Galleries at the 20th Solheim Cup have been granted a blockbuster start with Nelly Korda and Charley Hull to face off in Friday morning’s foursomes. The meeting of Korda, the world No 1, and Hull, Europe’s star turn, should ensure an electric opening in the Netherlands as the USA seek to retain the trophy won in Virginia two years ago. Korda nudged out Hull at the US Women’s Open in June.
Hull will partner the Solheim Cup debutant Lottie Woad against the formidable USA pairing of Korda and Allisen Corpuz to begin the tournament. Nanna Koerstz Madsen and Céline Boutier will represent Europe in match two, where they will take on Alison Lee and Lauren Coughlin. Esther Henseleit and Leona Maguire have been selected for the hosts in the penultimate match, with Andrea Lee and Lindy Duncan in opposition. The foursomes will conclude with Europe’s Swedish duo of Maja Stark and Linn Grant facing Rose Zhang and Jennifer Kupcho.
“She’s been buzzing, she’s been so excited,” said Europe’s captain Anna Nordqvist of Hull. “Her and Lottie have got to play quite a bit on tour this year, so I think they were both very excited to be paired with each other.”
Angela Stanford, the USA captain, said Korda and Corpuz had “earned the right” to lead their team out. “I feel like if I didn’t put those two out, I would be questioned,” Stanford added. “I feel like the whole world knew that they were coming.”
In a peculiar moment as the captains completed the last of their pre-tournament media duties, Nordqvist asserted every player on each team had to play on day one as per an agreement. Stanford looked bemused by the suggestion. The actual ruling, which was later clarified, says players must appear in at least one session before Sunday. Nordqvist must hope her misstep – or misunderstanding – is not a sign of things to come.
The USA have won only once on European soil since 2007, when they triumphed in 2015. Eleven years have passed since “Gimme-gate” but Alison Lee’s reappearance in a United States team in Europe gives cause to reflect upon the chaos that unfolded in Germany. “It was a shell-shocking week for me,” Lee recalls.
This weekend, Lee will be the sole playing survivor from the US contingent in 2015. Back then, aged 20, she picked up her ball before the supposed formality of a concession from Europe. Suzann Pettersen seized upon the moment, claiming the hole for Europe amid tears and ferocious backlash. The USA had the last laugh, winning the Solheim Cup by one point as Pettersen spent the evening sobbing in a hotel room.
“I had been thrown into a team where I didn’t really know anyone very well,” says Lee. “I just felt really grateful that the team around me, the US team, were just so supportive of me. They had my back and they were so welcoming.
“All that stuff happened on Sunday morning because there was a delay and we had to finish the Saturday afternoon session in the morning. So we had a couple hours before singles where we all came together and I was very rattled, obviously, with everything that happened. I think everyone just saw me as a little sister and they just really cared for me. They not only wanted to win, for the US, but we wanted to win for each other. And so I feel like that meant a lot.
“I was so young. I remember just being on the team was such a cool thing to be a part of. Less than a year before that, I was watching them all on TV so I was a little scared to be on the team, to be honest. Winning was super special.”
Pettersen’s redemption came in 2019, when she holed the winning putt for Europe at Gleneagles before announcing her retirement. Lee represented the US in Virginia two years ago but always had a return trip to Europe in her thoughts. “I feel really proud of myself,” Lee adds. “It was a huge goal to be here and I didn’t think it was in reach.
“I took some time off last year, I had my son who is 16 months old now. I knew it would be challenging to try and make this team and it was a hard, hard journey, but I did everything I could to make it here. To be able to make the team on my own this year just meant a lot.”
The US team will wear commemorative pin badges on Friday as a means of marking the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.
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