What Happens If the Solheim Cup Ends in a Tie?

Every two years, there are 28 points up for grabs by the two teams playing the Solheim Cup. And that presents the possibility the two teams will tie, 14-14. What happens in the event such a tie happens? Who gets the Cup?

In the event of a tie score at the end, 14-14, the Solheim Cup remains with the defending champion.

The Solheim Cup is a biennial tournament, one of the biggest events in women's professional golf. It is contested between a team of American golfers representing the LPGA Tour, and a team of European golfers representing the Ladies European Tour.

The team holding the trophy entering a new Solheim Cup (the defending champion, in other words) needs only achieve a tie to keep the cup.

But the other side, the side trying to win back the cup from the defending champion, must win the tournament outright. A 14-14 tie does that team no good — it must earn 14.5 of the 28 available points to win the tournament and gain ownership of the Solheim Cup.

Or, to put it another way, a tie goes to the defending champ.

A 14-14 tie score is always a possibility when the tournament is played. But through the 2021 Solheim Cup (the event began in 1990), no final tie score had yet happened. But it did finally happen the next time, at the 2023 Solheim Cup. In 2023, the 18th time the competition was played, the teams ended with 14 points each. Team Europe, as the holder of the cup (Europe won in 2021), therefore retained the cup.

Related article:

• Results from every Solheim Cup tournament and match