A LPGA President's Cup

The fearsome foursome over at the Golf Channel had their weekly Internet debate about a variety of topics in the game. Among them this week was a question as to whether or not the LPGA Tour should pursue an alternate team competition that would allow non US and European players to get involved. It seemed like the concensus was that the Solheim Cup shouldn't be changed - which is right.

As to whether or not a second competition should be created, there was a mixed bag of reaction. Some said yes, some said no. But, it's an interesting enough of a question to do some actual thinking instead of spouting off at the mouth.

Here are some facts to ponder:

There have been 9 Solheim Cups to date. The concept was developed in 1990 by John Solheim and Karsten Manufacturing (PING). The US leads the series 6-3.

By my count, there are 54 players in the top 100 on the LPGA Tour Money List that are not of American descent.

The President's Cup was founded by the PGA Tour in 1994 after it was batting around in 1993 as then Commissioner Deane Beman was preparing to step aside. Mike Bodney of the PGA Tour did much of the work to get the concept in place and put together.

The US leads the series over the Internationals with a record of 4-1-1.

At the time the President's Cup was founded, the US had a record of 23-5-2 against GB&I and/or Europe in the Ryder Cup.

When the President's Cup was founded, a dozen out of the top 100 on the PGA Tour Money List were not American.

What's the point of all of this comparison? The LPGA has a lot better ground to stand on than the PGA Tour did when they created the President's Cup - which still struggles for acceptance in the golf community. It struggles for that acceptance because it was yet to have a landmark moment until 2005, it's put on by the PGA Tour as clear competition to the Ryder Cup, and the US has a dominant record in both series.

That is not true of the Solheim cup to date. Yes, the US holds a decisive edge with a .667 winning percentage. But, that's not nearly as lopsided as the .821 winning percentage for the US in the Ryder Cup when matches had a decision before 1994.

Also, the international presence on the LPGA Tour is much stronger now than was the case when the PGA Tour introduced the President's Cup. The LPGA Tour's best player is Mexican and inelligible for the Solheim Cup. There are a large number of elite players from Australia and Asia that are not eligible. Throw in a few from South America that are up and coming. The best female golfer of all time is Swedish. The best male golfer ever - regardless of who you pick - is probably American.

The LPGA Tour also has a legitimate schedule outside of the US that is actually expanding, as opposed to Commissioner Finchem's vision of the US-based World Golf Championships. The HSBC Women's Champions event beginning in 2008 will continue to expand on official LPGA Tour events in Asia. There are two events in Mexico that are official, with a third one coming probably. The Women's Canadian Open not only has a title sponsor, but also a good field and a high comparative purse. The men's version is teetering to say the least.

There's a better case to be made for a LPGA version of the President's Cup. I'm not calling for one, but at least if the LPGA went in that direction, a lot more people would understand.