Team competitions have become some of the marquee events on the golf calendar, drawing huge audiences and intense national pride. Yet the notion of adding a new mixed‑gender tournament to an already congested schedule raises several practical questions.
The Ryder Cup and the Solheim Cup pit Europe’s best male and female players, respectively, against the United States, while the Presidents Cup—currently being broadcast on Sky Sports—features a biennial showdown between Team USA and a Rest‑of‑the‑World side. In the background, the Grant Thornton Invitational, a mixed‑team event held each December, already showcases PGA Tour and DP World Tour players together, continuing the legacy of the now‑defunct JCPenney Classic. However, that tournament is limited to a single weekend and does not have the global profile of the Ryder or Solheim Cups.
The question remains: is there room on the international stage for a larger mixed‑team competition? The upcoming 2028 Los Angeles Olympics will include a mixed team golf event, signalling that governing bodies are willing to experiment with co‑ed formats. In line with that trend, Team Europe captain Luke Donald recently floated the idea of a mixed competition that would borrow elements from both the Ryder Cup and the Solheim Cup. In an interview with the Telegraph ahead of the BMW PGA Championship, Donald said, "I’m all for having some events where we’re playing together and sharing each other’s talents.
I think it’s great to see that. Who wouldn’t want to see Nelly Korda or Charley Hull playing alongside Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm or Scottie Scheffler – some of the best in the world in the men’s and women’s games?" Donald was quick to note that creating a Europe‑versus‑America mixed event would not happen overnight. He warned that the logistics of fitting another high‑profile tournament into an already packed calendar would be challenging.
"It’s great in principle, but when you get down to the practicalities of it, where is it going to fit in the calendar?" Ryder Cup‑winning captain Paul McGinley echoed this sentiment on Sky Sports, adding, "Are the players going to play another team event, particularly when they’re probably not going to get paid for it? Those are the complexities, but the idea is appealing in theory." Traditionally, the Ryder Cup, Solheim Cup and Presidents Cup all take place in September, shortly after the PGA Tour season concludes. Meanwhile, the DP World Tour’s autumn schedule dominates men’s golf during that period.
This clustering leaves little breathing room for an additional mixed competition. Former DP World Tour player Anthony Wall highlighted the pressure on the calendar during a Sky Sports Golf podcast, stating, "The more team stuff and the more golf we have, I think is great, but the schedule is getting tighter and tighter.
You’ve got golf in the Olympics and it’s getting harder and harder for guys to commit – that is the issue. We’ve tried a number of different things over the years and it really is so difficult." The concept of a mixed Presidents Cup has also been floated as a way to balance the contest.
Currently, the United States faces a Rest‑of‑the‑World team that excludes Europe. If women were integrated, five of the world’s top six female players (as of September 22) could qualify for the International side under the existing format.
McGinley suggested that a partnership between the PGA Tour and the LPGA Tour might open the door to such a hybrid event, although he expressed doubt that the Presidents Cup itself would adopt the model, noting that the organizers have already declined similar proposals. "They may open up a new pathway for it, you never know, but it does make a lot of sense because then you would get two really good, balanced teams. If you add half of the ladies internationally combined with the men, you would have a pretty formidable team and a team that would be very strong against the might of America," he said. Beyond logistical hurdles, financial considerations also loom large.
Players are accustomed to lucrative prize pools for individual events, and a mixed team competition might not offer comparable compensation, especially if it were positioned as an exhibition rather than a ranking‑point event. Sponsors would need to see a clear return on investment, and broadcasters would have to allocate prime slots in an already saturated season. Nevertheless, the appetite for innovative formats remains strong.
Fans have responded enthusiastically to mixed doubles in tennis and mixed relays in athletics, suggesting that a well‑executed mixed golf event could capture public imagination. The key would be to schedule it at a time when both male and female players are relatively free—perhaps early in the year, before the major championships, or as a post‑Olympic showcase.
In summary, while the idea of a mixed‑gender Ryder Cup‑style showdown is enticing and has vocal supporters like Donald and McGinley, several obstacles must be addressed: finding a suitable window in the calendar, securing adequate financial incentives, and coordinating between the PGA and LPGA Tours. If these challenges can be overcome, a mixed team event could become a landmark addition to the sport, offering fans fresh narratives and giving the world’s top golfers a unique platform to compete side by side.