German car manufacturer BMW has struck a sponsorship agreement with the biennial women’s golf Solheim Cup competition.

The deal has been struck between event organizers and the BMW Automotor Premium official dealer for BMW in Spain’s Malaga region and will see more than 40 official electric vehicles used during the event to ferry officials and players - to reduce its carbon footprint.

Similar to the men's Ryder Cup, the Solheim Cup is a transatlantic team competition, featuring 12 golfers from the Ladies European Tour (LET) against 12 from the US Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour, chosen via a points system in each respective competition.

It will take place in Spain for the first time this September, being held at Finca Cortesin in the southern region of Andalucia.

Alfonso Rodriguez, divisional director and managing director of BMW and Mini, of the Safamotor Group, said: “Around 35,000 kilometers will be covered during the week of the event, which will translate into more than six tonnes of CO2 emissions not emitted into the atmosphere.

“We have to work tirelessly to make the world a better place and to make the event completely sustainable thanks to electrified vehicles.”

As part of its sustainability drive, the competition's organizers signed a partnership with marine energy supplier Peninsula in March.

The global partners of the 2023 edition of the Solheim Cup are Ping, Costa del Sol, and Rolex.

The 2023 Cup will be the last held in an odd-numbered year, with the tournament to be held in even years from 2024 onwards to avoid clashing with the Ryder Cup, its men’s counterpart.

The 2024 tournament will be hosted by the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Virginia, US.