Things really came to a boil early when American Alison Lee holed out.
Emotions are running hot at the 2024 Solheim Cup, where the United States cruised out to a 6-2 lead after the opening day of play, and maintained that edge after splitting foursomes on Saturday morning.
But things really came to a boil early in the afternoon session when American Alison Lee holed out from the second fairway in her match. Lee and Megan Khang were taking on the European duo of Anna Nordqvist and Madelene Sagstrom.
After Lee dunked her shot from 86 yards away, the caddies went wild, inciting the crowd by pulling off their shirts and hugging while the fans cheered.
There are now four matches of team play left before we head to the singles matchups on Sunday.
After eight matches at the 2024 Solheim Cup, Stacy Lewis’s U.S. squad held a 6-2 lead. When the competitors returned to Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Gainesville, Virginia, for Day 2, the question was would the American march continue?
The morning foursomes are in the books and each side won a pair of points, so the Europeans held serve but therefore didn’t make up any ground.
There are now four matches of team play left Saturday before we head to the singles matchups Sunday.
Nelly Korda, who is 3-0 so far, is sitting out a match Saturday afternoon for the first time this week.
Saturday afternoon fourballs pairings, tee times
12:05 p.m. ET
Alison Lee/Megan Khang (USA) vs. Anna Nordqvist/Madelene Sagstrom (Europe)
12:20 p.m. ET
Andrea Lee/Rose Zhang (USA) vs. Linn Grant/Celine Boutier (Europe)
12:35 p.m. ET
Ally Ewing/Lexi Thompson (USA) vs. Carlota Ciganda/Emily Pedersen (Europe)
12:50 p.m. ET
Allisen Corpuz/Lilia Vu (USA) vs. Charley Hull/Georgia Hall (Europe)
Sitting out in the afternoon matches for the U.S. is Nelly Korda, Lauren Coughlin, Jennifer Kupcho and Sarah Schmelzel, while Esther Henseleit, Maja Stark, Leona Maguire and Albana Valenzuela are not playing for the Euros. Maguire and Valenzuela also did not play in the morning session Saturday.
Saturday’s TV coverage goes till 3 p.m. ET on Golf Channel, then flips over to NBC as well as Peacock from 3 to 6 p.m. ET before going back to Golf Channel at 6 p.m. ET.
The U.S. threatened to run away with it. The Euros said “Not so fast.”
The U.S. threatened to run away with it. The Euros said: “Not so fast.”
After bolting out to a 6-2 lead at the 2024 Solheim Cup, the European squad came out firing in Saturday morning foursomes, jumping out to big early leads, none moreso than the 6-and-4 start for the Anna Nordqvist/Celine Boutier duo over Lilia Vu/Sarah Schmelzel.
Rose Zhang, Alison Lee, Andrea Lee and Megan Khang sat out the morning sessions for the U.S. while Madelene Sagstrom, Linn Grant, Leona Maguire and Albana Valenzuela did so for the Europeans.
A little luck can go a long way and Allisen Corpuz was a prime example of this adage during Saturday’s Solheim Cup.
A little luck can go a long way and Allisen Corpuz was a prime example of this adage during Saturday’s Solheim Cup when she topped a fairway wood but wound up with an eagle putt that gave her side the lead in a pivotal foursomes match with Emily Pedersen and Carlota Ciganda at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club.
Corpuz, who was paired with star Nelly Korda, looked to avoid a lake on the par-5 14th hole, but still wanted to take a crack at the green. She took a full swing, then nearly lost her club in the follow-through, assuming the worst after she topped a shot that barely climbed 20 feet off the ground.
But instead of catastrophe, the ball stayed dry and then rolled through the green, curled up onto the fringe and rolled nicely to give Korda an eagle putt.
The world’s No. 1 player calmly drained the 25-footer to give the American team its first lead of the day, a critical sequence that led to their 1-up win in the match.
GAINESVILLE, Va. â The friendship of Nelly Korda and Megan Khang dates back to their Junior Solheim Cup days. Theyâve been asking for this fourball pairing for some time and were buzzing after Stacy Lewis gave them the green light.
The pair brought back a special handshake inspired by Disneyâs âThe Suite Life of Zack & Codyâ for their Friday fourball match, where they thumped Leona Maguire and Georgia Hall, 6 and 4. Korda was having such a good time that she skipped her way out of the tunnel.
“There’s nothing like teaming up with one of your good friends and just vibing out there,” said Korda.
Megan Khang and Nelly Korda celebrate after winning their match by 6 and 4 against Georgia Hall and Leona Maguire during afternoon fourball matches ar the 2024 Solheim Cup at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club. (David Cannon/Getty Images)
Team USA jumped out to a 6-2 lead in the 19th Solheim Cup, where the Americans havenât won since 2017.
