The Solheim Cup

Instituted in 1990, the Solheim Cup is a biennial tournament between professional ladies teams from the United States and Europe. It takes it's name from Karsten Solheim, a business magnate and owner of golf club manufacturer Ping.

Teams are represented by 12 players and a non-playing captain. The Women's Professional Golfers European Tour (WPGET) selects the European team while the USGA selects the American one. Players qualify from points earned on their respective tours. The format is 3 days of matchplay with individual and group rounds. The Solheim Cup trophy is a fine example of the glassmaker's craft from the world famous and prestigious Waterford Crystal factory in Ireland.

To date, the Americans have won two of the three meetings. However, Europe is producing numerous world class lady golfers and we therefore expect the competition to be keenly contested over the coming years. The Solheim Cup does not enjoy the exposure of it's male counterpart, the Ryder Cup, mostly due to the limited media coverage given to ladies' golf as a whole. However with great golfers like Laura Davies and Alison Nicholas playing, the Solheim Cup is an exciting tournament with plenty of drama.