(Field Level Media) 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 yesterday 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.
