Patty Sheehan chuckles when she thinks back to the first Solheim Cup, played 22 years ago.
“It was cute because Kathy Whitworth was our captain and she would call us into the room and say, ‘OK guys, what do you want to wear tomorrow?’,” recalls Sheehan, one of eight American players competing in the inaugural event. “It was very low-key. We didn’t have a lot of spectators.”
My, how things have changed. From those humble beginnings, the Solheim Cup will come to Colorado Golf Club in Parker next year as one of the most popular women’s golf events in the world. It draws big, boisterous galleries and its TV ratings are high.
Over the weekend, Sheehan was in Denver promoting the 2013 event — which will take place Aug. 16-18 — and signing autographs at the Solheim Cup booth at the Denver Golf Expo. (Sheehan, a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame, is pictured at left on Saturday with Coloradan Hollis Stacy, who will join the World Golf Hall this year, and Colorado Sports Hall of Famer Joan Birkland.)
The Solheim Cup “has grown exponentially, and I just see it continuing to grow and get more popular.,” said Sheehan, winner of 35 LPGA Tour events and six major championships. Sheehan played in the first four Solheim Cups, and was the last two-time U.S. Solheim captain (2002 and 2003).
Not coincidentally, the Solheim Cup was launched at a time when its counterpart on the men’s side, the Ryder Cup, was reaching its peak in terms of fan interest. After the U.S. won seven straight Ryder Cups over the GB&I/European teams, the Europeans prevailed in 1985, and sports fans started paying attention in a big way.
The Solheim Cup may be at a similar juncture now. After the U.S. won the Cup in eight of the first 11 meetings, the Europeans took it back last fall in Ireland by the closest margin in the history of the competition (15-13). If that doesn’t get the buzz going for the 2013 event in Colorado, nothing will.
“It was close and really did look like the U.S. was going to win it, and right at the end it slipped away,” Sheehan said. “It was great to see the Europeans win it on their home soil, but I’m looking forward to bringing it back to the U.S. so that we can win it back. It’s going to be super exciting. The competition is going to be better than ever.”
The type of event the Solheim Cup is makes for a completely different atmosphere than any other golf tournament, Sheehan noted. A team format and having national pride on the line gives the competition a unique flavor.
“You’ve got singing, chanting, cheers, booing; all the great stuff you get at football and baseball games, you can find at the Solheim Cup,” she said. “It’s a lot of fun. It’s completely different from any other golf tournament that (people) have ever been to or seen on TV.”
And next year, the Americans will have home course advantage, which is no small matter when it comes to the Solheim Cup. In fact, the U.S. is 6-0 when the competition is played on American soil. Of course, that makes for more pressure on the Americans and captain Meg Mallon as they host the event at Colorado Golf Club.
“I know I felt (that pressure),” Sheehan said. “It’s got to be even more so for Meg. It’s going to be great. (But) I don’t see us losing the Cup. I see us winning it back.”
Sheehan like the choice of Mallon to lead the Americans. Besides being a success as a Solheim Cup player (13-9-7 in eight Solheim appearances), Mallon has an effervescent personality that may fit right in for a leader of the U.S. team.
“She’s such a great competitor … (and) she pretty much eats and breathes USA, so she’s a perfect captain, and to do it here in the States is great,” Sheehan said. “She’s a lot of fun to be around. The players are going to love here. I think it’s the perfect pick.
“She’s so sincere, so kind and very sweet, and yet she has that competitive fire inside. The players are going to feed off of that.”
So, if Sheehan were captain in 2013, what would she do to motivate the U.S. team?
“I think I would say, ‘We’ve never lost on U.S. soil, and I’m not about to start now. Go out and win it,'” Sheehan said.
Sounds like a theme Mallon may very well pick up on.
