Solheim Cup captain Stacy Lewis makes tempting Presidents Cup offer

This year, the Presidents Cup and Solheim Cup are only a few weeks apart. They usually coincide because they are in opposite years of the Ryder Cup.

Team USA captain Stacy Lewis made a remarkable statement about a possible way to combine the LPGA and PGA Tours into a team event.

“Honestly, I would like to see the Presidents Cup mixed,” Lewis said. “It’s the perfect way to mix the two Tours. The international team will improve very quickly. It would be great to merge the two Tours like that.”

The Americans have dominated the Presidents Cup for years, holding an overall record of 12-1-1 over the international team.

So many fans consider this team event less important than the Ryder Cup. How can professional golf make this team tournament more interesting?

If women were added to the field, the Presidents Cup would immediately become better and more relevant.

Lewis knows this will make the competition worse. Team USA usually dominates against the International Team because they use similar lineups for the Ryder Cup.

The international team does not have the same privilege, because only European golfers play. Although there are many talented players in the international team, they are not as strong as those in the European team.

Think of all the incredibly talented women who get to play on the international team. Women who could be on the team include Ayaka Furue, Haeran Ryu, Lydia Ko, Hannah Green, Ruoning Yin, Jin Young Ko, and Brooke Henderson, to name a few.

That group of women is quite a group and it would make Americans work a lot harder.

Not only would it give the Presidents Cup more validity, but it would also raise the bar for qualification. The women would ideally take the spots, so it would be harder to get this team, which would make it even more important.

Finally, it will grow both the men’s and women’s game. Growing the game is one of the biggest things in golf right now. While it is growing in popularity, now is the time to make golf more accessible to everyone. Let’s make women’s golf a priority.

Adding them to the Presidents Cup makes that happen and gives fans something to look forward to.

Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Follow us for more golf coverage @_SpelenDoor on all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @golf_girl_sl.