If the majors are where golf goes for history and tradition, then the Ryder Cup and Solheim Cup are where the sport turns when it requires drama and spectacle.
Despite both match play team events offering up no prize money or world ranking points, few other tournaments in golf’s non-stop schedule can guarantee fans the same non-stop action and raucous sense of occasion.
The Ryder Cup has historically commanded the column inches, a reflection of its financial magnitude and the sport’s male-dominated past, but a series of one-sided blowouts – combined with the ongoing LIV Golf saga – has detracted from the viewing spectacle in recent years.
The same charge, though, cannot be levelled at the Solheim Cup which returns on Friday having produced three nail-biting finishes in its last three editions.
2019 at Gleneagles saw current European captain Suzann Pettersen’s clutch birdie putt on the last hole secure a 14½-13½ victory for Europe to regain the trophy in the most remarkable fashions.
Two years later – and without a travelling contingent of away fans due to Covid-19 restrictions – Europe ventured to the United States and withheld a final-day charge to defend the cup against the odds with a score of 15-13.
And in 2023, the King of Spain watched on as home country hero Carlota Ciganda completed a remarkable European turnaround, coming from 4-0 down to draw 14-14 and take home the trophy for a third successive time by virtue of being the defending champions.
Such drama and nail-biting competition have turbocharged the event’s popularity and with scheduling conflicts forcing the Solheim Cup to bring forward its next edition by a year, the competition has another golden opportunity to gain further momentum with its latest transatlantic tussle just 12 months on from their Spanish showdown.
This year, the two teams head to Robert Trent Jones Golf Club outside the nation’s capital Washington D.C., a course riddled with bunkers and water that puts a premium on accuracy. One notable difference between the Ryder Cup and Solheim Cup is the level of influence a home captain has on the course’s set-up.
At the Ryder Cup in Rome last summer, European captain Luke Donald considered every particular, even monitoring the length and direction in which the rough grew at Marco Simone. Such attention to detail is admirable but it is one of the many factors that have produced a one-sided tournament, with each captain shaping the course to their team’s advantage.
Such course gerrymandering is not allowed in the Solheim Cup and, as a result, a more neutral venue is produced that keeps scores tight and offers rewards for all types of players. This week’s course will not be easy – far from it – but it will be fair.
In lieu of course set-up advantages, the main point of difference between the two sides is the respective captains – Suzann Pettersen and Stacy Lewis – who have both remained in their posts since last year’s event.
The two opposing figures are the classic fire vs ice combination and provide the perfect sup-plot to the on-course action. Pettersen, the feisty and passionate Swede, is known to trust her gut instinct as a leader, while the steely, cool persona of Lewis is more rooted in a modern stats-based approach to captaincy.
On the course, there is no shortage of talent. While the divisive Saudi split in men’s professional golf continues to hamper the Ryder Cup’s ability to assemble its best talents, the Solheim Cup is full to the brim with its biggest female stars.
The US team, searching for their first victory since 2019, are spearheaded by World No.1 Nelly Korda and the soon-to-be-retiring Lexi Thompson. Other household names such as Lilia Vu and Rose Zhang provide incredible depth to a team that, on paper, has three of the world’s top ten and is stronger than their continental opponents.
But like their male counterparts, Europe’s Solheim Cup team are a tight-knit bunch who are often greater than the sum of their parts. Leading the charge will be the enigmatic Charley Hull and match play savant Leonna Maguire, while others, like young Swedish duo Maya Stark and Linn Grant, will hope to play their part.
Europe has been warned to expect a hostile atmosphere from the home fans, but the Solheim galleries have not yet strayed into the aggressive abuse from heckling fans that has spoiled the Ryder Cup on occasion. Balancing that line will be as important as ever, with a mammoth 100,000 fans expected to pour onto the course and into the grandstands over the course of the week.
The stage is set for another enthralling contest: contrasting captains, two evenly matched teams and a golf course as quick to punish as it is to reward both sides.
Not since 2012 at Medinah has the Ryder Cup had all those elements come together to produce a tense finale. The Solheim Cup, by contrast, looks set for a fourth straight nerve-jangling affair that could, once again, go all the way down to the wire.
Despite existing in golf’s oversaturated ecosystem, it is fast becoming the sport’s must-watch event.
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