While the Ryder Cup is the most revered men’s team event in golf, because it only includes US and European players, many of the world’s best players inevitably miss out on one of the biggest occasions the game has to offer.
Since 1994, that has been partially addressed with the Presidents Cup, which shares similarities with the Ryder Cup’s format as US players take on a team of international players minus Europeans.
Over the years, that has allowed world-class talent, including Fijian Vijay Singh, Zimbabwean Nick Price, South African Ernie Els, Australian Adam Scott and Japanese star Hideki Matsuyama, to experience a team event similar to the Ryder Cup. But what about the women’s game? Does it have its own version of the Presidents Cup?
It would be easy to assume it does, particularly as the women's game already has the Solheim Cup, which is its equivalent of the Ryder Cup, but it’s not quite that straightforward.
The short answer is that there isn’t a women’s version of the Presidents Cup. However, there is a competition that bears some similarities and helps ensure the inclusion of players outside the US and Europe.
In 2011, Team Europe produced a dramatic comeback to win the Solheim Cup, and that helped quell calls for future editions of the match to feature an International Team following three US wins in a row.
With that pressure put on the back burner, the LPGA Tour had scope to create a new competition - the International Crown - with a decidedly different formula. Crucially, it also included players from nations not eligible for the Solheim Cup.
At the time, then LPGA Tour commissioner Mike Whan said: “The International Crown will take women’s golf to the next level and allow fans to rally behind their homelands. In sports, there is simply nothing greater than wearing your nation’s flag, fans singing your national anthem, and bringing ‘the crown’ home.”
First, the similarities. Like the Presidents Cup, the International Crown is a match play contest, while it is also held biennially. It also features rounds of fourball, foursomes and singles matches at various points, while the scoring system is similar, offering one point for a win and half a point for a tie.
However, rather than two teams of 12 competing against each other, the International Crown features eight national teams of four players determined by the combined Rolex Women's World Rankings of the top four stars from each country. Unlike the Presidents Cup, the International Crown also includes prize money, with $500,000 awarded to the winning team, Thailand, at the 2023 match.
The match is not without its flaws. For example, the 2023 edition didn’t include two of the biggest names in the game, New Zealander Lydia Ko or Canadian Brooke Henderson, because, even though they were riding high in the world rankings, there weren’t enough other top-rated players from their respective countries to qualify.
That’s something Henderson explained could be addressed with a match more similar to the Presidents Cup. At the 2024 women's Olympics tournament, she said: “I would love to have the opportunity on the women's side to play an event similar to the Presidents Cup or the Solheim Cup, Ryder Cup. That would be really fun. I think it would be great.
“We do have our International Crown but I think the Tour deserves maybe another event very similar to Tte Presidents Cup, where you have the opportunity to compete. Same with Lydia, right now she can't compete anywhere. I think that would be a great opportunity.”
For now, the wait for a direct equivalent of the Presidents Cup in the women’s game continues, although, with the International Crown, there is at least something to cater to players from beyond Europe and the US, albeit with markedly different characteristics.
