Friday’s Opener turned out to be a banger. Team USA’s Nelly Korda and Allisen Corpuz dominated Charley Hull and Lottie Woad 4&3 in the opening foursomes at the 2026 Solheim Cup. The victory extended Korda and Corpuz’s unbeaten partnership record to 5-0 and helped Team USA finish the session level with Europe at 2-2. In the aftermath, the World No. 1 seemed pleased with her pairing. And so was her partner.
“She’s just so solid. Honestly, I enjoy playing with her so much,” Korda said. “We have a lot of fun out there. Our caddies have so much fun out there. Yeah, it’s just, she’s just such a solid player. It’s really good to look rely on her, and it’s also fun.”
It’s one thing to perform the way they did. It’s another to make history, which the duo did. The 5-0 partnership made them the first pairing in Solheim Cup history to win five consecutive matches together. Naturally, hearing praise from Nelly Korda, Corpuz quickly returned the favor by revealing whether it was worth it playing with Korda.
“I mean, I always make the joke to Nelly, like, 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, I think. It’s so much fun out here. I love the Solheim Cup; I love being out here.”
Korda and Corpuz trailed early but won three straight from the sixth to dominate Hull and Woad 4&3, giving them the early momentum and a vital point in a session to ultimately produce a tie. Meanwhile, Lee and Coughlin came from behind, taking the lead on the eighth and pulling away with Coughlin’s eagle to beat Koerstz Madsen and Boutier 3&2.
Henseleit and Maguire jumped out to a quick 2-up lead and never trailed, holding off Lee and Duncan for a 2-up win. Stark and Grant raced to 4 up through seven and closed out Zhang and Kupcho 3&2 after a brief American rally.
This resulted in only the third time in the 20 editions of the Solheim Cup that the opening session ended evenly split at 2–2. Despite the tie, Korda feels “great” about her performance, but she acknowledged that there’s “still a lot of work to do.” Regardless, the pair have become the most successful U.S. partnership in Solheim Cup history.
Their record together has surpassed Dottie Pepper and Brandie Burton’s 4-1-1 record. Meanwhile, their five points also match the record for the most points earned by any partnership on either the U.S. or European side, previously held by Europe’s Laura Davies and Alison Nicholas. In any case, Korda’s performance on Friday followed a warning she issued.
Nelly Korda was worried about support from the gallery
On Wednesday, Korda was aware that the atmosphere at Bernardus Golf in Cromvoirt, Netherlands could make things difficult. The four-time major champion admitted that the American side may not have the home support enjoyed by Europe, especially after experiencing the passionate galleries in Spain in 2023.
“The crowd will definitely not be on our side,” Korda said. “We will hear some USA chants, but I think, also, what we have to realize is that we have so many people at home supporting us and rooting for us.”
Korda believed the Americans will need to rely on one another and maintain their composure throughout the contest. Team USA has lost five Solheim Cups on European soil, winning three and tying one, making the challenge even greater this week. But from the looks of Friday’s opener from Korda, she has nothing to worry about.
That being said, it appears Nelly Korda and Allisen Corpuz are quite happy with their partnership. However, whether they continue to dominate is yet to be seen.