Is It Time To Make The Presidents Cup A Mixed Event?

The Presidents Cup began in 1994 and, in all that time, we've had just one win for the International Team. The past eight matches have all gone the Americans' way and, despite the odd near miss, it's been fairly plain sailing for the always overwhelming favourites.

If we're being honest then there isn't an awful lot of love for the competition. For a start it's so one-sided, the International side is made up of so many different nationalities and from all over the world and it's almost become more of a warm-up for the following year's Ryder Cup in terms of pairings and team harmony.

Then, in the week of the competition, the golfing world sits up and tries to work out how to make it better. This week the generic rallying call has again been sounded as Trevor Immelman's side, crushed by the LIV exiles, look to win on American soil for the first time ever.

The most obvious way to kickstart the event and add something very different is to make it a mixed event. something that has been touted for years given the strength of the Asian women. Paul McGinley, speaking on the Golf Channel, added his weight to this argument.

“One of the things I’ve said in the past, I’ve said it on Sky, I may well have said it on this show too, is make it (Presidents Cup) a mixed event. I know it’s a big radical change. Six of each on each team, and I just think with the strength and quality we have in the ladies' game now in the International side, I think that would really equate the teams.

“You would only go down to 8 in the world to fill the six ladies that would join the six male international players, and I think, we talk about growing the game, we talk about all the ideas that would come with it. I’ve been saying it for a year or two, and I think the Presidents Cup is a perfect opportunity for it.”

The world rankings, which have already been skewed through the LIV players not receiving any points, give us a very quick demonstration of how the strength of the teams would be more levelled. As things stand the current US team has an official world golf ranking average of 11.6 against an International side whose average ranking is 48.9.

If it was a mixed event that would change to a US average ranking of 9.83 against an International side with an average ranking of 15.33.

As well as the might of the Koreans, it would also bring in the likes of the Korda sisters, Lexi Thompson and Lydia Ko which is a mouth-watering prospect on its own.