Tag: Ladies European Tour

US golfer Hannah Gregg gave her followers an insight into the financing of a tournament weekend on the Ladies European Tour on X (formerly Twitter). It should be mentioned upfront that this is an example of a single athlete and in no way reflects the (financial) situation of every female athlete. Nevertheless, this example is thought-provoking.

How Much Playing LET Really Costs

In her calculation example, Gregg first mentions her costs. She had to pay 3,672 dollars for flights, work visa, food, fuel for the car, participation fee and the lounge pass for her caddie. In this case, the hotel and hire car cost her nothing. There were also no costs for the caddie, as this role was filled by her fiancé. Hannah Gregg made the cut at the tournament and finished the weekend in 54th place, which earned her prize money of 1,244 dollars. This prize money is subject to 35 per cent tax, which means that Gregg would have had to finish 21st to make a profit, she calculates. Achieving a place in the top 25 is not easy in golf, and if your financial situation also depends on it to some extent, it certainly doesn’t make things any easier. But here, too, it has to be said that this is a special example because Gregg has higher travelling costs as an American.

Expenses of my first week on Ladies European Tour:
Flights: $2600
Work Visa: $350
Food: $377
Caddie: $0 because I have an amazing Fiancé
Hotel: $0 because @GregChalmersPGA sorted me host housing for the week! 🙌
Rental Car: +0 because the Tour Tee guys GAVE me their car 😭🫶…

— Hannah Gregg (@hannahbggg) April 26, 2024

Ladies European Tour versus LPGA Tour: the comparison

Comparing the two biggest tours for women, the LPGA Tour and the Ladies European Tour, to their male counterparts is a bottomless pit. Last weekend, the Amundi German Masters on the Ladies European Tour and the Mizuho Americas Open on the LPGA Tour were two normal regular-season tournaments. While Alexandra Försterling received 45,000 euros for her home win, Nelly Korda received the equivalent of almost 414,500 euros for her victory at the Mizuho Americas Open. Sophia Popov received almost as much as Alexandra Försterling for her tied 14th place on the LPGA Tour with around 37,000 euros. The last-placed players of those who made the cut on the Ladies European Tour received €810. By comparison, the last-placed golfers from the weekend on the LPGA Tour received €7,600. This example shows that there is a huge gap even within women’s golf and not to begin the comparison between men and women in golf.

The Solheim Cup is the female counterpart to the Ryder Cup in professional golf. Since 1990, the best female golfers from Europe have squared off against their American counterparts every two years in teams of twelve players each.

Solheim Cup 2023	Date	Place	Attendees	Format
Solheim Cup 2023	22.09. – 24.09.2023	Finca Cortesin Golf Club, Spain	Team USA vs. Team Europe	Matchplay (Fourball / Foursome / Single Matches)

Solheim Cup 2023: Rules and format

In 1996, the Solheim Cup adopted the exact same format as the Ryder Cup. Over the course of three days, the tournament is played in a “woman-to-woman” format, comprising a total of 28 matches over 18 holes. Three different game formats are played over these three tournament days. On the first and second tournament days, there are a total of eight classic foursomes (alternate shot) and eight four-ball best-ball matches (fourballs). In these matches, two players from one team, appointed by the captain, compete against two players from the opposing team. On the final day, the competition culminates in singles matches, where it’s one-on-one.

Foursomes

On Friday and Saturday, four foursome matches are played. Here, the same ball is alternately played within a team of two until it’s holed. If one team takes fewer strokes than the opponent on a hole, they go “1 up.” If a team is ahead by more holes than there are remaining, the match ends before the 18th hole, and the winning team gets a point. If both teams have won an equal number of holes, the match is halved, and each team receives half a point.

Fourballs

On Friday and Saturday, four fourball matches are also played. In these matches, two European golfers face off against two American golfers in a foursome flight. However, unlike foursomes, all four players use their own balls. Only the best score per team is counted for each hole. Otherwise, the same rules as other match-play formats apply. Whether the days start with foursomes or fourballs is determined by the event organizer.

Singles

On Sunday, the Solheim Cup concludes with twelve singles matches. The order in which players from each team face representatives of the opposing team is determined by the respective captain. However, captains do not know in advance which players will face each other. The matchups are randomized by the captains’ selections, a process that also applies to foursomes and fourballs.

How the Solheim Cup is decided

For every victory in a match, the team earns a point, which contributes to the team’s overall score. If a match ends in a tie, both teams receive half a point. With a total of 28 matches, there are 28 points up for grabs. A team needs 14.5 points to win the Solheim Cup. In the event of a tie, the defending champions are declared the winners.