Everything You Need To Know About The Solheim Cup

The Solheim Cup is a binary

women's golf tournament players team USA and team Europe and is the women's equivalent

of the Ryder Cup. Let's find out more about this competition's relatively short but decorated history in this video

The event is named after the Norwegian American Golf Club manufacturers and founders of the Ping brand

Karsten and Louise Solheim. The pair were instrumental in the tournament's early development and are still very loyal backers of the event

The first Solheim Cup was held in 1990 at Lake Nona Golf and Country Club in Florida

The USA, captained by Kathy Whitworth, cruised to victory by 11.5 points to 4.5

To begin with, the Solheim Cup was held on even-numbered years as the Ryder Cup took place

on odd-numbered years. However, the 2001 Rider Cup was postponed until 2002 after the 9-11

attacks, so the Solheim Cup switched to odd numbers in 2003 to avoid the clashes

The COVID-19 pandemic forced another postponement of the Ryder Cup and its next tournament

was then held in 2021, the same year as the Solheim Cup

After the two are played in the same year in 2023, the Solheim Cup will revert to even-numbered years in 2024

In the Solheim Cup, each team has 12 players. Team Europe comprises of the two highest ranked players in the LET Solheim rankings

the top six eligible players in the Rolex women's world golf rankings

and four captains picks. On the other side of the pond, Team USA is selected by the top seven players

on the US Solheim Cup point list the two highest ranked eligible players in the women world rankings and three captain picks Like the Ryder Cup there are 28 matches in total played over three days of match play

with one point awarded for a win and half a point awarded to each team when the match is halved

Then the team that reaches 14.5 points first wins. If the teams are locked at 1414

after each match has been played, the team that won the previous Solheim Cup retains the trophy

After 17 editions through 2021, the USA8, lead Europe 10-7 overall. The European countries that have hosted the event are Scotland, Wales, Sweden, Ireland, Germany

and, for the first time in 2023, Spain. Of those, Scotland has held the event the most times on three separate occasions

Over in the US, the Solheim Cup has travelled to Florida, West Virginia, Ohio, Minnesota

Indiana, Illinois, Colorado and Iowa. The only state to have hosted it twice is Ohio, while no golf course has hosted the event

more than once. Dame Laura Davis holds the record for the most Solheim Cup appearances with 12

while she also holds the record for the most points scored in the Solheim Cup with 25

Mickey Walker holds the record for the most appearances as European captain, holding the

role four times, while Julie Inkster holds the record for the US, having captained them three times

Up to and including the 2021 tournament, there had only ever been one hole in one in the Solheim

Cup. That was achieved by Team Europe's and a Nordquist in 2013

Everything you need to know there about the Solheim Cup for more news and more history about its great event

check out the Golf Monthly website