The outcome of the Solheim Cup "was not really in doubt" from the moment Europe was whitewashed in Friday's fourballs, according to Derek Lawrenson of the London DAILY MAIL. But golf's female players "languish largely in the wilderness while their tennis equivalent enjoy equal status with the men." Nowhere is this "more apparent" than in Europe, "where many of the players have to take on a second job to fuel their passion and where the tour has all but collapsed this year." The 30th-ranked woman has so far made a "princely" £19,200 ($24,600) compared to the £664,000 ($851,300) "made by the same player on the men's circuit." Anyone involved in golf "should feel embarrassed by that large a pay gap." There is talk of European Tour CEO Keith Pelley "extending a helping hand" along with LPGA Commissioner Mike Whan. That is a "good start but if truth be told it is time everyone got involved, starting with the cash-rich R&A and working on down." There are "tens of millions of pounds being spent on professional golf in Europe and far more needs to be directed at the women's game" (DAILY MAIL, 8/21).
