Nelly Korda has never won a Solheim Cup in three tries, but she put the United States in a strong position to end that drought by winning the leadoff match of each session Friday while helping the Americans to a 6-2 lead over Europe at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club.
A Solheim Cup that began with an unforced error by organizers, who didn’t have enough shuttle buses to transport fans to the course in the early morning hours, concluded its first day with the largest single-day lead by either team. The U.S. also led 6-2 in the inaugural event in 1990, when the first eight matches were played over two days.
“We played opponents that are playing fantastic golf, that’s No. 1. Sometimes we almost invite them to play even better,” European captain Suzann Pettersen said. “At the same time, we have to face reality, and we have a massive job to do.”
Zhang, winless in her debut last year, went 2-0 on Friday. She teamed in the afternoon with Andrea Lee, whose approach on the 14th grazed the cup — just missing an albatross — to close a 5-and-4 win over Grant and Charley Hull.
“Things went according to plan today,” Lewis said.
Meanwhile, Pettersen got nothing from her best two players. Boutier, the top-ranked European at No. 10 in the world, was rested after her morning loss, and No. 12 Hull went 0-2.
The matches began quietly under overcast skies, with half-empty grandstands surrounding the first tee when Europe’s Esther Henseleit struck the opening tee shot at 7:05 a.m. Fans complained they were stuck for hours with no access to restrooms while waiting for bus rides to the sprawling property about 40 miles west of Washington, D.C., prompting an apology from the LPGA Tour.
Teamed with Allisen Corpuz in the opening alternate-shot match, Korda was steady on
