The Solheim Cup has emerged has one of the top women's sporting events in the world
The final day of the Solheim Cup on Sunday was "one of the greatest days in the history of women’s golf," with Europe's narrow victory over the U.S. producing the "most dramatic" iteration of the event yet, according to Kyle Rowland of the Toledo BLADE. The reaction on social media and the "boisterous galleries" at Gleneagles in Scotland were "further proof that this tournament has turned into one of the top women’s sporting events in the world" (Toledo BLADE, 9/16). GOLFCHANNEL.com's Randall Mell wrote this Solheim Cup "delivered a major showcase for the women’s game." The golfers "delivered the most thrilling finish you could hope for in a men’s or women’s event." It "wasn’t just good for women’s golf," it was "good for golf, period." The "hope in the women’s game" is that more fans will "grow to better know and love the players who engineered that drama" (GOLFCHANNEL.com, 9/16). ESPN.com's Bob Harig wrote the women's game "got a huge boost, while golf fans were treated to fantastic drama" (ESPN.com, 9/16).
EXCITEMENT OVERSEAS: GOLFWEEK's Beth Ann Nichols wrote the "sea of fans around the first hole at Gleneagles" should be "enough to shatter the misconception that women’s golf can’t match the passion found on the men’s side" (GOLFWEEK.com, 9/16). In Scotland, Martin Dempster wrote the Solheim Cup was "sport at its very best and good on golf for once again delivering a denouement that made headline news around the world." Both the R&A and Scottish Golf are "investing a lot of time and money in the women’s game and Sunday in particular was exactly the sort of spectacle they have been looking for to really achieve some results in terms of increased participation and membership" (SCOTSMAN, 9/16).
SPEED LIMITS: Despite the event's popularity over the weekend, some rounds took as much as 6 hours, and golf writer Andy Johnson said, “Women’s golf struggles with popularity. The last thing it needs is for the game to be slow. The LPGA has a great opportunity to be a leader on slow play and improve their television product, improve the product of their game and get more fans. I really enjoy watching women’s golf, but it is very, very slow" ("The Shotgun Start," 9/16).
TWITTER REAX: The Action Network's Jason Sobel tweeted, "I don’t know how this Solheim Cup will register with mainstream sports fans, but in the bubble of the immediate aftermath, you’ve gotta think it has to be in the conversation for those year-end 'best event' lists. Not just golf event, either." BBC Radio's Mark Chapman: "We can now add the #SolheimCup to this remarkable sporting summer." TalkSport's Georgie Bingham: "In hindsight it’s really lucky we delayed Brexit otherwise we couldn’t have had all this #SolheimCup stuff going on this month. Lucky timing that." Golf author Ken Brown: "I love the Solheim Cup. It exemplifies everything that is exciting & captivating about sport."
