‘Monster’ Solheim Cup remains the contest golf needs more than it knows | Ewan Murray

TThe Solheim Cup’s propensity for drama remains its most endearing quality. There was European outrage in 2000 when Annika Sörenstam was accused of playing out of turn at Loch Lomond. Alison Lee was reduced to tears after an infamous clash with Suzann Pettersen in 2015. Madelene Sagström was in a similar state after picking up Nelly Korda’s ball too quickly six years later. An epic row erupted over a European penalty in 2013. The routinely numbing world of golf changes tack at Solheim Cups.

Wednesday was the latest example of friction. Stacy Lewis, the U.S. captain, cited “issues” with the European base, a house adjacent to the practice range. “Their team room kind of blew up on the driving range,” Lewis said. “But we got it in. It’s all good. We kind of tweaked the way the course was set up and moved the U.S. team down the road so Europe could basically do whatever they wanted.”

“Our players were warming up and they were sitting there eating breakfast and talking. We were just trying to give everybody some space so they didn’t have to listen to them eating breakfast. That’s all.” Ding ding.

The close contests also set this apart from the Ryder Cup. When the women of the United States and Europe meet, the outcome is usually decided by narrow margins. In four of the last five Solheim Cup fixtures, the biggest win was by two points. In the Ryder Cup, comprehensive home victories have become the everyday norm behind the noise associated with the event.

The Solheim Cup’s strong growth will be demonstrated by the attendance of more than 100,000 spectators at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club, which is expected to break Virginia’s attendance and revenue records. “From Lake Nona in 1990, there’s no comparison to what it is now,” said Solheim Cup veteran Laura Davies. “The infrastructure, the support the teams get now, it’s a world-class sporting event. I personally think it’s probably the best women’s sporting event in the world.

“The drama of the last four or five cups has been incredible and now it’s on the world stage. People want to see it. People want to come. We’ve heard the numbers that are coming this week. In 1990, there were probably 30, 40 people watching and you had some of the best golfers in the history of the LPGA, Nancy Lopez, Pat Bradley. It just didn’t have the gravitas that it has now.

“But it had to start somewhere. The foresight of the Solheim family, how they thought about it. It was an obvious match with the Ryder Cup going from strength to strength, but they were the ones who stepped up. They created a monster and it’s great to be involved.”

Sky Sports, however, appears not to have noticed; the arrival of a minimal selection from the UK offers a dispiriting insight into the position of the Solheim Cup compared to the superficial approach the broadcaster takes to the male equivalent.

In sporting terms, the US must win after seeing the trophy lifted by Europeans three times in a row. The 14-14 scoreline in the final tussle was particularly painful for Lewis and the US, as they were 4-0 up after one session. The strength of the home team means it will be a serious shock if Pettersen’s team triumphs again. The staging marks an inevitably emotional playing farewell for Lexi Thompson who, at 29, will soon be calling time on a career widely regarded as having raised the status of women’s golf.

In terms of the wider scene, this Solheim Cup is almost certainly an improvement on Finca Cortesin a year ago. In Spain, the horrendous spectator logistics would have been a bigger story if the action inside the ropes hadn’t been so breathtaking.

There has never been a synchronisation between the Solheim and Ryder Cups, which is a shame given the fractured state of golf. Saudi Arabia has kept the Ladies European Tour afloat with the addition of the Aramco Series. Prize money there compares favourably with other non-major tournaments. What is striking is that Saudi involvement in women’s golf has come without anything resembling the kingdom’s controversial entry into the male sphere. In the US, the individual circuit remains highly lucrative; there is no prize money on the LPGA Tour worth less than $2m (£1.5m) for the rest of the year after Solheim.

Angela Stanford, now the U.S. vice-captain, first played in the Solheim Cup in 2003. “The depth of each team has gotten better and better,” she said. “Every time I leave a Solheim Cup, I think, ‘How are we going to beat that? How do they keep getting better and better?'”

Fireworks guaranteed. The Solheim Cup is the addictive team battle golf that demands more than it realizes.