First thing’s first: what’s the Solheim Cup?
It’s a bi-annual team golf competition that pits Europe’s twelve best female golfers against an equivalent selection from the United States. It’s named after the founder of PING, Karsten Solheim, who was the driving force behind the event’s creation.
This week’s event, at Killeen Castle in Meath, will be the twefth meeting of the two sides since 1990. Just in case the maths don’t add up (and they shouldn’t), it’s worth noting that it had to change from even- to odd-numbered years when the Ryder Cup was rescheduled in 2001.
How’s it work?
The Solheim follows an essentially identical format to it’s bigger, more iconic cousin: eight fourball (better ball) and eight foursomes (alternate shot) matches, spread over the two opening days, precede twelve final-day singles matches.
A win in any given match secures a single point and a half (ie. a draw) is enough for– you’ve guessed it– half a point.
What’s it like?
There’s always a great deal of flag-waving, cheering, and patriotic make-up, not to mention some great golf, but the event also has a harder edge, its history plagued by unsavoury instances of gamesmanship. And yes, before you ask: American overexuberance has usually been to blame.
The Scotsman’s John Huggan summarises:
“In 1994, the dreadful and demented Dottie Pepper perpetrated an appalling breach of etiquette at the Greenbrier when she screamed “yes!” in the immediate aftermath of her opponent, the aforementioned Davies, missing a short putt. Four years later at Muirfield Village the European side – so irritated were they by the continued antics of Pepper – took turns bashing a “Dottie dummy” with a baseball bat…In 2000 at Loch Lomond, Sorenstam was involved again, this time when she chipped in to apparently win a hole against Pat Hurst and Kelly Robbins. Or so she thought. The Americans, after consulting with non-playing skipper Pat Bradley, decided to ask for a measure, and it was determined that Sorenstam had played out of turn by a matter of inches. So, breaking every tenet of sports(wo)manship, the Americans asked the by-then tearful Swede to play again. Needless to say, she missed second time round.”
Given the collegial familiarity of the teams, the home support and the absence of a Pepper-esque firebrand to inspire acrimony, this year’s affair is likely to be a more polite, if no less impassioned, affair.
Who do I look out for?
The United States boasts one of the superstars of world golf in under-achieving Stanford student Michelle Wie and a host of major-winning media darlings in Christie Kerr, Paula Creamer, big-hitting Brittany Lincicome and veteran competitor Juli Inkster.
The European team, though weaker on paper, boasts a glut of potentially more explosive talent. The absurdly gifted Suzann Pettersen will lead the charge, followed closely by Sophie Gustafson, Caroline Hedwall, Maria Hjorth and one of the legends of the women’s game, Laura Davies.
Annika Sorenstam, a ten-time major winner and one of the greatest players of all-time, will also be in attendance as a European vice-captain.
How do I watch?
Sky Sports will be covering everything, from the opening ceremony to the final putt, live. Elaborate welcoming parades and corporate shindigs aside, the event kicks off in earnest on Friday morning.
They have obviously spent a fortune on PR for this event but I don’t know a soul that has mentioned an interest. It’s disturbing how much media exposure can be bought in the form of editorials and "news segments". If you gauged the magnitude of the event on the amount of time Newstalk are spending on it, you would conclude that it was bigger than the Ryder Cup when the reality couldn’t be further from the truth. I have no issues with adverts, just adverts portrayed as news.
How much do you know about womens gold in general Simon I wonder
The Solheim Cup is a huge deal to those with an interest in women’s golf, and definitely NEWS . It is an important international sporting event, and will get huge coverage all over Europe ,and in the USA. The fact that Irish women’s sport in general ( never mind golf specifically) is largely ignored in this country is the reason there has been little or no mention of it until now.
Irish media seems to prefer the “Hunky Dory AD ” type of comment on women in sport, rather than any proper coverage.
The proportion of Editorials and ” news segments ” which EVER mention women’s sport is any shape or form is tiny anyway( are you reading Journal sports editors!!!!), and I am glad that finally there is some media exposure. I hardly think it is bought exposure.
I am going with my family, and I know quite a lot of golfers who are going, and I know of friends from the UK coming over just for the event.
The event is bringing in a huge amount of visitors to the country, and is a great showcase for Ireland and Irish golf. We should be supporting it rather than sneering at it.
Simon, why don’t you go to Kileen Castle at the weekend , you will see some fantastic golf, and the atmosphere will be great.
COME ON EUROPE!!!!!!
Bit baffled by the very last sentence of the John Huggan article:
“So competition for American places has hardly been cut-throat. Unlike the Solheim Cup itself, of course. If past matches are anything to go by, “the troubles” might mean something else entirely by next Sunday evening.”
Am I reading this wrong or is he relating the conflict in NI to a womens golf tournament just outside Dublin???
Women’s golf = snore fest.
OH NO HE DIDN’T!!!!!
Golf in general = snorefest
Women’s Golf, not Gold .
:0)
I am somewhat bemused by the “related articles” links!
Reality is that WOmens events will never garner the same amount of coverage as mens events. I don’t agree with this but it’s the way of the world.
The Solheim Cup is good for sport and tourism and I hope it works out well.
Couldn’t care less if ‘Europe’ win or lose whether it’s women or men playing. Rubbish.