GAINESVILLE, Va. — As Nelly Korda lined up her approach shot on the par-5 14th at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club on Friday afternoon, the outcome of her four-ball match was in little doubt. At 5 up with five holes to play, she and Megan Khang were all but assured of a victory. The only suspense left was how Korda would punctuate her day’s play.
What followed was an exclamation point.
Korda lofted a hybrid high and out to the right of the tucked pin and watched as her ball drifted back toward the flagstick. Her ball dropped from the sky right next to the hole, taking a few hops before stopping 12 feet behind the cup. A few moments later, she rolled in the eagle putt — her second in three holes — to close out her 6-and-4 win over Georgia Hall and Leona Maguire.
“We’ve got world No. 1,” U.S. captain Stacy Lewis said. “And it’s very helpful when she plays well.”
“We’ve got world No. 1,” U.S. captain Stacy Lewis said. “And it’s very helpful when she plays well.”
Korda has been ranked as the top player in the women’s game for the entirety of 2024 — and on Day 1 at the Solheim Cup, she played like it.
Over the course of two sessions — foursomes in the morning and four-balls in the afternoon — Korda won two full points for Team USA. She and teammate Alisen Corpuz dispatched of Charley Hull and Esther Henseleit 3 and 2 in the first match of the day before Korda returned in the leadoff spot for the afternoon session en route to a 6-2 American advantage after Day 1.
According to the stats crew for Team USA, Korda gained 7.5 strokes on the field during her afternoon four-ball match in which she went eight under through 14 holes.
