 20 in the world.

There was a stat that the telecast puts up this morning. The avg world ranking for the US player is 38.5 and for the Euro player something like 58.5. That means the Euro team is really not very good and the US team not much better.

 

[vtcwbuff]

There was a stat that the telecast puts up this morning. The avg world ranking for the US player is 38.5 and for the Euro player something like 58.5. That means the Euro team is really not very good and the US team not much better.

At one time the US women were the best in the world - bar none. Now they pretty much suck and I wonder why. Did they always suck but they dominated because they had little competition? Now women's golf is all about the Asian players. Why are they so good and the US players so bad?

Several years ago I was at an LPGA tournament in Corning, NY. It was the 1st time that Asian players were having a significant impact in a tournament that I attended. I remember walking past the practice range after the Saturday round and noting that with the exception of one European player all of the players hitting balls were Asian and most of them had their parents watching and commenting. Maybe that's the difference. US players finish the round and go have a beer and Asian players finish and go work on their game.

 

[Goodgood]

At one time the US women were the best in the world - bar none. Now they pretty much suck and I wonder why. Did they always suck but they dominated because they had little competition? Now women's golf is all about the Asian players. Why are they so good and the US players so bad?

Several years ago I was at an LPGA tournament in Corning, NY. It was the 1st time that Asian players were having a significant impact in a tournament that I attended. I remember walking past the practice range after the Saturday round and noting that with the exception of one European player all of the players hitting balls were Asian and most of them had their parents watching and commenting. Maybe that's the difference. US players finish the round and go have a beer and Asian players finish and go work on their game.

It is true at the amateur level, same as in any sport. At the top level, you can work on your game day in and day out, you will not win unless you have outstanding talent. These Asian players are extremely talented and most hit further than their Caucasian counterparts. This kid, Angel Yin (she is a USA Solheim cup player) can hit 50 to 100 yards further than any player on tour.

 

[CTexpatinFL]

I volunteer at the LPGA Q-School (the last 15 years), down here in Daytona Beach every December, and the the largest player contingent is the South Koreans, followed by all the other countries and then come the Americans. Many of these S.Koreans players have USA college scholarships, are very polite, and without exception, very serious. This final stage qualifying has either ended or will end this year, I am not sure what else the LPGA is planning, maybe someone else knows?
This is a 5 day, big time time event, with players teeing off 1 &10, on both courses. A total non event for the area, no one comes out and sees the girls, the only people in the area that are interested, are the volunteers. The only time there was a crowd was when Michelle Wie came through a few years ago.

 

[vtcwbuff]

It is true at the amateur level, same as in any sport. At the top level, you can work on your game day in and day out, you will not win unless you have outstanding talent. These Asian players are extremely talented and most hit further than their Caucasian counterparts. This kid, Angel Yin (she is a USA Solheim cup player) can hit 50 to 100 yards further than any player on tour.

I disagree - Yin is ranked 7th in driving average. 7 of the top 10 players in driving distance are American. None are Korean. The Asian players (country not race) dominate because they are very good at the short game. They rank 7 of 10 in GIR and 7 of 10 in putting.