+ When
The start is at 13.05 on Friday, Swedish time. The game will last for three days.
+ Where
Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Gainesville, Virginia, outside Washington DC.
+ How
On Friday and Saturday, four foursome matches and four best-ball matches will be played. On Sunday, twelve singles will be played. A total of 28 points are at stake.
+ TV broadcasts
ViaPlay.
+ How it went last time
For the first time, the Solheim Cup ended in a draw, 14–14, when the teams met at the Spanish Finca Cortesín a year ago. According to the rules, the reigning champions get to keep the trophy, and therefore it was Europe – who won both in 2019 and 2021 – who got to celebrate in the end. Caroline Hedwall, who did not make the team this year, was one of the big heroes when she turned her late singles match against Ally Ewing into a win.
+ Why they meet again this year
The idea is that the Solheim Cup and the men's Ryder Cup should be played in different years. But the coronavirus pandemic messed things up, and after the Ryder Cup 2020 was postponed for a year, the prestigious team competitions have fallen out of sync. Therefore, the Solheim Cup is being played two years in a row.
+ USA's team
Allisen Corpuz, Lauren Coughlin (debutant), Ally Ewing, Megan Khang, Nelly Korda, Jennifer Kupcho, Alison Lee, Andrea Lee, Sarah Schmelzel (debutant), Lexi Thompson, Lilia Vu, Rose Zhang. Captain: Stacy Lewis.
+ Europe's team
Céline Boutier, France, Carlota Ciganda, Spain, Linn Grant, Sweden, Georgia Hall, England, Esther Henseleit, Germany (debutant), Charley Hull, England, Leona Maguire, Ireland, Anna Nordqvist, Sweden, Emily Pedersen, Denmark, Madelene Sagström, Sweden, Maja Stark, Sweden, Albane Valenzuela, Switzerland (debutant).
+ The audience
Three years ago, the Europeans managed to silence the American audience when they won the Solheim Cup on away ground for the second time.
That we can overcome the audience is incredibly big, I don't think many understand how extreme it has been, said Anna Nordqvist.
Expect Europe to have an extra opponent in the audience again, when the USA tries to win the Solheim Cup for the first time since 2017.
+ The milestone
Anna Nordqvist broke through when she, in 2009, during her debut season as a pro, took her first of a total of three major titles. Later that same year, she made her debut in the Solheim Cup and has since been a fixture in Europe's team. Now, the 37-year-old Nordqvist, who is also one of Europe's vice-captains, is playing the tournament for the ninth time in a row. No other Swede has done that – Annika Sörenstam, Helen Alfredsson, and Sophie Gustafson have all played eight times.
+ The history
18 Solheim Cups have been played since the premiere edition in 1990. Except for last year's draw, the USA has won ten times and Europe seven. Despite the European dominance in recent years, a lot points to a USA win this year. Home advantage, better form on more players, and stars like Nelly Korda and Lilia Vu – number one and two in the world – are some of the reasons.
