The 2023 Solheim Cup European Team receives the European Union Trophy at the National Sports Awards

• Their Majesties the King and Queen presented the award at a ceremony held at the Royal Palace of El Pardo.
• Suzann Pettersen, captain of the European team in the historic edition held at Finca Cortesín, accepted the award on behalf of the team.

Caption: The players of the European Solheim Cup 2023 team pose with the championship trophy.

The 2023 Solheim Cup European Team was honored on Wednesday with the European Union Trophy at the 2023 and 2024 National Sports Awards ceremony, held at the Royal Palace of El Pardo and presided over by Their Majesties the King and Queen.

The award, granted by the Higher Sports Council (CSD) to the best athlete, team, or entity from a European Union member country, recognizes the historic victory of the European team in the 2023 Solheim Cup held at Finca Cortesín (Málaga, Andalusia), an edition that ended in a 14-point tie and allowed Europe to retain the trophy against the United States.

The edition held on the Costa del Sol was a milestone for European women’s golf and for the international projection of Andalusia as a venue for major sporting competitions, placing the destination in the center of the world media spotlight for a week of maximum visibility for professional women’s golf.

These editions of the National Sports Awards have also honored some of the leading figures in Spanish and international sport in recent years, such as Rodrigo Hernández ‘Rodri’, Aitana Bonmatí, Álvaro Martín, María Pérez, and Lamine Yamal, among others.

The captain of the European team in that edition, Suzann Pettersen, was responsible for collecting the award on behalf of all the players and technical staff, expressing her gratitude for the recognition received: “It is an honor that the work of the entire team in the 2023 Solheim Cup has been recognized with this European Union Trophy.”

Pettersen also briefly recalled the special nature of that edition: “Retaining the trophy after such a close week was a very special moment for all of us and one that will remain in our memories forever.”

The 2023 Solheim Cup left a significant legacy for European women’s golf, both in terms of the competitive level and the international profile of the event held in Spain. The performance of the European team, with Spanish player Carlota Ciganda playing a particularly prominent role, was decisive in achieving a result that is now part of the competition’s history.

The European Union Trophy highlights not only the sporting success of the European Team, but also the values of teamwork, leadership, and excellence that the Solheim Cup represents, consolidating its impact as the most important competition on the international women’s golf calendar.