The Solheim Cup is the women's equivalent of the Ryder Cup. It is a biennial tournament for pro women golfers, contested among the teams of the United States of America and the Europe. The inaugural Solheim Cup was held in 1990, and the event was staged in even number years until 2002. Post the 9/11 tragedy, the Cup switched to odd numbered years beginning in 2003. The cup is played over three days. In total 28 matches are played (eight foursomes, eight four-balls and 12 singles on the final day), this is the same format as the Ryder Cup. [caption id="attachment_633" align="alignnone" width="1160"] Juli Inkster, captain of team USA celebrates with her players after winning the singles matches of The Solheim Cup at St Leon-Rot Golf Club on September 20, 2015 in St Leon-Rot, Germany.[/caption] Members of Team USA are decided by the top-8 U.S. Solheim Cup Points earners, two players from the Rolex Rankings not already qualified by points, and two captains picks. [caption id="attachment_634" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Members of team Europe pose for group picture after winning the Solheim Cup golf tournament, Sunday, Aug. 18, 2013, in Parker, Colo. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)[/caption] For the European team, the top five players from the LET qualify and another four are selected on the basis of the Women's World Golf Rankings and the rest are Captain picks. Team captains are typically recently retired professional golfers with Solheim Cup playing experience, chosen for their experience playing on previous Cup teams and for their ability to lead a team. Juli Inkster will captain the U.S. team for the second time and Annika Sörenstam will captain the European team for the first time. The 2017 Solheim Cup will take place from August 14-20, 2017 at the Des Moines Golf and Country Club, West Des Moines, Iowa. Posted on: 2016 Jul 23 Sat
Posted by: Deepkaran Singh