I love it when National Golf Editor Tim McDonald emerges from his Florida swamp (where he’s probably watching NASCAR and the clocks are apparently permanently set in 1945 time) to comment on a newfangled modern issue. Like women’s sports.

Giving the men credit for the Solheim Cup interest is absurd. People aren’t fascinated by the Solheim Cup because Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson treat the Ryder Cup Matches like a trip to the dentist.

Let’s face it, no one still cares who wins the Solheim Cup. It’s … well, the Solheim Cup. This isn’t about the athletic competition. It’s about the personalities.

Solheim Cup 2005 is drawing interest because Paula Creamer, Michelle Wie and to a lesser extent Morgan Pressel have captured sports fans’ attention with their games and attitudes. It doesn’t matter that Wie and Pressel are not even playing in the Solheim. They are part of raising the profile of women’s golf in general.

That’s why more people are talking Solheim. Because more people have noticed women’s golf.

Tiger and Phil could definitely learn something from a Paula Creamer’s must-win team competition attitude. But that’s not the reason the Solheim has some buzz. Credit Creamer’s guts and no-win Wie’s extraordinary hype machine (no matter how unbased in reality that marketing magic is).

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