what is solheim cup

The Solheim Cup is a biennial golf tournament for professional women golfers contested by teams representing Europe and the United States. The tournament is named after the Norwegian-American golf club manufacturer Karsten Solheim, who was a driving force behind its creation. The event was first staged in even-numbered years until 2002, alternating years with the Ryder Cup (the equivalent mens event) . As part of the general reshuffling of team golf events after the one-year postponement of the 2001 Ryder Cup following the September 11 attacks, the Solheim Cup switched to odd-numbered years beginning in 2003. Another reshuffle of team golf events took place in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Solheim Cup returned to even-numbered years from 2024 onwards. The United States teams have won the cup ten times, compared with eight for Europe. The current holders are Europe, who retained the cup with a 14–14 draw at Finca Cortesin in Málaga in 2023. The Solheim Cup features the 12 best European players from the Ladies European Tour (LET) and the 12 best U.S. players. The tournament is played in a match-play format, with players competing in singles and team events.