The United States will have to win on foreign soil for the first time in 11 years if they are to retain the Solheim Cup this week.
The Amercans won the most recent Solheim Cup with a 15.5-12.5 victory at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club two years ago. That snapped a streak of three wins for Team Europe, including two on home soil.
Bernardus Golf will be the site of the first Solheim Cup contested in the Netherlands, and the U.S. will have to cope with unpredictable weather conditions along with learning an unfamiliar course in front of a partisan crowd.
“I would say mental toughness, really relying on leaning on each other when something’s not going our way,” World No. 1 Nelly Korda said when asked on Wednesday what it will take for the Americans to win overseas. “I mean, the crowd is definitely not going to be for us, but I think if we have each other’s backs, that’s what matters.”
Korda, 28, figures to play an instrumental role for the Americans in her fifth Solheim Cup. In addition to being the top-ranked women’s player in the world, her 19 career LPGA Tour victories are more than the combined 15 for her teammates this week. Team Europe owns a combined 22 LPGA titles.
The numbers don’t stop there. Despite the U.S. being 1-3 on her previous teams, Korda owns a 10-5-1 overall match record. That includes a 5-2-1 record on foreign soil.
“It’s nice to have her in the room,” U.S. captain Angela Stanford said. “That’s probably the understatement of the year.”
The U.S. entered the week with plenty of question marks. That includes monitoring the health of Angel Yin (stomach issues) and Rose Zhang (back) leading up to the start of competition on Friday.
Korda said she enjoys the camaraderie of this U.S. group, and that the event is even more special as it takes place during America’s 250th anniversary year.
“It’s definitely some of the most fun I’ve had on a golf course,” she said. “All of us coming together playing for something way bigger than just ourselves, playing for our country, playing for our captains, for our assistants, playing for each other.
“I think it’s such an amazing experience.”
European captain Anna Nordqvist doesn’t have the same injury concerns with her roster, but she does have four Solheim Cup rookies to work into the mix. It helps that one of them is World No. 7 Lottie Woad.
The young English star said she is trying to take moments to enjoy the experience when she can during a very busy week. The Europeans should also enjoy an advantage with more experience on courses similar to Bernardus than their counterparts.
“There’s a lot of courses like that around where I live,” she said. “I think every hole plays different depending upon the wind, so you can kind of plan for it as much as possible.
“It tests every part of your game.”
