Yesterday, I posted about the new Captains of the President's Cup and asked why we don't have a Ladies' President's Cup. I'm sure the problem is getting sponsors, but let's get creative people!
Sponsors want network coverage. How do you get it? Well, do something different. When Michelle Wie played in the Sony for the first time in 2004, the ratings skyrocketed. Even if some fans hated her being there -they flocked to watch. Even later when she couldn't make a cut, the cameras still loved her.
So maybe we should learn from that - putting men and women together in a tournament is a good thing. And we've seen that with the Merrill Lynch Shootout, the Tavistock Cup and some Skins Games, but what if we could take that fun and good natured competition to the next level.
What if we had a tournament that brought together the very best of the LPGA with the best of the PGA in a "world championship". I think that would be awesome. We could match 1 male and 1 female player by nationality. They'd play three days of golf - best ball, alternate shot and possibly combined stroke play. We could match man/woman by country or by continent, but in the end, this would be an international event that would draw a huge TV audience (if the best of the best really participated).
I know..I know...trying to get Tiger to play would be tough. But what if he did...can we dare to dream? Make it count towards Fedex, Ryder or Solheim Cup points if that will bring them out. Money isn't the answer...so find the carrot that is!
Some of my "dream pairings" would be:
- - Annika Soremstan and Henrik Stenson
- - Paula Creamer and Tiger Woods
- - Karrie Webb and Adam Scott
- - Se Ri Pak and K.J. Choi
- - Laura Davis and Justin Rose
I could go on and on and on...
Okay, so we would have a few challenges - for example, South Africa...who would we pair with Ernie Els or Retief Goosen? Who would we pair with Lorena Ochoa from Mexico? I don't think Lee Trevino would come out of retirement for this. :)
But these are just technicalities...
The point is that combining the best of both the PGA and LPGA would create an event to which male and female golfers would flock, and over which sponsors and TV networks would salivate.
Anyway, I think it's a great idea. Why hasn't it been done before? We'll have to ask the commishes..Tim and Carolyn...what on earth are you waiting for?
Golfgal