Who Runs The Solheim Cup?

The Solheim Cup is a match play event contested by Europe and the United States' women's teams, but who runs the tournament?

Who Runs The Solheim Cup?

The Ladies European Tour (LET) and the LPGA Tour run the Solheim Cup together, with both recognising the tournament in their respective schedules.

Each organisation determines the requirements for team selection, with the LET looking after the selection of the European team, while the LPGA Tour decides on the United States team.

The US team is selected by a points-based system, with American players receiving points for each top-twenty four finish on the LPGA Tour.

Meanwhile, the five top European players playing on the LET are automatically selected, with another four selected on the basis of the Women's World Golf Rankings.

Each team also has a number of captain's picks, which relates to players chosen at the discretion of the team captains regardless of their point standings.

Because the LET and the LPGA Tour both run the Solheim Cup, and because the cup alternates between European and American venues every two years, the host course is chosen by the respective Tour when it's in their country, or continent.

The LPGA Tour chose the Inverness Club in Ohio to host the 2021 Solheim Cup, while the LET decided that Finca Cortesin Golf Club in Spain was the best choice for the 2023 tournament.

Norwegian-American golf club manufacturer Karsten Solheim, founder of Ping, whom the cup is named after, acted as a driving force behind the Solheim Cup's creation in the late 1980s.

The 2021 tournament will be the 17th edition of the Solheim Cup, after the inaugural cup was held in 1990.

The United States have picked up the most wins with ten, compared to Europe's six, though Europe are the current holders of the trophy, having won at Gleneagles in 2019.

The Solheim Cup dates switched to odd numbered years beginning in 2003, following the postponement of the 2001 Ryder Cup, in order to ensure that both tournaments didn't occur in the same year.

As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Solheim Cup will return to even numbered years from 2024, after the Ryder Cup switched to odd numbered years.