[Photo: Kate McShane]
Nelly Korda and Allisen Corpuz walked out on the first tee on Friday morning at Bernardus Golf rocking to “Bad Blood” by Taylor Swift. It was a wonderful atmosphere, and the DJ spun the perfect song for the dynamic American duo.
By the end of the opening foursomes session, Korda and Corpuz accomplished a feat that’s never been done in the Solheim Cup. They won a fifth consecutive match as a pairing and remained an undefeated 5-0-0 against the Europeans. They took the first match, knocking off Charley Hull and Lottie Woad, 4&3.
On paper, these are the best teams from the US and Europe, yet Korda and Corpuz dispatched the veteran Hull and rookie Woad in quick fashion. The point was a big one for the Americans, who also won the second match but lost the last two to split the first session 2-2. The US is trying to win for the first time in Europe since 2015 while the Europeans are trying to win back the trophy after losing in Virginia in 2024.
“I always make the joke to Nelly that it’s so nice to be 30 yards ahead of where I would be on my own drive, it just makes the hole so much easier,” Corpuz said. “It’s so much fun out here. I love the Solheim Cup. I love being out here.”
It’s a pairing that’s worked wonders for the US and was first hatched by stats guru Justin Ray.
Corpuz and Korda have won a combined five majors (Korda with four) and are both seemingly not rattled by a missed putt, a bad shot or putting their partner in a predicament. Korda found a bunker on the eighth hole. Corpuz hit a great shot to put the ball within a few feet of the hole. They won the hole, which was their third straight hole victory.
“She’s just so solid,” Korda said of Corpuz. “Honestly, I enjoy playing with her so much. We have a lot of fun out there. Our caddies have so much fun out there. She’s just such a solid player. It’s really good to look rely on her and it’s also fun.”
Korda and Corpuz were actually 1 down in the match after the first hole. They tied the second hole, then they dominated from there and went up by 5 with five holes to play.
To put into perspective how rare this is, the only pair in Ryder Cup history to win each of their first matches was Arnold Palmer and Gardner Dickinson. They won all five matches they played together from 1967-71.
Five points for a duo is the all-time Solheim Cup record, too. Europeans Laura Davies and Alison Nicholas accounted for five points together and a record of 5-4-0.
Korda and Corpuz broke the previous record of the American duo of Dottie Pepper and Brandie Burton, who were 4-1-1 together.
