England Golf has revived its campaign to secure the Solheim Cup for England and is now appealing to the government for financial assistance to underwrite a bid for the 2030 tournament. Although the Solheim Cup has travelled to seven different European nations, it has never been staged on English soil, and the venue for the 2030 edition—the next European-hosted event—remains undecided. Several courses have shown interest in hosting the competition, with The Grove in Hertfordshire emerging as a leading candidate.
However, any successful application will require public funding, as private investment alone has not yet materialised. England Golf’s chief executive, Jeremy Tomlinson, emphasises that securing the biennial showdown would generate "immeasurable good" for the sport and the wider community.
"The Solheim Cup is in a really good place and it's going to get bigger," Tomlinson told Sky Sports. "I honestly think if we bring the Solheim Cup to England we can double, maybe even treble the crowds." He added that multiple clubs are eager to put forward proposals and that a modest government contribution could make the difference between a hopeful bid and a concrete plan.
"We have several clubs that really want to put themselves forward and would really like to host the event. With a bit of government help, we really believe that we could bring it to England and it should be here for the first time," he said.
"We're working with clubs, we're working with IMG and the Ladies European Tour and we have talks ongoing with UK Sport. I don't want to say too much, but we're feeling really positive about things and we would love to be able to bring it to England." Financially, staging a Solheim Cup is far less demanding than organising the men's Ryder Cup.
Tomlinson points out that the cost is "less than a tenth" of what is required for a Ryder Cup, yet the event still needs a solid financial base. "It is always easy when you perhaps have an entrepreneur that comes forward and can underwrite a whole event, but we haven't had that yet," he explained. "We are somewhat dependent upon government to be able to step forward and help us. We have some discussions with them right now and they are positive, they are constructive." The governing body argues that the public investment would pay off handsomely in terms of economic impact, tourism, and the promotion of women's sport.
Tomlinson believes the "feel‑good factor" and the visibility of an elite women's golf competition could deliver "dynamic" returns for the nation. Team Europe recently reclaimed the Solheim Cup with a 15‑13 triumph at Bernardus Golf in the Netherlands, a match witnessed by a packed grandstand and featuring three English players on the winning side.
The victory underscores the growing popularity of women's golf in the UK. "Golf has continued to boom since the pandemic, there is no two ways about that," Tomlinson noted. "We have in excess of 12 and a half million people just in England, who in some way, shape or form, touch golf or participate in golf." He also highlighted the gender dimension of the sport: "We have an incredible amount of women that enjoy playing golf away from golf courses. We'd love more women, more girls to be able to come to the golf courses, but they need to have heroes and they need to have people to inspire them." According to Tomlinson, securing the Solheim Cup would provide those role models and could spark a surge in female participation.
"We at England Golf truly believe that if we could get the Solheim Cup, it could do immeasurable good for the game of golf and for women in sport. It would be a very, very proud moment," he said. The next Solheim Cup after 2026 will be held in 2028 at Valhalla Golf Club in Kentucky, USA, from September 8‑10. The 2030 edition will be the first opportunity for Europe to host the event again, and England Golf hopes to be the nation that finally brings the tournament home.
Sky Sports News has reached out to the Department of Media, Culture and Sport for comment on the funding request. The outcome of these discussions could shape the future of elite women's golf in England and potentially set a precedent for greater governmental support of major women's sporting events.