We’ve had the first controversy of this year’s Solheim Cup (and it’s only Wednesday!)

The Solheim Cup mind games have begun!

According to Sky Sports, the US team is unhappy because the Europeans are breaking their Solheim Cup contract.

(Who knew there was a contract?)

Both teams are staying on site at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Virginia, where the 19th edition of the biennial match will take place, and, as the home side, the Americans had first choice of the two houses in which to make their base for the week.

They opted for the bigger house, but that has come at a cost.

That’s because the smaller house – in which Team Europe will stay – backs directly onto the driving range and even has four driving bays incorporated into the building – two of which were open and being used.

That, the US team are saying, is against the rules.

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Not only that, while the visitors can step off their porch and straight onto the range, the Americans have to walk from their temporary home all the way past their rivals and down to the far end of the practice facilities.

Nothing – NOTHING – in golf does pettiness like the Solheim Cup.

We’ll let Sky Sports’ Jamie Weir take up the story…

Jamie Weir explains that controversy has emerged from the Solheim Cup surrounding the house that Team Europe are staying in 🏡😮pic.twitter.com/FCBBLndMS0

— Sky Sports Golf (@SkySportsGolf) September 11, 2024

“The Solheim Cup wouldn’t be the Solheim Cup without a little bit of needle, a little bit of controversy, and we have got a cracking story here,” Weir explains.

“It regards the team houses, their on-course bases for the week. The US, understandably, with home field advantage had the first choice of the two houses, and they went for this house on my left here, and a very lovely house it is, as well. It’s the bigger of the two houses, beautiful veranda, there, lots of space inside.

“But let’s have a look at what you could have won, because they could have gone for the house on my right here, which is the European team house. The smaller of the two houses, but it backs on to the driving range. It also contains four driving bays, which, as you can see, two of them are open at the moment.

“Well, the US are claiming that in the contract of the Solheim Cup, Europe aren’t allowed to open those driving bays. They also say they’re not allowed to have tables and chairs outside, which, as you can see, the European team do with their deck chairs there.”

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He continues: “There are four buggies lined up by the house as well. And it literally, as I said, backs onto the range, and you can see a few of the European girls practising away there at the moment, having played nine holes this morning.

“So they are right on the very back of the range, they have their music playing all the time, whereas the US team have to come out of their house, walk past the European team house and all the way down to the other end of the range to get to their side.

“And I tell you what, Suzanne Pedersen enjoys playing her tunes as well.

“I think that has got under the skin of the US and they’re claiming that, in the contract of the Solheim Cup, this is not allowed.”

And there are still two days to go until it’s even underway…

We previewed the Solheim Cup in the latest episode of The bunkered Podcast!

Alex Perry is the Associate Editor of bunkered. A journalist for more than 20 years, he has been a golf industry stalwart for the majority of his career and, in a five-year spell at ESPN, covered every sporting event you can think of. He completed his own Grand Slam at the 2023 Masters, having fallen in love with the sport at his hometown club of Okehampton and on the links of nearby Bude & North Cornwall.

Associate Editor