Charley Hull to Face Nelly Korda in Solheim Cup Opener as Teams Prepare for Exciting Showdown
The eagerly anticipated 2024 Solheim Cup is set to commence with a high-stakes opening match featuring English star Charley Hull against world number one Nelly Korda. The competition kicks off at 07:05 local time (12:05 BST) at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Virginia, with the first day dedicated to foursomes matches.
Hull, an experienced campaigner for Europe, will team up with German rookie Esther Henseleit. Meanwhile, Korda will be paired with Allisen Corpuz, a duo that previously excelled in the last Solheim Cup by winning both their foursomes matches.
Europe’s captain, Suzann Pettersen, expressed her enthusiasm for getting Hull into action early, stating, “It’s nice to get Charley going, she doesn’t like to sit around and wait.” On the other side, U.S. captain Stacy Lewis highlighted the rationale behind placing Korda in the opening match. “I wanted to send experience out first and there is no better than the world number one and a pairing that was very successful,” Lewis noted.
The opening session last year saw the U.S. sweep 4-0, although Europe staged a remarkable comeback to secure a 14-14 tie. As defending champions, Europe needs to secure 14 points to retain the trophy for a record fourth time, while the U.S. requires 14½ points to reclaim the title they last won in 2017.
Pettersen’s decision to include both of her debutants in the opening session includes Albane Valenzuela and France’s Celine Boutier, who is Europe’s highest-ranked player. Lewis has also fielded her two rookies, Lauren Coughlin and Rose Zhang, in a bid to experience the high-pressure environment of the Solheim Cup.
Among the notable absentees from the opening session is Ireland’s Leona Maguire, a fixture in previous Solheim Cups. Pettersen admitted, “To sit Leona in a foursome is a tough call. But you go a little bit with the gut. She has a great record and is a feisty Solheim player and you’ll see her.”
On the U.S. side, Lexi Thompson and Megan Khang, who were successful in last year’s foursomes, will not feature in the first session. Lewis defended her choices, emphasizing that not all players would participate in every session and that she values strategic flexibility.
The 19th Solheim Cup, held at the 6,741-yard Robert Trent Jones Golf Club on the shores of Lake Manassas, promises to deliver thrilling golf action over three days. The event will feature a mix of foursomes, fourballs, and singles matches, with 28 points available. The U.S. leads the series 10-7 with one tied match, but Europe has won twice on U.S. soil in the past decade, demonstrating their strong competitive spirit.
The pairings for Friday’s fourballs, where players use their own ball with the best score counting, will be announced at the end of the foursomes session. Saturday will see additional foursomes and fourballs matches, culminating in a full slate of 12 singles matches on Sunday.