Heading into her fourth Solheim Cup with no wins to show for it, World No. 1 Nelly Korda is determined to help the U.S. wrest the title away from Europe, which has held the trophy for three straight tournaments.
Last year in Spain, the U.S. and Europe played to a 14-14 tie, the first in the event’s history. The tie allowed captain Suzann Pettersen and the Europeans to retain the title. Meanwhile, the U.S. hasn’t won the event since capturing its second straight Cup in 2017.
“We got some unfinished business,” Korda said on Tuesday ahead of the 19th edition of the event, slated to begin on Friday at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Gainesville, Va.
“Getting to represent my country, I’ve been lucky enough and honored enough to do it a couple of times, and every single time … whenever you get to wear the red, white, and blue and stars and stripes, there’s a different meaning to it.”
Korda, 26, who has six victories on the LPGA Tour this season — including a record-tying five in a row — would love to see the U.S. team form a cohesive unit that can rely on every member, not just the elite players.
“For the amount (of Solheim Cups) that I’ve played,” Korda said, “I mean, there’s definitely other people that we can look up to, but at the end of the day, I hope that we can all come together as a team and just lean on each other, other than someone else leaning on maybe me because I have more experience or I’m the No. 1 player in the world. I just hope that we all come together and lean on each other.”
The U.S. contingent, which includes World No. 2 Lilia Vu along with Allison Lee, Megan Khang and Lexi Thompson, will be guided for the second straight year by team captain Stacy Lewis.
“To touch on Stacy, it’s been so fun playing for her,” Korda said. “She’s really, really involved, and I feel like she’s been such a great captain, a leader, so she’s been great to lean on.
“It’s great to see how organized she is, too, so our days are planned out to a T, so we have nothing to worry about other than our business on the golf course.”
Gearing up for the stretch run of the LPGA season, Korda expressed her excitement to step onto the course and have the support of her teammates.
“It’s such a fun event,” she said. “There’s nothing like it. There’s nothing like walking onto that first tee and feeling all those nerves. I think it’s something super exciting, too, and refreshing to have a teammate, have teammates and captains and people to lean on when you normally don’t.”
–Field Level Media
