Government urged to back fresh push for England to host Solheim Cup

Team Europe regained the Solheim Cup with victory over Team USA in the Netherlands; no venue has been announced for the next edition on European soil in 2030; England not among the seven previous European countries have hosted Solheim Cups

England Golf have reignited their push to bring the Solheim Cup to England and are urging the government for financial backing to support a bid for the 2030 edition.

The Solheim Cup has been held in seven different European countries but never in England, but the venue for the 2030 contest - the next edition on European soil - has yet to be finalised.

Multiple venues have expressed interest in hosting, including The Grove in Hertfordshire, although government funding would be required - without private investment - to support any application to bring the event to England.

Discussions continue over the next European venue, with England Golf CEO Jeremy Tomlinson confident that bringing the biennial contest would offer 'immeasurable good' for the sport.

"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.

"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.

"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."

The cost to stage a Solheim Cup is less than a tenth of the money required for a Ryder Cup, the equivalent event in the men's game, with Tomlinson hoping the government can underwrite any bid and help create a historic event on English soil.

"It always easy when you perhaps have an entrepreneur that comes forward and can underwrite a whole event, but we haven't had that yet," Tomlinson added.

"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.

"It a lot of money that you need to be able to put this on, but we truly believe - and I think government feel it as well - that the returns from a feel-good factor and a promotion of an incredible sport could be dynamic."

Team Europe regained the Solheim Cup with an impressive 15-13 victory at Bernardus Golf in the Netherlands on Sunday, where a packed grandstand welcomed players onto the first tee and three of Anna Nordqvist's winning side were from England.

"Golf has continued to boom since the pandemic, there is no two ways about that," Tomlinson explained. "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.