The 2024 Solheim Cup tees off on Friday, with US golf stars looking to topple three-time defending champs Europe in the team tournament’s 19th iteration.
Alternating between European and US host courses each edition, teams compete in three days of match play, collecting one point for every win and a half-point for every tie. The US needs a total of 14.5 points to take this year’s Cup outright, while Europe needs just 14 to retain it.
Team USA spans 12 of the sport’s top-ranked and most decorated athletes, including Nelly Korda, Allisen Corpuz, Lauren Coughlin, Megan Khang, Ally Ewing, Lilia Vu, Rose Zhang, and the soon-to-retire Lexi Thompson.
US golfers on a mission to reclaim Solheim Cup dominance
Team Europe has held the Cup since 2019, but the margins have been razor thin. The 2023 event actually ended in a 14-14 tie, but as reigning champions, Europe retained the title in what the team considers their eighth victory over the US.
While the US holds the advantage over Europe in overall Solheim Cup wins, they haven’t raised the trophy in seven years. And unlike other competitions with continuously swelling prize purses, only international bragging rights are on the line here.
Neither team has ever won four consecutive titles, and the US will aim to keep Europe from claiming that historic victory on home soil in Gainesville, Virginia, this weekend.
Star US golfer Nelly Korda sees Solheim Cup as “unfinished business”
All eyes are now on Team USA’s Korda, who’s coming off a banner 2024 after winning six different LPGA Tour events, including her second major.
“Whenever you get to wear the red, white, and blue and stars and stripes, there’s a different meaning to it,” the world No. 1 golfer told the BBC earlier this week. “You’re playing not just for yourself, but for your captains, for your teammates, and your country, and there’s just nothing like it. We have got some unfinished business.”
How to watch the 2024 Solheim Cup women’s golf tournament
The Solheim Cup starts Friday, September 13th, at 7:05 AM, with live coverage across NBC, the Golf Channel, and Peacock.