GAINESVILLE, Virginia — World No. 1 Nelly Korda will be tasked with leading Team USA into this Solheim Cup.
Korda, who won six straight tournaments earlier this year including the first major of the season, will team up with Allisen Corpuz in the first foursome match on Friday. Their 7:05 a.m. ET tee time pits the duo against the Europeans’ Charley Hull and Esther Henseleit.
Rose Zhang, Lilia Vu and Lauren Coughlin are also in captain Stacy Lewis’ lineup. Korda and Corpuz were teamed together as part of the opening session a year ago, a 4-0 American sweep for the first time in Solheim history.
Friday foursome matches
• 7:05 a.m. — Esther Henseleit/Charley Hull (Euro) vs. Nelly Korda/Allisen Corpuz (USA)
• 7:17 a.m. — Celine Boutier/Aibane Valenzuela (Euro) vs. Rose Zhang/Lauren Coughlin (USA)
• 7:29 a.m. — Emily Pedersen/Maja Stark (Euro) vs. Ally Ewing/Jennifer Kupcho (USA)
• 7:41 a.m. — Linn Grant/Carlota Ciganda (Euro) vs. Lilia Vu/Sarah Schmelzel (USA)
What to watch Friday morning
U.S. captain Stacy Lewis and European captain Suzann Pettersen are both sending out a balanced mix of experience and new blood during the first session of the event, traditionally held biennially but in back-to-back years this time to separate from the Ryder Cup. World No. 1 Nelly Korda and U.S. Women’s Open champion Allisen Corpuz are kicking things off in a pairing that has proven successful — the duo went 2-0-1 at last year’s competition in Spain. They’ll go head-to-head with a fiery European veteran in Charley Hull, but she’s paired with a rookie, Germany’s Esther Henseleit. Pettersen chose a similar combination for her second pairing with three-time European team member, Celine Boutier and rookie Albane Valenzuela. Considering the intense atmosphere on the first tee, Pettersen explained that, “there’s no point in letting (the rookies) sit around and kind of wait and wonder what it’s going to be like.”
Notables absences from the first round of pairings include Ireland’s Leona Maguire, one of the best match-play competitors in the LPGA. Maguire has a 7-2-1 record in two Solheim Cup appearances and came runner-up in the LPGA’s match-play event this season to Korda. Lexi Thompson was also left off the opening foursomes. Despite a rocky few years on the LPGA, Thompson has shown solid form in recent weeks as she prepares to take a step back from the competitive game in 2025. This is more than likely her last Solheim Cup, and if the practice rounds are any indication, the home crowds are rallying around her.
The American pairing of Lauren Coughlin and Rose Zhang is a fascinating one: Coughlin is a 31-year-old rookie and one of the hottest players on tour right now, and Zhang is playing on her second U.S. team at 21. Lewis noted that the inspiration for the pairing came “out of the computer,” as the Americans are relying heavily on stats this year.
At the 2023 Solheim Cup, the Americans swept the Europeans in the opening session, but the event ultimately ended in a 14-14 tie and Europe retaining the trophy. The opening session is important, but as history has shown, it’s not everything. The key to these team events is stamina, momentum and strategic decision-making. Both teams will go out again at Robert Trent Jones Golf Course Friday afternoon for a four-ball session.
How to watch
Golf Channel will carry coverage of the Solheim Cup from 7 a.m.-6 p.m. ET on Friday in the U.S. Sky Sports will carry the event in the U.K.
Required reading
• How Lauren Coughlin, the Solheim Cup’s oldest rookie, learned to believe in her golf game
• Flawless Nelly Korda shows at Women’s Open she can dominate in any conditions
• Lexi Thompson headlines captain’s picks for U.S. Solheim Cup team
(Top photo of Nelly Korda: Gregory Shamus / Getty Images)
