"Nelly Korda and Rose Zhang Compete in Opening Round of Solheim Cup"
Top golfers Nelly Korda and Allisen Corpuz will be the first to tee off for the U.S. team at the Solheim Cup on Friday morning. Rose Zhang is scheduled to play in the second pairing for the Americans.
The international team event, which features four foursomes (alternate-shot matches) between the U.S. and Team Europe, will kick off on Friday at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Gainesville, Va.
The pairings for the four matches were announced at the opening ceremony on Thursday afternoon. Korda and Corpuz will face off against Charley Hull of England and Esther Henseleit of Germany in the first match.
Korda, who holds the No. 1 ranking in the world, has won two major titles and six LPGA tournaments this season. However, she has yet to be part of a winning Solheim Cup team in her three previous appearances. With a 7-4-1 record, she will be looking to help the Americans reclaim the Cup for the first time since 2017.
In the following match, Rose Zhang and Lauren Coughlin will take on Albane Valenzuela of Switzerland and Celine Boutier of France. Zhang, 21, will be playing in her second Solheim Cup after making a splash last year by winning her first LPGA tournament as a professional.
Boutier, the 2023 Evian Championship winner in her home country, had a disappointing 0-3-0 record at last year's Solheim Cup, where Europe ultimately retained the cup with a 14-14 tie.
The third match of the morning will see Ally Ewing and Jennifer Kupcho facing off against Maja Stark of Sweden and Emily Kristine Pedersen of Denmark.
The session will conclude with World No. 2 Lilia Vu and Sarah Schmelzel taking on Linn Grant of Sweden and Carlota Ciganda of Spain. Ciganda, who hails from Spain, had a perfect 4-0-0 record at last year's Solheim Cup, earning the most points out of all individual players.
Notably, Team Europe has chosen not to include Leona Maguire of Ireland in the opening session. Maguire has played in all five sessions in each of her first two Solheim Cup appearances.
The four players being rested by the Americans are Lexi Thompson, Megan Khang, Alison Lee, and Andrea Lee. Some or all of these players may be included in the afternoon session of four-ball (best-ball), but those lineups will not be revealed until Friday.
