Wow - what a great victory for team USA this weekend in the Solheim Cup ! We saw great performances for both the Yanks and the Euros, and tons of support from the fans. And while most of the media thus far (less than 24 hours later) has been heaped upon a couple of topics, I see a number of noteworthy topics for you to consider.
- The 2009 Solheim Cup could not have come at a better time for the LPGA: With the LPGA sorely in need of some good,upbeat news, the Cup provided that in bushels. Whether it was the great individual stories (of which there are many), the heartwarming shows of teamwork, or the great individual competition, the LPGA was the REAL winner this weekend.
- Christina Kim is worth paying attention to: Christina Kim proved (again) to be the spark plug that the US sorely needed. Not only did she play well, she also was the catalyst of the REAL Spirit on the team. Although some people seemed to have whined about her behavior, me thinks they were the same folks who felt that Boo Weekly was out of line at last year's Ryder Cup. As someone who witnessed Boo first hand last year, I can rightfully tell those who dissed him, and anyone who bitched about CK's behavior to bugger off - we've had enough of the "stick up the arse" attitudes in golf. We are here to have fun, so get the feck used to it ! Hat's off to Christina for sparking up the crew, and to the crew for stepping up. (For the record, the dance she and Michelle Wie did after their match was fecking PRICELESS...)
- A great Solheim send off for Juli Inkster: Juli is a class act all the way, and nothing could have provided her a better SC send off (as a player anyway) than this. She played solidly all week, especially when she gutted out a halve in her last match. Look for her in 2011 as our Captain...she's ready and the players will unite behind her like no one else.
- A Real Breakthrough for Michelle Wie (Maybe,Possibly,Hopefully...): Already, the media hordes have descended upon her performance at Sugar Grove with the appetite of the biblical swarm of locusts - citing this as her asserting her coming dominance on the tour. Readers of Bushwood know that while I respect Michelle's raw talent, she still has a lot to prove. Her performance at the Cup this weekend was very strong - make no mistake about that. However, her difficulties with making putts down the stretch remained evident - and she must fix that before she will win on any tour. I'm going to make a prediction here - if Michelle Wie remains focused on the LPGA, ceases to ever speak again about competing with the men on the PGA tour, and respects the fact that she is STILL unproven; the she will have great success (both individually and as a future SC player) and the support she enjoyed from the crowd and her fellow players this week will continue. However, if she starts talking about the PGA again (or making other less than believable comments), she will lose the camaraderie she seemed to relish so much this week faster than Usain Bolt can steal your lunch. She desperately needs to understand that her teammates (and fans like me) are waiting for her to embrace the LPGA and respect them - rather than sending them the message "thanks - I like you a lot...until I get a better offer". Michelle, if you are listening, take this advice: (1) Forget about the PGA - it will only hurt the image that you are close to reparing, and this time, there won't be any forgiveness; (2) Keep Mom and Dad at arms length - you are a grown woman now, and are ready to make your own decisions, (3) Watch the replays from this week, and look at your face - you were HAPPY, your Teammates LIKED YOU, and your played well. Understand the value in that and focus on recapturing it - if you can do that, you will find that your detractors will fall by the wayside and your REAL fanbase (not those akin to fans of bearded lady freak shows at the circus) will grow.
Sugar Grove is one tough track - and these Chicks can PLAY: If I've heard one scratch (male) golfer say he could compete with the ladies of the LPGA,I've heard fifty. One look at the track they played this weekend should put those comments to rest - granted it was not 7,500 yards, but the pins were tough, the rough high, and not many places to safely bail out. ...and they were flat out hitting some great shots. Enough said..
