‘Woah, Nelly’: Americans ‘go crazy’ on stunning day as world No.1 sparks historic feat

With Barack Obama in support and using “unfinished business” as a motto, American champion Nelly Korda has inspired the US with a dominant start in the Solheim Cup against Europe.

The world No.1 was at her mesmerising best as the United States, perhaps borrowing from the 44th President’s 2008 electoral maxim of “Yes, we can”, moved to a 6-2 lead in the teams competition.

The only real shame for the US, which won the morning and afternoon sessions 3-1, was that tens of thousands of fans missed their brilliance due a transport bungle that left them stranded.

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But the emptier than anticipated stands and galleries had no impact on Korda as she routed the Europeans in concert with her teammates on the opening day at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Virginia.

Korda became the first American to win two matches on the first day by at least three strokes, and did so in phenomenal fashion, as the host nation produced its best start in the 34-year history of the Solheim Cup.

She was soon joined by teammates Lauren Coughlin, Sarah Schmelzel and Rose Zhang as the Americans feasted on rivals seeking a fourth straight win in the competition.

Korda partnered Allisen Corpuz to a 3&2 triumph over Germany’s Esther Henseleit and Charley Hull, who paused to borrow a lighter from a fan standing alongside a fairway midway through the morning round.

Unfortunately for the English star and her European teammates, the nicotine hit did not spark a change in momentum as Korda and Corpuz continued on their merry way in the foursome.

The 26-year-old then partnered Megan Zhang to a 6&4 triumph over Georgia Hall and Leona Maguire in the afternoon four-ball event to the delight of American captain Stacy Lewis.

Korda, who won six out of seven tournaments in a remarkable streak of dominance earlier in the season, won all eight par fives she contested on the opening day.

She closed with two eagles in her final three holes for the day and her captain praised the energetic vibe she brought to the teams competition.

“I have to say in my head I was thinking 3-1 each session would be an awesome day and it worked out that way,” Lewis said.

“The girls just played some unbelievable golf and certainly having Nelly and Megan go crazy, going out there first this afternoon helped.

“The best part is when Nelly came skipping out of that tunnel on the first tee in the afternoon. That is what I like to see more than anything – the energy she came out with.”

The European team captained by Suzann Pettersen overcame a 4-0 deficit on the opening day a year ago to prevail but were well-beaten in most pairings on Friday.

The only points scored for the day were a 1-up foursomes triumph by Emily Pedersen and Maja Stark over Ally Ewing and Jennifer Kupcho, while and Swedes Madelene Sagstrom and Anna Nordqvist posted a superb 6&4 four-ball victory over Lexi Thompson and Alison Lee.

After retaining the Solheim Cup when drawing 14-all in Spain a year ago, they must make a move on Saturday to put pressure on the host nation.

“We were faced with quite a big challenge last year. We have done it before and we can do it again. It’s going to take a massive effort but I know we can do it,” Pettersen said.

“We gave a good effort but the Americans played great. I feel like they had all the putts rolling their way and I don’t feel like we’ve had any momentum.

“We have a massive job ahead of us (but) anything is possible. Last year was a good example. It took a lot out of us to get the job done from where we started but there are so many points left to play for.”

But Korda is in formidable form and will re-partner with Corpuz as the lead combination when they play Pedersen and Carlota Ciganda.

The LPGA, meanwhile, apologised to fans who were left stranded at park-and-ride stops and missed several hours of action when not enough shuttles arrived to transport them.

“We recognise and deeply apologise to all fans affected by the challenges with shuttling from parking to the golf course,” said the LPGA. “We’ve made significant changes to our transportation system to mitigate these issues moving forward, and we’re working on ways to express our regret to those impacted.”