Our Solheim Cup betting guide explains everything you need to know about this golf tournament. The semi-annual golf tournament takes place every two years except for the scheduling hiccups caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The famed golf tournament is a matchup between a team of LPGA players from the USA against a squad of players from the Ladies European Tour. It has become as competitive as the Ryder Cup.
The Solheim Cup has all of the things about an international sporting event that you would expect, including chanting fans, concerts and parties around the venue. It is also known for amazing play and stiff competition. It is also known for a wide range of wagering opportunities. Look for some great tips in this Solheim Cup betting guide.
What Is the Solheim Cup?
The Solheim Cup is a semi-annual golf tournament between a U.S. team and a European team of professional golfers. It takes place every two years and rotates between courses in the United States and Europe. The tournament was established in 1990 as a female version of the all-men’s Ryder Cup. One of the driving forces behind the creation of the competition was Karsten Solheim who is known for his golf club designs and brands including PING.
An important fact about the Solheim Cup is that it is not a traditional golf tournament with one player winning outright. This is an important fact that affects what wagers can be placed. The Solheim Cup is a team event that incorporates several formats over three days of play. The formats are familiar to many amateur players and they are alternate shot, foursome and matchplay. Points are awarded for wins, the team with the most points takes home the trophy. If there is a draw then the former winner retains the title.
We’ll now discuss the popular Solheim Cup betting markets.
Solheim Cup Betting Markets
As stated before, stroke play is not a part of the Solheim Cup’s three formats of play. This means you will not have an individual player as a winner to select, or the option for bets such as top five, top ten or top 20 finishes. There are always plenty of wagering options available along with prop bets that come up. All of this is dependent on your sportsbook/platform.
The main wager that will come up first is the option of selecting a team winner – do you think Team USA will win or do you think the European Team will win? That’s kind of basic, but there is a twist. You can also wager on a “Draw” or to “Retain” the Cup. This is when the defending Champion scores enough points to retain the title, but not win outright.
Outside of those main options, the Solheim Cup betting options will range from selecting head-to-head matchups and winners of individual formats, how many hole-in-ones and more as you would with any LPGA and PGA Tour event. Other wagers will revolve around the three formats.
The first is the foursome match format. Two golfers from each team play two golfers from the other team to form a foursome. The twosome teams play alternate shots with the same ball. The team that completes the hole with the least number of strokes wins the hole and the points.
The second format is a four-ball match. Like the foursome format, there are two teams of two players from each team USA and the European team. However, for this format, all four golfers play their ball during the entire round. The team with the individual golfer that has the lowest score among the four players wins.
The final format and often the most tense on the closing day, are the match-play matches, which are played by two golfers, one from each team. The two players compete against each other during the round like a normal golf tournament, but scoring is done on a hole-by-hole basis. This is where you will see players conceding a hole.
Improve your chances of winning by analyzing Solheim Cup betting trends.
Look for Solheim Cup Betting Trends
One tip that is universal when it comes to wagering on professional golf and also applies to Solheim Cup betting, is looking for trends. Check out stats for individual players heading into the event. Look for players who have done well recently and have had solid finishes over the weeks heading into the Solheim Cup. Great play is worth noting. Also, look for trends from players who have participated in the Solheim Cup in the past. Teams are never the same from event to event, but some
players have the opportunity to represent their home colors several times during a career.
Leaning on the LPGA Season Stats
Using LPGA Tour and Ladies European Tour statistics as a guide is the best advice I can give for Solheim Cup betting. This is a special competition with a much different format than regular LPGA and LET tournaments. That being said, the players still need to play good golf.
Yes, take a look at wins, finishes and cuts as you normally would, but take a look at statistics on a player’s putting, greens in regulation, fairway hits and so forth as well. Scrambling is also a huge part of Solheim Cup play. A player that can work herself out of trouble on a hole is one worth considering. The best source for researching these stats is LPGA and LET official stats.
Considering Outside Factors
One final note when considering Solheim Cup betting is considering outside factors such as weather. European golf is known for windy weather – especially in the UK. Think of the low and powerful shots hit at St. Andrews when the wind is howling. The same goes for light rain and cold weather. Also, look for players with a lingering injury or not performing well heading into the event. I tend to look for media stories on riffs between teammates or articles on how the team’s gel together.
We’ll now look at the past winners of this event in our Solheim up betting guide.
Solheim Cup Winners
Trends are important in the world of wagering and sports. One of the easiest ways to look for trends in the Solheim Cup is to take a peek at the past winning teams. There’s only one problem – Team USA and the European team are evenly split over the last ten Solheim Cups. Here’s the breakdown as both teams have won five of the last ten contests.
- 2024 – being played in the USA in September of 2024
- 2023 – won by Europe, played in Spain
- 2021 – won by Europe, played in the USA
- 2019 – won by Europe, played in Scotland
- 2017 – won by the USA, played in the USA
- 2015 – won by the USA, Played in Germany
- 2013 – won by Europe, played in the USA
- 2011 – won by Europe, played in Ireland
- 2009 – won by the USA, played in the USA
- 2007 – won by the USA, played in Sweden
- 2005 – won by the USA, played in the USA
Even though the wins are split there is still one trend worth noting. The European team has won three of the last five Solheim Cup events. That shows some dominance which could indicate a trend to consider. As for the home team having an advantage on home soil – again, the stats are split. The last ten Solheim cups have been won by the home team on home soil five times.
Time to Place Your Bets
This guide on how to bet on the Solheim Cup should help you understand the differences between a regular LPGA/LET tournament and team events. Also, I hope it helps you better understand the slight differences you’ll see in wagering options during the three-day tournament. You will have multiple betting options because of the different formats, but everything still boils down to considering the stats of each team and the players involved. Do some basic research to help strengthen your selections when betting on the Solheim Cup.