People and Pop Culture
Closing Shot: Reason to Celebrate
The European team drained the putt and walked away the winners in this year’s Solheim Cup, but the celebration could be felt throughout women’s golf.
Suzann Pettersen and her teammates erupted after she capped off Europe’s first Solheim Cup win since 2013.getty images
The European team won, but women’s golf was the ultimate victor.
That was the takeaway Sept. 15 when the prestigious Solheim Cup ended in dramatic fashion. The European team captured the Cup when Suzann Pettersen drained a pressure-packed putt on the 18th hole to break a tie and deliver a thrilling, 14 1/2 to 13 1/2 victory.
The Solheim Cup, which began in 1990 and pits top U.S. and European female golfers against each other, is the most prestigious international team event for women’s golf. Played every two years, the 2019 Solheim Cup was held at Gleneagles in Scotland and will return to the U.S. in 2021 at Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio.
With the USA’s loss at Gleneagles, the Americans hold an all-time 10-6 lead, but the event is about far more than wins and losses. There are other international women’s golf events in the Olympics and the UL International Crown, but the Solheim Cup generates the most buzz.
“It’s treated as the women’s golf showcase event,” said LPGA Commissioner Mike Whan. “Since 1990, it’s been the go-to. It’s about showcasing women’s golf to the largest possible audience.”
Whan looks at the Solheim Cup as an event that can bring more than just a short-term TV audience bounce, given that the always-spirited competition delivers a sense of teamwork, national pride and camaraderie not typically found in the game.
“Golf is an individual sport but the event really pulls us together in a significant way,” he said. “It’s good for my tour not just in awareness and partnerships, but it brings our players closer together.”
But there also is a business benefit to the LPGA. Between 30 and 40 LPGA sponsors and dozens of other suppliers and vendors went to Scotland for the event, as did representatives from virtually every golf industry association.
“We had people there from almost every stakeholder in the game,” Whan said. “What it does for TV or player brands, I don’t spend a lot of time worrying about. It wakes people up to the magic of women’s golf.”
While Team USA bowed out to the Europeans in the event, which matched the smallest margin of defeat in Solheim Cup history, Whan still sees a big upside.
“From the first tee shot it felt so evenly matched,” he said. “I remember walking into the U.S. team party Sunday night and then going to the European team party and realizing that nobody lost here. Everyone was having fun and the players were closer than ever before.”
