The women’s answer to the Ryder Cup is the Solheim Cup. But staged between the best players in Europe and the United States, it ignores the sport’s most fertile breeding ground for talent. With the Solheim Cup contested this weekend in Ireland, it’s interesting to consider the appealing powerhouse team that could be fielded by the countries of the Pacific Rim. 5. So Yeon Ryu (South Korea)?» The 21-year-old won the U.S. Women’s Open this year, becoming the third different Korean in four years to capture America’s national championship.
4. Karrie Webb (Australia) » She has the most fluid swing in women’s golf and seven major championships on her resume. At age 36, she is still ranked 13th in the world.
3. Ai Miyazato (Japan) » The 26-year-old has won seven LPGA events in the last 26 months, including a pair of Evian Masters, which will become the tour’s fifth major next year.
2. Se Ri Pak (South Korea) » The woman who inspired a generation of Korean women to play golf would be the obvious choice to captain the team. She still has enough game at age 33 to compete.
1. Yani Tseng (Taiwan) » The 22-year-old is the undisputed top player in the world. She has captured four of the last eight majors, doing it with an engaging personality and an aggressive mentality rarely seen from Asian players.
– Kevin Dunleavy
