The Americans took control of the opening foursomes in the 19th Solheim Cup at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club this morning, closing the session with the scoreline 3-1 in their favour. Maja Stark and Emily Pedersen put the first European point on the board. The Americans led after the first session of the 2007, 2009 and 2023 Solheim Cups. Last year in Spain, the USA led 4-0, before the incredible European fightback.
Friday Foursome results
Match 1 – 7.05 am – Nelly Korda/Allisen Corpuz (USA) def. Esther Henseleit/Charley Hull (EUR), 3 and 2
No American tandem has ever won three consecutive Solheim Cup foursomes matches, until now. Korda and Corpuz became the first to do so with a 3-and-2 victory over Henseleit and Hull, putting the very first point on the board for the U.S. The two trailed Henseleit and Hull after the Europeans birdied No. 2, and as fast as the Americans could even the match the Europeans took the lead right back with another birdie on 4. The Americans finally took the lead on No. 7 and were 2-up through nine holes, until falling into a tie again on 11. On No. 12, Corpuz sank a 15-foot putt to go 1-up again, which generated huge roars from the crowd, but a short shot into the bunker on 13 put them back in a tie. No. 14 was the difference maker for the Americans. After both balls found water on their approach, Korda bumped it up to just over 10 feet and gave Corpuz another big moment when she sank the putt. On 15, Corpuz’s 25-foot putt skimmed the hole, and after Hull missed a 5-footer, Korda tapped it in. Finally, on the par-3 16th, Korda stuck her tee shot within 6 feet of the flag, almost assuring an American victory. After the Europeans made par with two putts in a row, Corpuz got the crowd roaring again when she made the birdie putt to end the match.
“Yeah, we made a really good birdie on 12, and then I hit it in the water for (Nelly) on 14…. But made a really good par putt there,” said Corpuz. “I just think any time you make a longer putt, it kind of gives you a little more momentum. 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.”
Match 2 – 7.17 am – Rose Zhang/Lauren Coughlin (USA) def. Celine Boutier/Albane Valenzuela (EUR), 3 and 2
Home-state hero Lauren Coughlin paired with Solheim Cup sophomore Rose Zhang jumped out to an early 1-up lead over the Europeans after birding the par-4 No. 2. The duo did not trail through the entirety of their match even after Albane Valenzuela and Celine Boutier managed to tie the match up after earning a birdie of their own on No. 9. The Americans retook their lead on No. 12 and added to it with a birdie on No. 13 to take the 2-up lead. The two never trailed again taking a 3-up lead on No. 14 after Valenzuela went for the green in two shots, and landed the ball just short of the green, in the water, and the U.S. duo made a par. Zhang and Coughlin held that until the end taking home the 3&2 victory and the second point for the Americans.
“I think — I don’t know. I think I mentally prepared myself really well,” Coughlin said about taking her first opening tee shot at the Solheim Cup. “I was pretty nervous actually yesterday. I wasn’t too bad today. I think I’d done a really good job of trying to prepare myself mentally for what I might feel. I don’t know, I think I just felt super prepared and was able to hit it right down the middle.”
Match 3 – 7.29 am – Emily Pedersen/Maja Stark (EUR) def. Ally Ewing/Jennifer Kupcho (USA), 2 up
Emily Pedersen and Maja Stark got off to a hot start jumping into a 4-up lead through the first five holes of their morning match after they rolled in three birdies in-a-row on holes three thru five. On the back nine, American duo Ally Ewing and Jennifer Kupcho began to make climb back up as back-to-back birdies on 14 and 15 saw the Europeans lead decrease to just 1-up. However, Europe held on with pars on 16 and 17 before an excellent approach on the last by Pedersen saw the European duo win their final hole to finish 2-up and secure their only point of the morning session.
“It’s been a lot of fun,” Stark said about her day. “I was way less nervous this year than it was last. It was a nice feeling. Coming off a hot start, it gives us a good feeling because we know we can play really well coming off the stretch there. The Americans started playing really well as well. Yeah, it was just a nice first round to get a little bit of excitement as well.”
Match 4 – 7.41 am – Lilia Vu/Sarah Schmelzel (USA) def. Linn Grant/Carlota Ciganda (EUR), 3 and 2
Lilia Vu and Sarah Schmelzel clinched the third point for the Americans of the morning foursomes after defeating Linn Grant and Carlota Ciganda, 3 and 2. The Americans took an early 1-up lead after winning the first hole of the day, meanwhile the Europeans made a birdie of their own on the second hole but it didn’t last long as Vu and Schmelzel went back ahead on the third and didn’t relinquish their lead. The Europeans tried their best taking No. 14 to bring the lead back down to just 2 up but a birdie putt on No. 16 decided the match, taking the third point for the Americans 3 and 2.
“I think we get on great,” Vu said about the chemistry with Schmelzel. “We’re just going to do our things. We trust each other’s games. I trust Sarah. She hits it straight and is always reliable. We have a good time together.”
Friday Fourball Tee Times
12.05 pm Georgia Hall/Leona Maguire (EUR) vs. Nelly Korda/Megan Khang (USA)
12.20 pm Anna Nordqvist/Madelene Sagstrom (EUR) vs. Alison Lee/Lexi Thompson (USA)
12.35 pm Emily Pedersen/Maja Stark (EUR) vs. Lauren Coughlin/Sarah Schmelzel (USA)
12.50 pm Linn Grant/Charley Hull (EUR) vs. Andrea Lee/Rose Zhang (USA)
