IT was around tea time on the opening day of the Solheim Cup at Killeen Castle that I happened to bump into one of the leading figures from the US women’s golf scene.

I had just left the media centre to get some quick quotes from the victors of one of that afternoon’s fourball matches when this American acquaintance sidled up to me and said in no uncertain terms that she had just been watching the next No 1 in the world.

The player the American was referring to was none other than Sweden’s Caroline Hedwall, who, that afternoon, had teamed up with compatriot Sophie Gustafson to beat Vicky Hurst and Brittany Lincicome by 5&4. The following day the Swedish pair also won a foursomes match by 6&4 before Hedwall capped a marvellous debut by providing a vital half point in the singles as the Europeans battled back in dramatic fashion to win the match for the first time since 2003.

It remains to be seen whether my American contact is correct in her assertion but there is little doubt she is very special indeed. The 22  year old from Taby, near Stockholm, turned pro last autumn after a fine amateur career during which she won two European Amateur titles and was awarded the Smyth Salver as leading amateur at the 2010 Ricoh. 

Last winter, she claimed a nine-shot victory at LET Qualifying School and then won on her pro debut at the New South Wales Open. Subsequently, she accumulated a trio of LET titles, at the Slovak Open, the Finnair Masters and the UNIQA Ladies Open, and amassed approaching €230,000, more than double what any previous rookie has won before.

Hedwall has been a revelation since joining the paid ranks so it was no real surprise that she played a significant role in what was undoubtedly the strongest Solheim Cup team Europe has ever assembled.

Europe has always fielded a small core of class players but this year, for the first time, the home side possessed more strength in depth than their American counterparts. That became apparent when US captain Rosie Jones felt obliged to field Cristie Kerr in all four series of pairs, despite knowing her No 1 player was struggling with a wrist injury that ultimately would force her to withdraw from the singles.

The American captain’s reliance on an unfit Kerr was a clear admission she did not believe she had sufficient firepower to combat a team led by the likes of Gustafson, Suzann Pettersen, Catriona Matthew, Laura Davies, Maria Hjorth and Karen Stupples and backed by an impressive bunch of rookies and younger players. Hedwall, Anna Nordqvist, Mel Reid, Sandra Gal and Azahara Munoz represent the future of women’s golf on this side of the Atlantic and there is no reason why the LET should not flourish provided this quintet, and the tour’s other rising stars, play enough events to allow officials to attract new sponsors.

It would be good to think Europe’s victory in Ireland will come to be seen as a watershed moment in the development of the LET and it can only be hoped it also acts as a catalyst for change as far as the aforementioned world ranking is concerned. I have heard rumours that officials have been working behind the scenes to give LET events more prominence in the rankings and it is not before time because, as things stand, it provides a hugely distorted picture of the true standings in the game.

It is my belief the system discriminates heavily against LET players and Hedwall’s current position is but one example of that imbalance. 

Were it not for the exploits of Tseng, the Swede could justifiably lay claim to being the best-performing woman golfer in the world this year but she’s still languishing in 41st place. Why? That’s simple. She has played most of her golf in Europe.

Hedwall is not the only victim of this anti-LET bias. Diana Luna, the Italian in second place on the LET money list, is 65th on the ranking, while Germany’s Caroline Masson, 5th on the money list, is 85th. 

Does that sound right to you? No, me neither. It needs to be sorted out.