THE HAGUE — World No. 1 Nelly Korda spearheads a US team hoping to win the Solheim Cup on European soil for the first time in more than a decade from Friday.
Standing in their way of a rare away win at the Bernadus course in the Netherlands are a Europe team led by England’s Charley Hull, competing in her eighth Solheim Cup.
Korda will tee off brimming with confidence after a season that has seen her clinch two majors (US Open and Chevron Championship) for the first time in her illustrious career.
And she brings a fearsome Solheim Cup record to the Netherlands, having dropped only 5.5 points in 16 career matches across her four previous appearances in the competition.
But Korda shrugged off the pressure of being the world’s best player and number one target for the Europeans.
“Honestly, I don’t even think about that,” said the 28-year-old. “I kind of remain in my bubble and I’m a little bit oblivious to it all.”
“I just want to make it really simple for myself, not to think about too much, and just to go out and play my game,” she told reporters.
The Americans are the current holders of the Solheim Cup after a 15.5-12.5 win in Virginia in 2024 and come into this week’s matches as marginal favorites.
But they have not won outside the US since taking the cup 14.5-13.5 in Germany in 2015.
The US team is captained by Angela Stanford, who said her players were prepared to shine despite the raucous support expected for the home team in the first Solheim Cup ever played on Dutch soil.
“I think they’re very mentally tough. They don’t let things bother them. They let things roll off their back if something doesn’t go the way they planned,” Stanford said.
