The Ladies European Tour (LET) is holding the World Ladies Championship on the Blackstone Course at Mission Hills in China this week.

This is just the third year for this event, but it has featured two great champions. Shanshan Feng ,from China, won in 2012 and Suzann Pettersen won here last year.

With all the excitement surrounding the opening event of the 2014 LET season, a nine-hole team competition, held on Tuesday between a team from Asia versus a team from Europe, was nearly overlooked.

This exhibition preceding the World Ladies Championships at Mission Hills was called the Goodwill Trophy and may be a glimpse of a future team competition.

The Ryder Cup, Presidents Cup and Solheim Cup matches have been so successful, it was only a matter of time before an event was conceived to feature Asian golfers. Growth potential for the golf industry is astronomical in Asia and especially in China.

South Korea and Japan have had several ladies succeed on the LPGA Tour. Yani Tseng from Taipei has won five major victories and was ranked No. 1 for over two years.  

The two teams were comprised of eight women on each team and were paired into four matches.

The No. 1 woman golfer in the world, Inbee Park joined with fifth-ranked So Young Ryu to defeat the European team of No. 2 ranked Suzann Petteren and Joanna Klatten, from France.

A duo from Taipei, Lin Tzu-Chi and Chien Pei-Yun defeated Hannah Burke and Holly Clyburn both from England in the second match of the day.

France’s Gwladys Nocera and Valentine Derrey collected the only win for the European Team, defeating a duo from Thailand, Ariya Jutanugarn and Nontaya Srisawang.

To win the final point for the Asian Team, Shanshan Feng teamed with Lin Xi Yu Lin, both from China, to best England’s Trish Johnson and Diana Luna, from Italy.

Team events generate huge dollars for tournament promoters and also bring media attention to the participating golf tours.

The 2016 Olympics are stimulating an interest in team competition and golf fans enjoy the team aspect of golf. The LPGA Tour will hold the inaugural International Crown featuring teams from eight countries this summer near Baltimore.

This Goodwill Trophy exhibition is probably a preview of a new team event featuring teams from Asian and Europe for a future match play event.