Nelly Korda and Allisen Corpuz made history at the Solheim Cup with a commanding win over England's Charley Hull and her partner Lottie Woad during Friday's foursomes round, while the overall opening session ended in a tie between Team Europe and Team USA. Hull entered the match with a strong record against Korda, having secured two victories in three previous Solheim Cup encounters, including a decisive 6&4 singles triumph two years earlier. Despite that pedigree, Hull and Woad found themselves on the back foot from the first tee at Bernardus Golf, as the American duo quickly seized control. After dropping the opening hole, Korda and Corpuz rallied and surged ahead, ultimately clinching the match 4&3.
Their performance marked the first time an American pair has accumulated five foursomes wins together in Solheim Cup history, and it also represented the first streak of five consecutive foursomes victories by any team, male or female, in the competition. In the same session, Alison Lee and Lauren Coughlin staged a comeback of their own, overturning an early deficit to defeat Denmark's Nanna Koerstz Madsen and France's Céline Boutier 3-2. Their win, combined with the Korda‑Corpuz triumph, gave Team USA two points, while Europe also earned two points, leaving the overall score delicately balanced as rain began to fall.
Sweden's pairing of Maja Stark and Linn Grant secured the first point for Europe by beating the United States' rising stars Rose Zhang and Jennifer Kupcho 3&2. Later, Ireland's Leona Maguire teamed with Germany's Esther Henseleit to edge out Andrea Lee and Lindy Duncan 2&1, ensuring that the opening session finished level—a scenario that has occurred only twice before in the 20‑year history of the Solheim Cup. Team USA captain Angela Stanford chose to start with Korda and Corpuz, recalling their flawless foursomes record in the 2023 and 2024 editions.
The pair lived up to expectations, despite Woad opening the match with a birdie on the first hole. Neither side could capitalize on the par‑five fifth, but the Americans responded by winning three consecutive holes from the sixth onward, pulling away from a struggling Hull, whose play was uncharacteristically tentative. Pars on the 12th and 13th kept the momentum with the United States, while Woad managed a birdie on the 14th to narrow the gap.
Korda and Corpuz then sealed the victory with a steady par on the par‑three 15th, finishing the match with a comfortable margin. "We just lost a bit of momentum at the end of the front nine," Woad reflected. "They made a couple of birdies and we missed some good chances.
Once you lose momentum, it can be tough to get it back." The win not only gave Korda and Corpuz a record‑breaking fifth foursomes point as a pair, surpassing the previous American best of 4.5 points set by Dottie Pepper and Brandie Burton, but it also elevated Korda's career foursomes total to seven points—the third‑highest tally ever for a U.S. player. "I enjoy playing with her [Corpuz] so much," Korda said.
"We have a lot of fun out there. She's such a solid player. It's great to be able to rely on her and also have fun while doing it." In the second match, Europe held the lead until Madsen's tee shot found water on the sixth, allowing Lee and Coughlin to capture three of the next five holes and double the United States' advantage. "We played super consistent this whole morning," Lee noted.
"We kept the ball in the fairway, hit the greens, and gave each other birdie chances when we could. I'm really happy with how we performed." The bottom match saw Grant and Stark build a four‑hole lead after seven holes. Grant's dramatic bunker shot on the ninth preserved their advantage, though Zhang and Kupcho fought back, winning the 10th and 11th holes.
A steady par on the 15th secured the win for the Swedish duo, while Henseleit and Maguire were forced to the final hole, ultimately prevailing after a tense finish. Maguire's Solheim Cup résumé is impressive: she has amassed 9.5 points from 13 matches, the highest points‑per‑match percentage in European Solheim Cup history among players with at least ten appearances. "I've been very fortunate to have great partners," Maguire said. "Many of those points have come from foursomes and fourball matches.
The support here has been incredible—Irish flags, German flags, all cheering us on, especially when the weather turned miserable." As the competition moves into the afternoon four‑ball sessions, the question on everyone's mind is which side will ultimately claim the trophy. Fans can follow Team Europe's quest to reclaim the Solheim Cup live on Sky Sports, with coverage set to continue on Saturday from 6 a.m. on Sky Sports Golf.
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