GOLF
Has the Solheim Cup ever been played two years in a row? USA and Europe ready for 2024
A golf competition normally held every two years, the Solheim Cup sees the 12 best American women face off against the 12 top Europeans.
It goes without saying that Team USA will be looking to break Europe’s dominance in the Solheim Cup this year, having failed to win the tournament on three consecutive occasions. Of course, with such little time to prepare because of the altered schedule, the question is, ‘Can they do so?’
Why is the Solheim Cup being played in back-to-back years?
For just the second time in the history of the event, the Solheim Cup will be played in back-to-back years. Held 12 months ago in Spain, the tournament will now take place again this month, in the U.S. state of Virginia. The reason for this is, unsurprisingly, the covid-19 pandemic.
If you didn’t know, the Solheim Cup and Ryder Cup are usually contested in separate years so that each can bask in its own glory. Sadly, the pandemic led to the 2020 Ryder Cup being pushed back to 2021, the same year that the Solheim Cup was due to be held. With the tournament already scheduled for ‘21 and ‘23, the dates were maintained. Conversely, the decision was taken to move up a year in order to return the women’s tournament to even numbers. To that end, the matches are scheduled through 2026, with Bernardus Golf in the Netherlands taking up hosting responsibilities.
Given that we said this is only the second time this has happened, you may be wondering about the first. As a tournament that has only been held in even years since 1990, the only other time it was pushed to odd years was following the 9/11 terrorist attacks which resulted in the Ryder Cup being played in 2002 as opposed to 2001.
The result was that the Solheim Cup was played in both ‘02 and ‘03, something that has continued right up until now. U.S. captain Stacy Lewis and European skipper Suzann Pettersen will retain their positions for the 2024 edition of the tournament.
When and where is the 2024 Solheim Cup?
The 2024 Solheim Cup will take place from September 13-15 at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Gainesville, Virginia. This marks the first time that the club, known for hosting four Presidents Cups, will host the Solheim Cup. Tuesday to Thursday are practice days with competition running from Friday to Sunday.