Solheim Cup 2021: dates, European and USA teams, full Sky Sports TV schedule - and when is the next tournament

Europe are the current holders of the cup after their victory at Gleneagles in Scotland last year - can they retain in Ohio?
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Europe will attempt to retain the Solheim Cup when they take on the United States at Inverness Club in Ohio.

The biennial golf tournament for women golfers is contested by teams representing Europe and the United States, and is named after the Norwegian-American golf club manufacturer Karsten Solheim, a driving force behind its creation.

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The inaugural Cup was held in 1990, and the United States teams have won it the most times, with 10 wins compared with Europe’s six.

But who is playing in this year’s tournament, and how can you watch it?

Here is everything you need to know about it.

When is the 2021 Solheim Cup?

The cup is played over three days.

Practise rounds for the Cup began on 31 August, and will run until Friday 3 September.

The competition then gets underway on Saturday 4 September, before wrapping up on Monday 6 September.

Who is on the European team?

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Organisers have decided to increase the number of team members for the event in Toledo, Ohio, by two due to the disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Leona Maguire and Matilda Castren will be the first players from Ireland and Finland respectively to play in the biennial event, with Denmark’s Nanna Koerstz Madsen the third of captain Catriona Matthew’s newcomers.

The North Berwick native, who is bidding to repeat her 2019 victory over the Americans at Gleneagles, has handed her other picks to Mel Reid (England), Madalene Sagstrom (Sweden) and Celine Boutier (France).

They join six automatic qualifiers in newly-crowned AIG Women’s Open champion Anna Nordqvist, English duo Georgia Hall and Charley Hull, Emily Kristine Pedersen (Denmark), Sophia Popov (Germany), and Carlota Ciganda (Spain).

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“It was pretty tricky,” said Matthew of her final selections, which were made after the conclusion of the season’s final major at Carnoustie on 22 August.

“I think we had most of our picks set, but that last kind of one or two with so many of our players playing well this week, there were so many different scenarios.

“Last week we were going over them, and had about three or four different teams that could happen depending on what happened in the final round of the AIG Women’s Open. Very happy with our picks and how it all turned out.”

Europe are the current holders of the cup after their victory – also under Matthew’s captaincy – at Gleneagles in Scotland last year.

Who is on the US team?

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US captain Pat Hurst has picked Brittany Altomare, Mina Harigae and Yealimi Noh as her three wildcards, with 2020 Scottish Women’s Open champion Stacy Lewis having to settle for a role as assistant captain in her home city of Toledo.

Harigae and Noh are rookies along with Jennifer Kupcho, who qualified automatically with Nelly Korda, Danielle Kang, Ally Ewing, Austin Ernst, Lexi Thompson, Jessica Korda, Megan Khang, and Lizette Salas.

How can I watch it?

Coverage of the Solheim Cup will be available throughout the tournament via Sky Sports, who will be showing the event on their Sky Sports Golf channel.

Live coverage starts before the opening tee shot at the Inverness Club on all three tournament days from 4 - 6 September.

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There will be over 12 hours of live coverage over the first two days, getting underway from midday on Saturday 4 September and Sunday 5 September, before the singles and closing ceremony is shown the following day.

Two hours of highlights will be available shortly after the conclusion after each day’s play, and the final-day singles will be repeated in full on Tuesday 7 September.

There will also be a host of dedicated programmes available throughout the week.

When is the next Solheim Cup?

The 2023 Solheim Cup will take place from 18 - 24 September at Finca Cortes in Spain, just a week before the Ryder Cup in Italy.

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The Solheim Cup and the Ryder Cup are usually scheduled in alternate years, but as a result of the latter being postponed this year there will be two straight weeks of matchplay golf between Europe and the United States in 2023.

The Solheim Cup will move to even years from 2024 to avoid being held in the same year as the Ryder Cup, which has moved to an odd-year schedule after the 2020 contest was postponed for a year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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