England Golf has reignited its campaign to bring the Solheim Cup to English soil and is now appealing to the government for financial assistance to back a bid for the 2030 edition. Although the competition has traveled to seven different European nations, it has never been staged in England, and the venue for the 2030 tournament – the next European-hosted Solheim Cup – remains undecided. Several courses have shown interest in hosting the event, with The Grove in Hertfordshire among the frontrunners.
However, any successful application will require public funding, as private investment alone has not yet materialised. England Golf’s chief executive, Jeremy Tomlinson, believes that securing the biennial showdown would generate "immeasurable good" for the sport and its 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 a number of clubs are eager to put forward proposals and that, with modest government support, England could finally host the tournament for the first time. "We’re working with clubs, with IMG, with the Ladies European Tour, and we have ongoing talks with UK Sport. I don’t want to reveal too much, but we feel very positive and would love to see the event on English soil," he said.
Financially, staging a Solheim Cup costs less than one‑tenth of what is required for a Ryder Cup, the men’s counterpart. Tomlinson hopes the government will underwrite the bid, creating a historic moment for English golf.
"It’s always easier when an entrepreneur steps forward and can underwrite the whole event, but we haven’t had that yet," he explained. "We are somewhat dependent on government to step forward and help us.
We have some discussions with them right now and they are positive, they are constructive." The cost of the tournament is significant, yet Tomlinson argues that the returns – both in terms of a feel‑good factor and the promotion of an incredible sport – could be dynamic. He points out that the Solheim Cup can act as a catalyst for growing participation, especially among women and girls, by providing high‑profile role models.
Recent success on the European side adds momentum to the push. Team Europe reclaimed the Solheim Cup with a 15‑13 victory at Bernardus Golf in the Netherlands, a match that featured a packed grandstand and three English players on the winning side. "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 emphasized that while many women enjoy playing golf informally, the sport needs visible heroes to draw them onto courses.
"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," he said. Tomlinson believes that securing the Solheim Cup would deliver a massive uplift for women’s sport in the UK. "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 concluded. The government’s response has yet to be confirmed, with Sky Sports News reaching out to the Department for Media, Culture and Sport for comment.
The next Solheim Cup will be contested in 2028 at Valhalla Golf Club in Kentucky, USA, from September 8‑10. Meanwhile, England Golf continues to lobby, refine its bid, and rally club partners, hoping that 2030 will mark the first time the prestigious women's team competition lands on English turf, delivering lasting benefits for the sport and its growing fan base.