Team Europe and Team USA both claimed two points in the opening Friday foursomes session of the Solheim Cup at Bernardus Golf in the Netherlands.
Nelly Korda and Allisen Corpuz set a tournament record for Team USA, defeating Charley Hull and Lottie Woad 4&3 to become the first pair from either side to win five consecutive matches together.
US record for Korda and Corpuz
USA captain Angela Stanford sent Korda and Corpuz out first, the duo having won all their foursomes matches together in 2023 and 2024. Despite Woad winning the opening hole with a birdie, and neither side taking advantage of the par-five fifth, the American duo took control. They won three consecutive holes from the sixth, with Hull far from her usual best alongside her English playing partner.
Pars were enough for Team USA to win the 12th and 13th holes. Woad reduced the deficit with a birdie on the 14th, before Korda and Corpuz closed out the victory with a par on the par-three 15th.
The win made Korda and Corpuz the first American pairing to win five foursomes matches, breaking the previous best of 4.5 points set by Dottie Pepper and Brandie Burton. Korda now has seven career foursomes points, the third-highest total for Team USA.
"I enjoy playing with her [Corpuz] so much," Korda said. "We have a lot of fun out there. She's just such a solid player. It's really good to look rely on her and it's also fun."
Hull had won two of her previous three matches against Korda, including a dominant 6&4 singles victory two years ago, but she and Woad were dominated by the American pair. Woad, the only European debutant in the opening session, said her team lost momentum on the front nine.
"They made a couple birdies and we missed some good chances," Woad said. "I think once you lose momentum, it can be tough to come back."
Lee and Coughlin victory
Alison Lee and Lauren Coughlin also came from behind to win, defeating Nanna Koerstz Madsen and Celine Boutier 3-2 to briefly give the USA a two-point lead.
Europe led the match until Madsen found the water off the sixth tee. Lee and Coughlin then won three of the next five holes.
"This whole morning we just played super consistent," Lee said. "We just kept it in the fairway, kept it on the greens, gave each other birdie chances when we could. I'm just really happy with how we performed."
European rally to tie session
Maja Stark and Linn Grant secured Europe's first point, beating Rose Zhang and Jennifer Kupcho 3&2. The Swedish pair went into a four-hole lead after seven, highlighted by Grant holing from a bunker on the ninth. Zhang and Kupcho claimed back-to-back holes from the 10th, but the Swedes claimed the 15th with a par and wrapped up the win on the next hole.
Leona Maguire and Esther Henseleit then tied the session, edging Andrea Lee and Lindy Duncan 2up in a match that went to the final hole in rainy conditions.
Maguire's victory takes her to 9.5 points from 13 Solheim Cup matches, the highest percentage of points won in European Solheim Cup history for players with at least 10 matches played.
"I've been just very fortunate to have great partners. A lot of those points have come from foursomes matches and fourball matches," Maguire said. "We had incredible support out here. There were a lot of Irish flags and German flags and they were really spurring us on, especially when that weather got bad and miserable!"
The teams head into the Friday afternoon fourballs delicately poised, with a tied opening session for just the third time in the biennial contest's history.
