This was the last Solheim Cup to be held in an even-numbered year, as the next Solheim Cup would take place in 2003 and every odd-numbered year thereafter.
Teams
The European team was supposed to be made up of seven automatic qualifiers and five wild card picks but there was a tie for seventh position so there were eight automatic qualifiers and only four picks from Captain Dale Reid.[1] The US team consisted of 10 automatic qualifiers and two picks from Captain Patty Sheehan.[2]
The match format was slightly changed from 2000. A total of 28 points were available, divided among four periods of team play, followed by one period of singles play. The first period, on Friday morning, was four rounds of foursomes. This was followed in the afternoon by four rounds of fourballs. This schedule was repeated on the Saturday morning and afternoon. The four periods on Friday and Saturday accounted for 16 points. During these team periods, the players played in teams of two. All players had to play in at least one session of the first two days. The final 12 points were decided in a round of singles matchplay, in which all 24 players (12 from each team) took part.