Abu Dhabi: Golf should follow tennis’ example by introducing mixed events in a bid to grow the women’s game, according to American ace Paula Creamer.
The American Ladies’ Professional Golf Association (LPGA) star, member of six Solheim Cup teams, is delighted that women will be sharing the stage with men when golf makes its Olympic debut at the 2016 Rio Games.
She said the next step in golf’s progression should be to emulate tennis, which features regular mixed doubles events, including at the Olympics.
Speaking in her role as HSBC ambassador at this weekend’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, the 29-year-old said: “I do wish we would do mixed events, because with the level of women’s play currently, we can handle that.”
The world number 63 pointed to the fact that the two sexes had previously competed together at the JCPenney Classic in the United States, the last time being in 1999.
Further recognition of women’s burgeoning prowess arrived in 2014, when the United States Golf Association held its two highest-profile events – the US Open and the US Women’s Open – in consecutive weeks on the same course.
“That shows men and women can play at the same golf course,” Creamer said.
Of women’s golf’s Olympic opportunity, she added: “Any time we are on the same stage as the men, it promotes us and helps our golf. I think it would be awesome to see a team event at the Olympics. They are so exciting.”
Creamer added that women’s golf needs to find a way of making itself “more lively and exciting” to enhance its appeal by conveying players’ personalities.
But she was cool on the prospect of doing this by mirroring the innovation of Australian cricket’s Big Bash Twenty20 League, which has implemented a system where players take turns to have a microphone on them to capture their thoughts.
“I’ve done it before and it was hard,” she said. “You get out of your element and you have to remember to turn it off at times and then turn it on again. But if we need to do it to grow the game, then we need to learn.”
Creamer is, however, fully in favour of the European Tour’s new crackdown on slow play, insisting “the pace of golf is huge” in ensuring golf does not become a soporific affair.
Under the new rule, a player has 40 seconds to hit his shot – 50 seconds if he is the first to play in the group – after being advised the group is being monitored.
The men’s world number one, Jordan Spieth, became a high-profile victim of the new ruling when he was warned for slow play on the opening day of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship on Thursday.
A second monitoring penalty would have seen the Texan incur a fine of just under $3,000 (Dh11,019).
