tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1198629951037494295.post2925792853120164403..comments2023-11-22T03:32:31.513-05:00Comments on Mostly Harmless: On International Team GolfThe Constructivisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07242149985581771922noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1198629951037494295.post-77365138348514208242008-08-14T23:48:00.000-04:002008-08-14T23:48:00.000-04:00I've come out and said that it wouldn't hurt to ex...I've come out and said that it wouldn't hurt to expand the US to the Americas for Solheim Cup. You're really likely to only pick up 3 players in the Americas at max. (Let's say Ochoa, maybe Uribe one day, plus another.)<BR/><BR/>I like Lexus Cup too. I posed the idea of a 3 Tour Challenge concept to Nick Price about five years ago, just when the US started getting creamed in the Ryder Cup. He said he thought that would work - Team USA v. Europe v. Everyone Else.<BR/><BR/>Taking components of what you propose and components of my idea, I think you'd have a formidable and fun event.Waggle Room Ryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16159423855569109162noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1198629951037494295.post-87274061359851931912008-08-13T19:20:00.000-04:002008-08-13T19:20:00.000-04:00Yeah, that's why I can't see any changes coming qu...Yeah, that's why I can't see any changes coming quickly to the Solheim Cup itself. Nor to the Kyoraku Cup. The best I'm hoping for is roping them together the way I suggest.<BR/><BR/>Good point about Ochoa's retirement making any changes too little, too late for her. From her pre-tournament interview at the CWO, it sounds like she's reconciled to Olympics changes coming too late, as well.The Constructivisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07242149985581771922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1198629951037494295.post-72170446079744675722008-08-13T18:49:00.000-04:002008-08-13T18:49:00.000-04:00The premise of the Solheim Cup is to be as similar...The premise of the Solheim Cup is to be as similar to the Ryder Cup as possible. I'd say the chances of the premise changing are near nil. If non-U.S and non-Euro players are to be added, it will be done in a way that absolutely minimizes any changes to the format.<BR/><BR/>The easiest thing is to add Team Asia while cutting team size from 12 to 8. Everything else would stay the same. I'm not saying I like this idea necessarily--it's just my guess of what they would do.<BR/><BR/>Forget Ochoa. If the format can't be changed until 2013, then she would only be playing once before she plans to retire anyway.saghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17691892761592564178noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1198629951037494295.post-67698640565564465842008-08-13T08:42:00.000-04:002008-08-13T08:42:00.000-04:00I like your regional approach a lot, but don't thi...I like your regional approach a lot, but don't think fans are as ready as you and I are to root for the teams that would result from it, nor are the 4 big tours as likely to endorse it. What I'm hoping from mine is that the existing teams are forced by the pressures of competition to regionalize further: U.S. becomes Americas, Europe becomes Europe plus Africa, Korea becomes Asian continent, and Japan becomes Pacific. The benefit there is that it happens with the full consent of everyone involved with plenty of time to work out the processes and details. Plus, you have a world championship structure built in, instead of a 3-way exhibition series.<BR/><BR/>This kind of regionalization happened for the British when they couldn't compete against the U.S. in the Ryder Cup and it may yet happen to the U.S.The Constructivisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07242149985581771922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1198629951037494295.post-81814066995526905442008-08-13T06:01:00.000-04:002008-08-13T06:01:00.000-04:00I am of the opinion that the Solheim Cup (and the ...I am of the opinion that the Solheim Cup (and the Ryder Cup, for that matter) should be expanded to Europe and Africa vs the Americas so as to involve all the players from the Western Hemisphere (Ochoa, Granada, Villegas, Cabrera, Weir, etc.) as well as the South Africans and anyone else who may yet emerge from that continent. The Lexus Cup and the Presidents Cup should be the Americas vs Asia/Pacific. That would then open up the third leg of the triangle, matches in both genders between Europe/Africa vs Asia/Pacific.IceCathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02905575471525940516noreply@blogger.com