In the morning session, world No. 1 Korda paired with Allisen Corpuz once again to defeat Esther Henseleit and Charley Hull, 3 and 2, in the first match out. Korda becomes the first American player to win two matches on Day 1 of a Solheim Cup, each by at least three holes.
Two European players have accomplished the feat: Carin Koch in 2002 (winning 3 and 2, 3 and 2) and Suzann Petterssen in 2003 (4 and 3, 3 and 2).
American rookies Sarah Schmelzel and Lauren Coughlin also went undefeated on Friday, pairing together for afternoon fourballs. Theyâre both out again Saturday morning with Schmelzel sticking with Lilia Vu and Coughlin now partnered with Lexi Thompson.
âI mean, I expected it, just knowing their personalities,â said Lewis of Schmelzelâs and Coughlinâs start. âThey’re gritty. They’re fighters. That’s the reason they’re on their first Solheim Cup in their 30s.â
Lewis said sheâll look at tomorrow like the score is back to 0-0, with the pedal to the floor to add as many points to the board as possible. European captain Suzann Pettersen called Saturdayâs task a âmassiveâ undertaking.
Leona Maguire, who they affectionally call âMVP,â is once again sitting out Saturdayâs morning session. While Maguire has nothing to prove to anyone, Pettersen said, her form just isnât where it normally is this week.
âWe’ve just got to come out tomorrow hungry,â said Pettersen. âI think the players need to feel some kind of a revenge to kind of feel like they can get some momentum going.â
Saturday morning Solheim Cup foursomes pairings
7:05 a.m. ET â Nelly Korda/Allisen Corpuz (USA) vs. Emily Pedersen/Carlota Ciganda (Europe)
7:17 a.m. ET â Ally Ewing/Jennifer Kupcho (USA) vs. Esther Henseleit/Charley Hull (Europe)
7:29 a.m. ET â Lexi Thompson/Lauren Coughlin (USA) vs. Maja Stark/Georgia Hall (Europe)
7:41 a.m. ET â Lilia Vu/Sarah Schmelzel (USA) vs. Anna Nordqvist/Celine Boutier (Europe)
The American squad couldn’t have asked for a better start.
The American squad couldn’t have asked for a better start.
After eight matches at the 2024 Solheim Cup, Stacy Lewis’s U.S. squad holds a 6-2 lead. They started out Thursday winning the first three matches and led 3-1 after the morning foursomes. They then won three of the four afternoon fourball matches.
Nelly Korda was Thursday’s star, becoming the first player in Solheim Cup history to be a part of two victories of three holes or more during Day 1.
Now it’s on to Day 2 at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Gainesville, Virginia.
Saturday morning foursome pairings, tee times
7:05 a.m. ET
Nelly Korda/Allisen Corpuz (USA) vs. Emily Pedersen/Carlota Ciganda (Europe)
7:17 a.m. ET
Ally Ewing/Jennifer Kupcho (USA) vs. Esther Henseleit/Charley Hull (Europe)
7:29 a.m. ET
Lexi Thompson/Lauren Coughlin (USA) vs. Maja Stark/Georgia Hall (Europe)
7:41 a.m. ET
Lilia Vu/Sarah Schmelzel (USA) vs. Anna Nordqvist/Celine Boutier (Europe)
Sitting out the morning session for the U.S.: Rose Zhang, Alison Lee, Andrea Lee, Megan Khang.
Sitting out the morning session for the Europeans: Madelene Sagstrom, Linn Grant, Leona Maguire, Albana Valenzuela.
What happened on Friday at the 19th edition of the Solheim Cup reveals a systemic problem with the LPGA.
GAINESVILLE, Va. â Emily Donohue and Maureen Conway flew in from Ireland earlier this week to watch the Solheim Cup, the crown jewel of the LPGA. They arrived at the Jiffy Lube Live parking lot at 6:45 a.m., keen to spend the morning on a raucous first tee at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club. Unfortunately, they didnât make it through the gates until 9:15 a.m. The father and daughter who were standing in line in front of them left after waiting for 30 minutes. An untold number of fans turned around, never to return, after hearing that wait times for the shuttle buses were two to three hours.
The first tee at the Solheim Cup on Friday morning, which seats 2,000 this year, was a shell of what it has been for decades. Itâs arguably the best place to be in womenâs golf all season. But not this time. The fans whoâd waited for months, even years, to be part of whatâs been billed as the biggest Solheim Cup ever, were left stranded in the parking lot.
To make matters worse, the porta potties in the parking lot were locked. And they paid for parking â $30. On top of the tickets, airfare, lodging and time away from work.
