Mel Reid has admitted that she is heartbroken over the tv viewing figures from the Solheim Cup, and insisted that the LPGA must now invest more money into their advertising and marketing.
The Solheim Cup actually managed to ship loads of drama at Bernardus earlier this month. Europe regained the trophy after a very good efficiency in the Sunday singles. It was their first outright victory at the occasion since 2021.
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The matches could not have been more completely poised heading into the ultimate day. Jennifer Kupcho’s heroics on Saturday night ensured that the two groups were stage at 8-8 with 12 matches to play in the Netherlands.
Unfortunately, that did not seem to encourage viewers to tune in for the singles.
The 2026 Solheim Cup drew disappointing tv scores
As reported by Josh Carpenter, 170,000 people watched the protection on Golf Channel on Sunday. That had dropped from 179,000 the earlier day. According to Golfweek, 277,000 people watched Golf Channel for the ultimate day in Spain in 2023.
Unsurprisingly, the figures came as a big disappointment to European vice-captain Mel Reid, as she mentioned on Quiet Please what now wants to change.
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“First of all, I’m not trying to defend this, but the timing was a bit odd, obviously because we’re in Europe and the timing of it was the middle of the night for you guys, so I do get that. I don’t know what the f— we’re doing so wrong to be quite honest with you, because that is literally one of the greatest sporting events that we get to witness all year, men or women, especially women. This is where I get frustrated because I do feel like the players are delivering the entertainment,” she said.
“The players are delivering everything that we’re asking them for. Why is it that we just can’t get people to watch? Yes, I think they were down because of the hours, but how do we get more people to tune in and watch it?
“I think advertising and marketing’s a huge downside on the LPGA, I actually do. I think that’s the quantity one factor that Craig Kessler, we need to do higher at. The advertising and marketing price range is horrific, and we’ve spoken about this, but we need people to watch, we need people to watch a common LPGA occasion. The truth that viewership was for the f—— Solheim Cup is truly actually heartbreaking to me. It’s actually heartbreaking. It’s the best of the best. It’s the best competitors you’re going to get. Every single participant, they need to rise to the event or they’re going to crumble, and most of the time, both units of groups rise to the event. It is a stage of golf that you just do not see. It’s golf on steroids, which occurs when you get passionate and play for your nation and the flag that’s on your chest, but it’s just actually unhappy.
“The budget as well for the Solheim Cup, I was on that side of it, it’s literally nothing. Obviously compared to the men’s, and I understand the difference with the marketing and what they bring in is significantly different, and I’m very aware of that, but even our budgets for our team stuff, what we can do with the team room, what we can do with the locker room at the golf course, it’s wild to me that it’s such a significant change. Why is that? Why are we not closing that gap for a product that is, in my opinion, sensational? The golf is sensational.”
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The Solheim Cup is so much more dependable than the Ryder Cup for delivering unimaginable drama
The time distinction actually has to be taken into account. But clearly, the drop from the 2023 occasion is a huge concern for everyone who cares about the Solheim Cup.
The occasion never fails to ship drama. Team USA have won at least 13 factors at each of the last seven Solheim Cups, and have ended up successful just three of them.
In 2019, everything came down to Suzann Pettersen’s putt on the 18th gap in what was the very last match out on the course. Four years earlier, Pettersen had been the villain as Team USA went on to come from 10-6 down to win in Germany.
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There is no query that the Solheim Cup is more dependable for delivering nail-biting motion than the Ryder Cup, where every occasion has been extraordinarily one-sided over the last decade. The last Ryder Cup where the rating was 9-7 or nearer heading into the Sunday singles was 2008.
There was hope when Kessler was appointed as the LPGA commissioner that he would be the particular person to unlock the tour’s huge potential. And while some optimistic steps have been made, those viewing figures from Bernardus inform a story about how far the recreation has to go.
As Reid suggests, the gamers are more than pulling their weight when it comes to creating a spectacle. But something is not working, and it is letting so many people down.
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