The first tee at Bernardus Golf was designed to feel crowded. About 3,000 spectators can fit around its amphitheater, close enough for the opening drive to become a public event. The orange in those seats will tell Nelly Korda exactly where she is.
“There’s no greater feeling,” Korda said of playing for the United States, “especially stepping onto that first tee box.”
This will be her fifth Solheim Cup. Korda has played 16 matches, won 10 and halved another. She has also made two previous trips to Europe with the U.S. team. Europe won by one point at Gleneagles in 2019 and retained the Cup after a 14-14 tie in Spain four years later.
Her only team victory came in Virginia in 2024. The Americans last carried the Cup home from Europe in 2015, four years before Korda made her debut. Bernardus is her next chance to be part of the U.S. road team that does it.
Four Foursomes Matches, Four Wins
The easiest name for Stanford to place beside Korda is Allisen Corpuz. They have played four Solheim Cup foursomes matches together and won all four, twice in Spain in 2023 and twice more in Virginia in 2024. Four of Korda’s six career foursomes wins came with Corpuz.
Korda gives Stanford room elsewhere on the sheet, too. She is 2-1-1 in four-ball and 2-2 in singles. Rest, Bernardus and what the captain sees in practice can move her around; the unbeaten record simply keeps Corpuz near the top of the foursomes column.
Virginia also shows how little one Korda result can settle. She won three times before Charley Hull beat her in Sunday singles. The Americans reached 15 1/2 points without her singles point.
Broadcasters will count the 11 years since the U.S. won in Europe. Stanford’s sheet will give Korda a tee time and, depending on the session, a partner or an opponent. The first match begins all square.
Stanford Remembers Germany From Inside the Ropes
Stanford played on the 2015 U.S. team that began Sunday singles four points behind Germany and won. She later served as an assistant in three Solheim Cups. When the Associated Press asked her to rank those team experiences, she placed that road victory first.
Stanford grew up playing team sports and liked visiting the other side’s gym or field. “It doesn’t bother me to go into a hostile environment,” she said.
European assistant Anne van Dam described the women’s competition as respectful and friendly. The home advantage will arrive through volume rather than abuse. Orange will fill parts of the property, and an American miss can change the sound near a green before the ball stops moving.
Stanford has already stood beneath a worse scoreboard. Her 2015 U.S. team entered singles in Germany down 10-6 and left with the Cup. A run of European points at Bernardus will be familiar territory.
The U.S. Roster Puts More Weight on the Pairing Sheet
Korda arrives as the world No. 1 after winning the Chevron Championship and U.S. Women’s Open this season, bringing her major total to four. The Associated Press noted that only Lauren Coughlin joined her inside the top 20 of the world ranking used in its preview. Angel Yin had recently returned after two months away because of stomach problems.
Some familiar names are missing. Lilia Vu, who made the winning putt in Virginia, did not make this team while working through health issues and a loss of form. Lexi Thompson is off the U.S. roster for the first time since 2011. Stanford will bring two rookies, Auston Kim and Lindy Duncan, into the noise at Bernardus.
The same preview put Korda’s 23 career wins against 18 for the other 11 Americans combined. Stanford will see that imbalance every time she reaches for a pencil. The decisive putt could still belong to anyone on the roster, including the player sitting 12th on a ranking sheet.
Europe brings Charley Hull, Lottie Woad, Carlota Ciganda and Leona Maguire among players from seven countries. Hull beat Korda in the final singles session two years ago. Ciganda defeated her in the deciding stretch of the 2023 tie in Spain. Stanford will have those matchups available without treating them as predictions.
No one at Bernardus should mistake the week for a referendum on Korda’s career. Four majors and Olympic gold settled that long ago. This is a different item, the flight home from Europe with the Solheim Cup in American possession. When her opening match ends, Korda will wait on the rest of the board like every other player in the team room. She has done that in Europe before. She has not yet done it as part of the winning side.
PGA of America Golf Professional Brendon Elliott is an award-winning coach and golf writer who serves as Athlon Sports Senior Golf Writer. Read his recent “The Starter” on RG.org, where he is their Lead Golf Writer. To stay updated on all of his latest work, sign up for his newsletter or visit his MuckRack Profile.
