If the 1998 Solheim Cup was the event’s coming of age, then the year 2000 cemented the event’s significance by providing dramatic storylines and intense, passion-filled play as the Europeans were out to prove, after having lost three Cups in a row, that this event would not favor one side for generations, or even a decade. A typically reserved Annika Sorenstam, contradicting the press on both sides of the Atlantic, addressed her European counterparts on the eve of the matches and said it was ridiculous to be portrayed as inferior. “We have 100 tournament wins in this room. We have enough career prize money to buy half this island.”

It was the year of the umbrellas. With unrelenting rain playing out the week’s sub-plot, both teams knew that translating their strong desire into deep concentration could be the difference in wading through the 18 drenched holes for three days. The opening sequence said it all as Solheim Cup-favorite Laura Davies, paired with long-time friend Alison Nicholas, faced U.S. mainstays Dottie Pepper and Juli Inkster. The Euros were victorious that day, but Pepper and Inkster came back on Sunday to win their singles matches.

And so the Europeans, led by Captain Dale Reid, proceeded to slosh through the rain-drenched Scottish course to the tune of a 14½-11½ victory over the Americans, returning the Cup to their home turf.