Nelly Korda is a strong player for Team USA in the Solheim Cup this week, with a record of 3 wins, 0 losses and 0 draws this week. Korda and her quartet partner, Alisen Copes, were down two points on Saturday morning and came away with a 1-up victory.
The Americans won both matches on Saturday's session, but it was Korda's courage to make that spectacular eagle on the 14th hole that sparked a two-stroke comeback.
The morning match was played with alternating shots. Corpus Approach Shotand she decimated it, but it miraculously made it onto the green, giving Korda an eagle-like look.
“I told her that might have been one of the top three shots I've ever seen,” Korda said of Copes' shot on the 14th hole.
She and Corpus are a truly dynamic duo, and they've proven to be a formidable team, going 2-0 in foursomes this week.
“It's great playing with Alyssen,” the No. 1 overall pick said. “It's a lot of fun playing with her and she's very solid. She told me I played great today and she said so too. We're a great team and it's a lot of fun playing with her here this week.”
After his ball hit the hole on the 14th hole, Korda pumped the ball with such force that even Tiger Woods would be impressed.
The celebration was out of character for a normally laid-back golfer, but seeing her excitement showed how much it meant to Korda and Team USA. After winning the match, she described how she felt as she pumped her fist in celebration.
“[That was] “It's my other personality, Nolly,” Korda said with a grin. “I was announced as Nolly at the opening ceremony, so I did it as a joke. It was a really fun week.”
The putt gave Team USA the momentum they needed to turn things around and secure their second point of the morning.
Rookie Lauren Coughlin and veteran Lexi Thompson won their first tournaments together, never trailing the rest of the match and winning 4-3. The Virginia native is making her first appearance and is 3-0-0 in her first Solheim Cup, and no one seems to be able to shake her.
“We looked at some of the leaderboards, but we just tried to control our play and our emotions as best we could and just swing freely and be comfortable with each other,” Thompson said.
Photo: Scott Tetch/Getty Images
As they won points, Korda and Corpus quickly followed suit, and the morning session looked like a European victory at one point, but after a sinking eagle putt, things accelerated and the Americans found a way to split the four matches.
Korda missed Saturday's afternoon round, at which point she and Corpus were moved up to a four-ball format.
Allison Lee and Megan Kang opened the session with a 4-3 win, and Andrea Lee and Rose Chan beat Lynn Grant and Celine Boutier 6-4, but the Americans won two more points to take a 10-4 lead with two games to go.
Europe pushed hard but couldn't close the lead. Will the final two games go their way, or will the two remaining American teams find a way to further extend Team USA's lead?
Savannah Lee Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation Playing Through. Follow us for more golf articles. Follow You can follow us on all major social platforms. You can also follow us on Twitter Follow Her Instagram account is @golf_girl_sl.
