SOLHEIM CUP U.S.-Europe to do battle under past format

The 2002 event will be held in Edina, Minn.
PHOENIX -- The 2002 Solheim Cup, and all future stagings of The Solheim Cup, will feature a 28-point format that was adopted this year by the Cup's executive committee.
The format was already used in the 1996 and 1998 Solheim Cups, featuring four foursome and four fourball matches on each of the first two days, with 12 singles matches on the third and final day.
The defending champions will need 14 points to retain the Cup, with the challengers needing 14.5 points to win the cup.
Slight change: "This format was used in both at Wales in 1996 and at Muirfield Village in 1998," said LPGA Commissioner Ty Votaw. "However, scheduling issues because of the 2000 Olympic Games and the available daylight in October forced us to change the format slightly for the event in Loch Lomond."
"The format was very successful both times, and we will work to ensure that future sites will be able to support this format," he added.
When The Solheim Cup was first started in 1990, the event featured four foursomes, four fourball and eight singles matches, with eight member teams. In 1992 it was expanded to four foursomes, four fourballs and 10 singles matches and in 1994 that grew to five foursomes and fourball matches along with the 10 singles.
It was in 1996 that the teams grew to 12 members and the competition had eight foursomes and fourball matches and 12 singles. That same format was used again in 1998 before being shortened to eight foursomes, six fourball and 12 singles to accommodate the shorter daylight hours in Scotland in 2000.
Next year's version: The 2002 Solheim Cup will be held Sept. 20-22 at Interlachen Country Club in Edina, Minn. LPGA Tour Hall of Famer Patty Sheehan is captain of the U.S. Team, with Scotland's Dale Reid returning as the head of the European squad. The United States leads the series 4-2, with the Europeans winning in 2000.
The event is a biennial, trans-Atlantic team match-play competition featuring the best U.S.-born players from the Ladies Professional Golf Association Tour and the best European-born players from the Evian Ladies European Tour.
It is sponsored by Karsten Manufacturing Corporation, and the Solheim Cup is named in honor of the company's founder, Karsten Solheim and his family.
Known for manufacturing PING golf clubs and putters, Karsten Manufacturing is a long-time supporter of women's professional golf and is the CO-title sponsor of the LPGA's Standard Register Ping tournament in Phoenix.