The Solheim Cup – Europe VS The US
As far as rivalries go, Europe versus the United States is one of the oldest ones. Dating back to the discovery of the United States, or rather, the North American continent by European explorers, there has been a vicious rivalry between the two continents, or rather various countries from Europe and the United States. Every two years, they let the women settle these rivalries, by playing golf. Yes, golf. The Solheim Cup is one of those events which people look forward to with eager eyes and wallets. Golf and betting go hand in hand, especially when you can bet on that event every two years.
But, what is the Solheim Cup? Read on to find out.
The Solheim Cup – Origins
The Solheim Cup has been an idea in the mind of one of the biggest names in golf, Karsten Solheim. Karsten Solheim was a businessman, but firstly, a golf club designer. Born in Norway, he made his way to the United States and started a small business venture called PING. Small, right? Yes, PING, one of the biggest club manufacturers in the world.
Back in 1990, Solheim and a group of others thought about replicating the format of the Ryder Cup. The Ryder Cup was established in 1927 and is a biennial event where golfers from Europe compete against those from the United States. It is a team competition which takes place over several days.
The Solheim Cup is a very similar competition, but for women golfers. It was held every two years since its inception in 1990.
The Solheim Cup – How Does it Work?
Like every championship, The Solheim Cup also has a format. Golfers are selected by ranking on the LPGA Tour and the LET Tour. There have been various updates to the formatting and the eligibility system, mostly to expand and allow more players to enter the tournament, or rather, the national teams.
The tournament is played over 3 days. The first and second day had four foursomes and four fourballs. The third day has 12 singles. That is a total of 28 points. Interestingly enough, team captains are often retired professional golfers who already played on the Solheim Cup and have experience, above everything else. This is an amazing gesture, which brings some relatively old golfers back into the competitive scene, and for a large tournament, at that. The current champions are Europe, but US leads the head to head with 10 victories to 6.
The Solheim Cup was named after Karsten Solheim, golf club designer and overall a big name in the world of golf. The Cup should have come sooner, as it mimicked the Ryder Cup, a 63 older all male tournament. Who will win the next Solheim Cup, Europe or the US?