This week's highlight is the Solheim Cup, a premier event in women's golf, which will be held from Friday at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Virginia. Since its inception in 1990, the tournament has quickly become a staple on the global golfing calendar. The US team, which last won in 2017 under Juli Inkster's leadership, is aiming to reclaim the trophy. It's impressive how rapidly the tournament has gained prominence and become a significant fixture in the sport. With anticipation growing, it will be intriguing to see how the teams perform this year. The last Solheim Cup took place in Spain, and it seems like it just happened last year, which it did, as the event has now shifted to even years to avoid clashing with the Ryder Cup.

Looking at the Solheim Cup records, Team Europe retained the trophy last year with a 14-14 tie. Is it time to consider calling it a tie these days? The term 'retaining' might not hold the same relevance in modern sports. Perhaps each team should hold the trophy for six months each? The captains and teams are usually different, so why does the outcome of the last match matter? Each match should stand on its own merits. This is now a serious sport at the highest level, where careers are made through these types of events. The concept of 'retaining' sounds different from 'tying'!

One team will celebrate, while the other will feel like they've lost, even though they haven't! There aren't many sporting events that carry forward the previous result to the current event. The America's Cup sailing competition, the Ryder Cup, and series Test Matches in cricket are a few examples. Is it time for a change? This is a huge week for LIV Golf in Chicago, with the final individual event determining who will play next year on LIV Golf and who won't. It's a big week for individuals at the top and bottom of the Individual and Team Standings.

The DP World Tour is hosting one of its flagship events, the $6 million Amgen Irish Open, at Royal County Down in Northern Ireland, arguably one of the best golf courses in the world. Local hero and OWGR Number 3, Rory McIlroy (NI), leads the list of entries, which includes Robert McIntyre (Scot), Erik Van Rooyen (RSA), Nicolai Hojgaard (Den), Ryan Fox (NZ), Aaron Rai, Padraig Harrington (Ire), Luke Donald (Eng), current leader of the Asian Tour’s International Series Order of Merit John Catlin (US), and a host of DP World Tour players. With Rory in the field, it's always worth watching.