2023 Solheim Cup TV Times, Format, History: A User’s Guide to This Year’s Event

Here’s everything you need to know about the team match play event between the U.S. and Europe.

The final countdown to the 2023 Solheim Cup is officially on, and it’s time for a refresher on the transatlantic event. Twenty-four of the best female golfers in the world will go head-to-head at Finca Cortesin in Andalucia, Spain, Sept. 22-24. Here’s what to know about the team-format competition.

What is the Solheim Cup?

The Solheim Cup is a team match-play competition staged every two years between the best female golfers from the U.S. and Europe. Twelve of the best American LPGA players face 12 of the best European players from the Ladies European Tour (LET) in a three-day series of match-play sessions. Host sites alternate between the U.S. and Europe.

The first Solheim Cup was played in 1990 at Lake Nona Golf & Country Club, and there have been 17 events to date. The competition is named in honor of Karsten and Louise Solheim, who founded the manufacturing company that makes Ping golf clubs.

What is the format?

The European and U.S. teams are comprised of 12 players, one captain and three assistant captains. During the first two days of the event, there will be a morning session of four foursome matches and an afternoon session of four four-ball matches, where two-person teams face off.

In foursomes, each duo will hit alternate shots until they finish the hole. In four-ball, everyone plays their own ball on every hole, and the lowest score from each pair counts.

The final day of the competition is a series of singles matches, where all 12 members from each team will face a member of the opposing team in a head-to-head match.

Each match is worth one point, meaning there are 28 total points up for grabs. If an individual match remains tied after 18 holes, each team receives half a point. The Americans will need to reach 14.5 points to win back the Cup, but since the Europeans are defending champs, they’ll only need 14 points to earn a tie and retain possession.

This year the U.S. will look to win the Solheim Cup for the first time since 2017.  :: Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire

Who is winning the series?

The U.S. has a 10-7 record over the Europeans. But Team Europe has been dominant in recent years. They’ve won the last two iterations of the Cup, at Gleneagles in 2019 and at Inverness in 2021. The U.S. will look to stop Team Europe from winning three cups in a row this year in Spain.

Who will be competing this year?

Of the 24 women competing in this year’s Solheim Cup, four are ranked in the top 10 in the world. Here are the lineups for the U.S. and European teams.

U.S. Team:

• Stacy Lewis (Captain)
• Allisen Corpuz
• Ally Ewing
• Danielle Kang
• Megan Khang
• Nelly Korda
• Cheyenne Knight
• Jennifer Kupcho
• Andrea Lee
• Lexi Thompson
• Lilia Vu
• Angel Yin
• Rose Zhang

Good days are coming...⚡️#VamosGirls | #SolheimCup2023 | @SolheimCupUSA pic.twitter.com/rz69WtcEPj

— The Solheim Cup (@TheSolheimCup) September 17, 2023

European Team

• Suzann Pettersen (Captain)
• Celine Boutier
• Carlota Ciganda
• Gemma Dryburgh
• Linn Grant
• Georgia Hall
• Caroline Hedwall
• Charley Hull
• Leona Maquire
• Anna Nordqvist
• Emily Pedersen
• Madeline Sagstrom
• Maja Stark

Linn Grant doesn’t hold back fire 🔥 #TeamEurope | #SolheimCup pic.twitter.com/FxB2AmTEEP

— Ladies European Tour (@LETgolf) September 19, 2023

How to watch the 2023 Solheim Cup

Golf Channel will broadcast the Solheim Cup, so that means that the timing of the live feed isn’t exactly in a primetime slot (the upcoming Ryder Cup in Rome will face the same issue).

You can catch Friday and Saturday’s action on either Golf Channel or Peacock from 2 a.m. -1 p.m. ET. On Sunday, the singles matches will be broadcasted from 5 a.m. - 11 a.m. ET.

When is the next Solheim Cup?

The next iteration of the Solheim Cup is actually one year away, not two. The event is resetting to even-numbered years after the schedule was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2024 Cup will be played outside of Washington, D.C. at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club.