It’s safe to say Nelly Korda and the United States team are sitting pretty after Day 1 of the Solheim Cup.
The Americans rode the momentum of a 3-1 morning session and dominated Team Europe in the afternoon four-ball (best-ball) matches to open up a 6-2 lead in the competition on Friday in Gainesville, Va.
Hosting the event at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club, the U.S. made true progress toward ending a three-event Solheim Cup drought. The team needs 14 1/2 points by Sunday to wrest the cup back from Europe.
“I saw a ton of good golf, and really things played out the way we were hoping,” U.S. captain Stacy Lewis said. “So just really happy with the pairings I was able to put out, and the players produced some great shots and some great scores and got us a ton of points.”
World No. 1 Korda fired several terrific shots as she and Megan Khang steamrolled England’s Georgia Hall and Ireland’s Leona Maguire 6 and 4.
Korda — who teamed with Allisen Corpuz in the morning foursome (alternate-shot) session to score the Americans’ first point of the day — won the afternoon match with two eagles on her last three holes. At the par-5 12th, she flighted her approach at the par-5 12th onto the green and rolled it up to a mere 3 feet.
At No. 14, she nearly hit the pin with her second shot, then made the ensuing putt to end the match.
“We started already out of the gates really pumping up the crowd, and it was so much fun all day,” Korda said.
Rose Zhang sank multiple long putts and Andrea Lee nearly made an improbable hole-out on the final hole as they dominated Sweden’s Linn Grant and England’s Charley Hull, 5 and 4.
Europe’s only point of the four-ball session came from Swedish teammates Anna Nordqvist and Madelene Sagstrom, who defeated Alison Lee and Lexi Thompson 6 and 5.
Solheim Cup rookies Lauren Coughlin and Sarah Schmelzel halved their first six holes against Denmark’s Emily Kristine Pedersen and Sweden’s Maja Stark before Schmelzel’s birdie at No. 7 put them ahead for good. The American duo finished off a 3-and-2 win when Coughlin rolled in a birdie putt at the par-3 16th.
Coughlin, a Virginia native playing near her hometown, started 2-0-0 at her first Solheim Cup, as did the fellow rookie Schmelzel.
“We have a really great team,” Coughlin said. “We had fun this week. I figured, if we can go out and have a good time, good things will happen.”
European captain Suzann Pettersen of Norway said there was a “massive job” ahead for her team. She pointed to last year’s competition, when the U.S. swept the first session 4-0 before Europe clawed back for a 14-14 tie to retain the cup.
“All I would say, I think we gave it a good effort,” Pettersen said. “I think the Americans played great … I feel like they kind of had all the putts rolling their way. I really don’t feel like we’ve had any momentum, but it’s not to blame.”
In the morning foursomes session, Korda and Corpuz defeated Hull and Esther Henseleit of Germany 3 and 2, and Zhang and Coughlin beat France’s Celine Boutier and Switzerland’s Albane Valenzuela by the same score.
Pedersen and Stark raced out to a 4-up lead through five holes against Ally Ewing and Jennifer Kupcho, but the Americans chipped away at that margin from the ninth hole on. They were 1 down heading to the 18th, but Pedersen hit a perfect approach shot to set up a short birdie, and Europe won the match 2 up.
In the final match of the morning, World No. 2 Lilia Vu and Schmelzel defeated Grant and Spain’s Carlota Ciganda, also 3 and 2.
Korda and Corpuz’s match hinged on the par-5 14th hole, when both teams hit the water on their second shot. After the ensuing drops, Korda placed the Americans slightly closer than the Europeans, and Corpuz sank the par putt after Europe’s putt missed.
“I just think any time you make a longer putt, it kind of gives you a little more momentum,” Corpuz said. “It felt like we were playing really well all day long; just burned a lot of edges in the first few holes and was able to see them going in.”
They won the next two holes and wrapped up the match at the par-3 16th, where Korda’s tee shot settled several feet from the cup and Corpuz converted the birdie.
Zhang and Coughlin never trailed in their morning match, though it took until No. 12 for them to break away from Boutier and Valenzuela. Coughlin’s birdie putt at that hole pushed the Americans 1 up; Zhang made an uphill par putt at No. 16 to finish the job.
–Field Level Media
