GAINESVILLE, Va. — Nelly Korda stood alone. The World No. 1 arrived at the driving range at 6 a.m. Friday ahead of her opening Solheim Cup match, with only the bright lights from the back of the European team's house illuminating the range. Instead of heading to the American side on the right, where partner Allisen Corpuz warmed up in limited light, the 13-time winner wanted to do it her own way.
Korda, 26, was in the lion's den, surrounded by European players, caddies and staff preparing to begin their run at holding onto the Solheim Cup.
"I didn't really care," Korda said. "I was just focused on my thing and my process and getting ready for my match. I mean, I warm up next to them every single week, so for me it was just another week really."
Korda's performance Friday doused some of Europe's chances with a Day 1 sweep as the Americans hold a commanding 6-2 lead at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club just outside the nation's capital. The Florida native won 3 and 2 with Allisen Corpuz in the morning foursomes, making the duo the first American pair to win three straight foursomes matches. Korda partnered with close friend Megan Khang in the first afternoon four-ball match, skipping her way out of the tunnel to the first tee before thrashing Georgia Hall and European stalwart Leona Maguire, 6 and 4. Korda added multiple footnotes to her already historic six-win season, becoming the first American to win two Day 1 Solheim Cup matches by at least three holes. The Korda-Corpuz pair is the first American tandem to win three straight foursomes matches. Korda won 16 holes in her two matches, the most by a player in the Solheim Cup since 2015.
Korda tried downplaying her importance to the American side earlier in the week, suggesting the team shouldn't lean just on her ability. U.S. Solheim Cup captain Stacy Lewis sent Korda out first in both sessions, with her top player's overwhelming talents serving as a foundational bedrock of the American march toward winning the Solheim Cup for the first time since 2017.
"Still a lot of golf to be played," Korda said. "But I think it's a step in the right direction. I'll let you know how I feel on Sunday hopefully."
Korda she was unstoppable on the par 5s, winning all eight that she played on Friday, including a pair of eagles on the 12th and 14th holes to end her afternoon four-ball match. Lewis told the media Friday that Korda gained 7.5 strokes on the field, the most her analytics team has ever seen in a day between their tracking at Ryder Cups and Solheim Cups.
Lewis pressed the right buttons with her lineups, as all four Americans who went out for two matches Friday won in both sessions. That included her two rookies, Sarah Schmelzel and Virginia native Lauren Coughlin, who paired with Lilia Vu and Rose Zhang in foursomes. They went out together in afternoon four-ball and collected a steely 3-and-2 win over Maja Stark and Emily Pedersen, the only winning European pair from the morning session. The only American hiccup came from its only two players with winning experience on its roster, as Lexi Thompson and Alison Lee lost their four-ball match 6 and 5 to Anna Nordqvist and Madelene Sagstrom.
"I think it's 0-0," Lewis said. "Today was great, but I want to go put as many points on the board as we can tomorrow because you never know, you look at Lexi's match today, kind of ran into a buzz saw. So you never know when that's going to happen, and they could be firing on all cylinders tomorrow."
Former president Barack Obama is in the background cheering on the first tee Friday at the Solheim Cup.
NurPhoto
Once again, Europe must try to pull out of a deficit to extend their streak of retaining the cup. They trailed 5-3 at Finca Cortesin last year and European captain Suzann Pettersen hopes they can lean on their comeback from their opening day in Spain. Getting out of their hole became even more challenging with their MVP, Leona Maguire, out of form. The Irishwoman got crushed by Korda in her four-ball session and will remain on the bench for foursomes on Saturday morning.
"We have to face reality, and we have a massive job to do," Pettersen said. "We proved to ourselves we were capable of doing this last year, so the belief is there. There's a lot of points yet to be played for. We've just got to come out tomorrow hungry."
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Golf took a backseat in the morning to the shuttle delays fans faced just getting to RTJ. Thousands were stranded for hours at nearby amphitheater, five miles from the course, waiting for a bus. More fans queued there than were at the first tee grandstands at the start of play, leading to a muted morning. The LPGA released a statement apologizing for the delays and explaining they made significant changes to their transportation system, though winding lines to leave late Friday have not reflected them yet.
The afternoon matches had a livelier first tee, with the 44th President of the United States Barack Obama, who is an honorary member at RTJ, watching all four matches tee off, taking photos with anyone who asked on the first tee.
Saturday morning foursomes
Match 9: 7:05 a.m. (EDT)
Allisen Corpuz/Nelly Korda, U.S. vs. Emily Pedersen/Carlota Ciganda, Europe
Match 10: 7:17 a.m. (EDT)
Ally Ewing/Jennifer Kupcho, U.S. vs. Esther Henseleit/Charley Hull, Europe
Match 11: 7:29 a.m. (EDT)
Lexi Thompson/Lauren Coughlin, U.S. vs. Maja Stark/Georgia Hall, Europe
Match 12: 7:41 a.m. (EDT)
Lilia Vu/Sarah Schmelzel, U.S. vs. Anna Nordqvist/Celine Boutier, Europe
Not playing
U.S.: Rose Zhang, Megan Khang, Andrea Lee, Alison Lee
Europe: Leona Maguire, Linn Grant, Albane Valenzuela, Madelene Sagstrom