The 20th edition of the Solheim Cup doesn’t start until Friday and already there have been two moments that capture the essence of Nelly Korda and Charley Hull, two of the biggest stars in women’s golf.
Hull was on the verge of making big news Tuesday when the 30-year-old free spirit from England stepped to the first tee at Bernardus Golf in The Netherlands while the rest of her group already was two holes ahead.
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It didn’t help when Hull jokingly (maybe) said there had been a few drinks the night before.
Mel Reid, an assistant captain for Team Europe, quickly put that to bed, so to speak.
“I just want to shut this down before it gets … before other people start talking about it,” Reid said. “But she was literally late because, one, I couldn’t drag her off the driving range, and, two, she thought her tee time was five minutes later than it was..
Never a dull moment with Hull, who brings the experience of seven Solheim Cup appearances to a team that has four players competing in these high-energy matches for the first time.
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Korda’s moment showed a different side to the 28-year-old American, who finds joy in the work it takes to compete at her level but often gets perceived as being too reserved to carry the flag for a tour that desperately needs a star.
The U.S. team arrived Sunday morning and spent the day touring the streets and canals (and riding bikes) in Amsterdam. A short video clip shows Korda taking a photo of a couple who appears oblivious it was the No. 1 player in women’s golf doing the favor.
Korda is no longer No. 1 this week. She is one of 12, not always easy to do once every two years when expectations from 72 holes of stroke play carry into a three-day frenzy of fourballs, foursomes and singles in golf’s most fickle format.
Tiger Woods has a record-tying 82 victories on the PGA Tour, along with 15 majors and was No. 1 in the world longer than anyone since rankings started. His record in the Ryder Cup was 13-21-1, and he failed to win his last eight matches from his final two appearances.
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Scottie Scheffler, the most dominant American since Woods, is off to a similar start. This is one time comparisons with Woods are to be avoided.
After a phenomenal Ryder Cup debut — remember that beatdown of Jon Rahm in singles at Whistling Straits? — Scheffler went eight straight matches without winning (two halves) before beating Rory McIlroy last year at Bethpage Black. His record in three appearances is 3-6-3.
Korda, who first rose to No. 1 in the world in 2021 when she won the first of her four majors and an Olympic gold medal, brings a 10-5-1 mark into Bernardus. She had a strong debut in 2019 in Scotland (3-0-1) and big moments going 3-1 last time in Virginia.
U.S. captain Angela Stanford has seen the challenge of being the top player on a team of 12.
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“I think we put too much pressure on … when we have a No. 1 player in the world, whether American or European,” Stanford said in a “5 Clubs” podcast. “This is a team function. We want Nelly to be Nelly. We’re not asking more of her, we’re not asking less of her. She enjoys being in that team room.
“I don’t want her to feel like she has to carry us to the finish line,” Stanford said. “I’ve asked all 12 of them to do that.”
What stands out about this American team is the stark difference between Korda and the other 11. She won the first two majors of the LPGA season, including the U.S. Women’s Open she coveted. Korda has 23 wins worldwide. Her 11 teammates have combined for 18.
But she doesn’t feel as though she alone has to carry the team, just like she doesn’t see it as her job to singularly carry the LPGA Tour. She has a big supporter in Stanford.
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“I feel like she’s just been very vocal about wanting all of us to work together and making sure that no one is really left out, that we all feel like a team out there no matter what,” Korda said in her final start before the Solheim Cup.
“So far the vibes have been really great in the team and with Ang being a great captain,” she said. “I’ve been lucky enough to be on a couple Solheims. Everyone has their kind of own way of going about things, as they should.”
Hull does things her own way. Among her many viral moments was signing autographs at the 2024 U.S. Women’s Open with a cigarette dangling between her lips (she no longer smokes). She also caught flak from the social media police for playing a prank on her caddie with a fake lottery ticket.
Late to the tee? Leave it to Charley, for whatever reason.
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Europe captain Anna Nordqvist said it was best for Hull to stay in England to practice Monday, arriving later that evening.
“I’ve been part of basically every single team that Charley’s been on, and I will say it’s been really nice to see how much Charley is starting to embrace the whole Solheim atmosphere,” Nordqvist said. “Yeah, so there’s the correct story and whatever they try to write, but it’s just been really nice to see Charley excited and here buzzing about teeing it up this week.”
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