The United States and Europe split the morning foursome round at the Solheim Cup, giving the U.S. an 8-4 lead entering the afternoon fourballs in Gainesville, Va.
The Europeans came out to a roaring start, leading in three of four matches after the front nine, helped by a poor start for the Americans. Europe was a combined 3-under through the first side, compared to 8-over for the U.S. On the back nine, fortunes reversed, with the four American pairs going 17-under compared to 5-under.
The team of Allisen Corpuz and Nelly Korda rallied from two shots down to win their match against Emily Pedersen and Carlota Ciganda, 1 up, to seal the U.S. split. And it took one of the most improbable shots Corpuz might ever hit to turn the match around.
Trying to avoid the water on par-5 No. 14 and get close to the green, Corpuz mishit her shot with the fairway wood, topping the ball that wound up barely getting off the ground at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club.
But all turned out well, as the ball improbably missed the lake, rolled onto the green and rebounded off the fringe toward the hole to leave Korda an eagle putt from 25 feet. Korda sank it to give the Americans the lead.
Allisen and Nelly convert the EAGLE to go 1 Up! ???? pic.twitter.com/4kJQlchPG6
— LPGA (@LPGA) September 14, 2024
Corpuz said that playing with Korda, the No 1 player in the world, gave her confidence.
“I feel like every single time you play with Nelly it’s kind of like, ‘Hey. It’s going to turn around at some point. Just be patient and keep playing the way that we have.”
Korda and Corpuz are 4-0-0 as a foursomes pairing, the first pair to win four consecutive foursomes matches in Solheim Cup history.
Americans Ally Ewing and Jennifer Kupcho walked to the green at No. 18 all square after Europeans Esther Henseleit and Charley Hull bogeyed No. 17 and could have given the Americans a win. Hull’s big drive left Henseleit 86 yards to the hole, and she nearly holed it, and the Americans conceded a short birdie putt to give Europe the hole.
The teams split the remaining two matches, both by a 4&3 margin.
Americans Lexi Thompson and Lauren Coughlin topped Maja Stark and Georgia Hall, and the duo of Anna Nordqvist and Celine Boutier bested Lilia Vu and Sarah Schmelzel.
The afternoon fourball round features the following matches, with the Europeans listed first in each:
–Nordqvist and Madelene Sagstrom vs. Alison Lee and Megan Khang
–Linn Grant and Boutier vs. Andrea Lee and Rose Zhang
–Ciganda and Pedersen vs. Ewing and Thompson
–Hull and Georgia Hall vs. Corpuz and Vu
As defending champions, Europe needs 14 points to win the Solheim Cup for a record fourth consecutive time. The United States, seeking its first win since 2017, must earn 14 1/2.
Play concludes Sunday. Only twice has a team trailed by four or more points at the end of a session and then go on to win or retain the Solheim Cup.
–Field Level Media
