Like its older male cousin the Ryder Cup, the biennial matches between Europe and the US almost always deliver the most exciting golf of any season.
The combination of team matchplay and representing something more than just the individual seems to lift the very best and there is much anticipation again ahead of this year’s contest.
It was a thriller in 2019 and there is no reason to think it will be any less fascinating this time around.
DEFENDING CHAMPION: Team Europe defeated Team USA 14.5 to 13.5 at Gleneagles, Scotland, in 2019.
COURSE: Inverness Golf Club in Ohio is a fitting venue for the 17th staging of the Solheim Cup, one of the biggest and most important events in women’s golf.
The club is no stranger to big time golf with four US Opens, the US Junior and Senior Amateur, two PGA Championships and a Senior US Open all contested here as well as two NCAA Championships.
The course itself was designed by Donald Ross in 1919 just a year before hosting its first US Open in 1920.
That tournament was won by Ted Ray but much has changed about the layout since then, including a significant overhaul in 2017.
The 24 women who line up this week will find a course featuring some unusual and quirky features, particularly around the greens.
It is ‘old school’golf for want of a better term with all manner of unusual ditches, mounds, humps and hollows in play.
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Steep faced bunkers surround many of the putting surfaces and while the fairways are wide enough there is a genuine reward for finding them.
Accuracy will also be paramount when playing to the predominantly small greens and spectators should be treated to some intriguing golf, particularly around the putting surfaces which mostly sit pushed up from the fairway surrounds.
PRIZEMONEY: Nil
PLAYERS TO WATCH: It’s no surprise Nelly Korda tops this list, the World No.1 the clear standout player in the game these past 12 months.
Her dominance should make the Europeans nervous as she was also a standout in her Solheim debut two years ago.
She is yet to lose a match in the format and when paired with sister Jess they proved a formidable team.
Korda is just one noted match player in the American team, two time US Amateur champion Danielle Kang the other.
The feisty Californian relishes the head to head nature of matchplay though has mixed results in her two Solheim appearances to date.
In 2017 she lost just once but two years later suffered three defeats in four matches, including in singles to Carlota Ciganda.
Of the Europeans, debutante Leona Maguire will carry a lot of expectations as the first Irish player to tee up in the Solheim Cup.
The 26-year-old has enjoyed an excellent season on the LPGA and has played well late in the year so will be highly motivated to continue that form.
At the other end of the experience spectrum are two Solheim veterans whose presence will be as important in the team room as on the course.
AIG Womens Open winner Anna Nordqvist will tee up for the seventh time in the matches where she has 12 wins against nine losses and two halves on her resume.
However, one of those halved games came in what might be the most memorable match in the Cup’s history.
Playing Lexi Thompson in the first match of the singles in 2017, Nordqvist bolted to a 4-up lead at the turn and looked on track to secure a vital point for Europe.
But the American caught fire at the turn and stormed home in 7-under on the back nine to snatch a half point as the US won comfortably.
While not as well credentialled on course as Nordqvist, England’s Mel Reid will be a key motivator for the team both in the rooms and on the course.
Like her countryman Ian Poulter in the Ryder Cup, Reid brings a level of passion that is infectious and Captain Catriona Matthew will no doubt be looking to make the most of that over the course of the week.
TV TIMES*
Round 1: Sunday (Fox Sports 503 3pm – 5pm)
Round 2: Monday (Fox Sports 503 1.30pm – 3.30pm)
Round 3: Tuesday (Fox Sports 503 LIVE 2am – 8am)
*AEST, check local guides
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