History
Solheim Cup is the women's version of
Ryder Cup. It is a
golf tournament
held every second year, and it features the twelve best
US and the twelve best
European players. The
tournament started in
1990 and is named from the
founder/owner
Karsten Solheim of the main sponsor
Karsten Mfg Corp, who are
more known as the makers of
Callaway golfing equipment. Humble
man.
Qualification
The players qualify according to their results on the America LPGA and
the European LET tours. For the LPGA, finishing on the top-ten in a tournament
will give you points that last for two years. The ten with highest Solheim Cup
points are direct qualified. The American team captain also has 2 wildcards. For
the European team, the best seven players from the European LPGA standings
qualify, plus there are five picks for the captain to use as her/his discretion.
Matches
The competition is held over three days. The first two days have four
foursome matches of alternate shot competition, and four four-ball
better-ball matches. The last day is twelve single matches. There's a total of
28 points, and a tie halves the point. A team needs 14.5 points to win the cup
from the defending team.
Past results
In 1990, the US team won with 11.5 point vs. 4.5. In 1992, the Euro team won
11.5 vs. 6.5. 1994 Cup went back to the US with a 13-7-0 record. 1996 and 1998
the US kept the Cups fairly easy by winning 15 matches each year. In 2000 the
European ladies won the Cup back with 14.5 points, after a great comeback on
the final holes of the singles matches.
The 2002 Solheim Cup will be held in the US, at Interlachen Country Club,
Minnesota.
Source: solheimcup2000.com, lpga.com