âPeople with disabilities, people with small children, itâs not fair on them,â said Donohue. âYou want a big crowd here. I donât know how they didnât anticipate this.â
Team United States fans on the first tee during the first round of the Solheim Cup 2024 at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club on September 13, 2024, in Gainesville, Virginia. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
What happened on Friday at the 19th edition of the Solheim Cup reveals a systemic problem with the LPGA. Simply put: Theyâre not ready for prime time.
For the first half of the 2024 season, Nelly Korda went on a run of historic proportions, and the tour failed to capitalize on the moment. Kordaâs incredible play, winning six of seven events, including a major, didnât get the spotlight it deserved. A number of factors went into that fact, but the bottom line remains the same. The tour waited a long time for an American star to go on a run like that and not much came of it.
Fast forward to this week, which has been circled on the calendar as a colossal chance to push the womenâs game forward. This is the time to reel in fans who donât normally follow the tour but are drawn in by the passion and patriotic fervor.
Instead, fans who thought about potentially coming to the event this weekend might decide to stay home. Fans who already purchased tickets for Saturdayâs action told Golfweek they wonât come back. Some want their money back.
The Daffodils have been coming to Solheim Cups since 2011: Tricia O’Brien, Lynne Gwilyn, Ruth Leonard and Pauline Halliday (Golfweek photo)
The Daffodils, four women from Wales whoâve been coming to the Solheim Cup since 2011 and wear flowery yellow costumes, arrived at 5:20 a.m. on Friday and noted that not one bus was in the parking lot. They were told the day prior that the first bus would be loaded and ready to go at 5:45 a.m. in order to be there when the gates opened at 6 a.m.
The Daffodils say the first bus didnât arrive until 6:10 a.m., and the first three buses were filled with volunteers who needed to get to their posts. They also noted that security early on was questionable with only two security officers doing random bag checks.
As the day wore on, officials began allowing fans to take an Uber from the parking lot to the main gate. One fan who took an Uber with several others said their bags were never checked, only their tickets.
Fans describe the mood in the massive line as solemn and subdued. The air was thick with disappointment.
The LPGA released a short statement in which the tour apologized for the shuttle challenges, noting that they made âsignificant changes to our transportation system.”
Beyond that, however, nothing more has been said despite repeated attempts from the media to gain specifics on what went wrong and how exactly the tour can assure fans that it will be fixed for Friday, let alone the weekend.
After all, fans waited up to 2 ½ hours to get on a bus Thursday evening after the opening ceremony and concert finished. The tour has given them no reason to be optimistic.
Transparency and accountability are paramount for a failure of this magnitude. LPGA commissioner Mollie Marcoux-Samaan shouldâve met with the media on Friday and answered questions. She shouldâve gone out to the parking lot and talked to fans, with water bottles and trinkets in hand. Maybe even shuttled a few back herself.
Fans werenât alone in their early-morning frustrations. When players showed up around 6 a.m. this morning to warm up, there were only two lights on the driving range. Teams had to pack in on one side of the range and use the lights from their carts to see the golf ball.
Itâs been a week of putting out fires when it should be a week the LPGA lights up the sports world.
The fact that ESPN sent out a push notification on the Solheim Cup and it had nothing to do with golf is a black eye for the tour. Not even the presence of former President Barack Obama could overcome the debacle of the day.
Things have started out in heavy favor of the host Americans.
The 2024 Solheim Cup started out in heavy favor of the host Americans, who raced out to a 3-0 start with three straight 3-and-2 victories.
The morning foursomes ended with the U.S. squad holding a 3-1 advantage. After a short break, the afternoon fourball pairings were announced and the golfers were back on the course at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Gainesville, Virginia, near the nation’s capitol.
The duo Nelly Korda and Megan Khang were the first ones out in fourballs and made quick work of the European tandem of Georgia Hall and Leona Maguire.
The U.S. pair was 5 up through eight holes, got it to 6 up through 12 and went on to win it 6 and 4 after a Nelly Korda eagle putt on the 14th hole.
Obama received a warm welcome on the first tee Thursday.
Four days after a meet-and-greet with the 12 players and five coaches with the American contingent at a team dinner, former President Barack Obama was back at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Gainesville, Virginia, for the first day of action at the 2024 Solheim Cup.
Obama is a big fan of golf â he became a member of the Robert Trent Jones club in 2017 after leaving the White House after his second term â and is a big fan of this event.
His appearance Monday was a surprise but he received a rousing welcome Friday when he stepped out of the tunnel at the first tee.
A team of 12 Americans are taking on a team of 12 Europeans in the biennial event, although this year’s comes just a year after the last after a reshuffle of the schedule.
LPGA legend Stacy Lewis will captain the U.S. side while Suzann Petterson will lead the Europeans.
Robert Trent Jones Golf Club has hosted a PGA Tour event (2015 Quicken Loans National) and the Presidents Cup on four occasions.
