Solheim Cup 2023: Team USA dominates Friday Foursomes

Team USA made a clean sweep in the foursomes on Friday morning at the 2023 Solheim Cup. They lead in Spain with 4:0. This is the first time the United States Team has swept a foursomes round in the history of the Solheim Cup.

Match 1 – Lexi Thompson/Megan Khang (USA) def. Linn Grant/Maja Stark (EUR), 2 and 1

Lexi Thompson and Megan Khang got off to a hot start in the opening match of the 2023 Solheim Cup, winning the first three holes to immediately set the pace for the American side. The Europeans started chipping back on the sixth hole, where Stark’s birdie cut the deficit to two holes. Stark again cut into the lead with a winning par at No. 11, punctuating the moment with a massive fist pump. Grant poured in a birdie of her own at No. 13 to tie up the match, but Thompson’s birdie putt on No. 15 put the Red, White and Blue back on top for good. They ultimately won the match with a par on the 17th hole.

“I think, honestly, we both just played really solid golf on both sides. She had so many amazing iron shots and gave me looks for birdies, and I just tried to get her down there as far as I could,” said Thompson, who is now 4-2-1 in foursomes at the Solheim Cup.

“She smacked the ball so far down. I had some numbers that I didn’t even have in the book. I was like, wow, this is different,” added Khang while celebrating her first foursomes victory. She is now 1-1-0. 

Match 2 – Danielle Kang/Andrea Lee (USA) def. Celine Boutier/Georgia Hall (EUR), 1-up

The U.S. Team held a 1-up lead from the jump with an opening hole birdie and would keep it until Celine Boutier dropped in a birdie putt to take the lead on No. 6. Back and forth for the next few holes, the United States would not go away quietly tying the match on No. 7 with Europe taking the lead once again on No. 8 and the U.S. Team squaring it up heading into the back. The matched stayed tied thanks to some clutch putts on both sides before Andrea Lee sunk a birdie putt on No. 17 to give the United States the 1-up lead, securing the win for the United States Team. 

“Honestly, I’m just so proud of [Andrea],” said Kang. “It’s been her first showing, first Solheim Cup match, and she held it together. I know she was saying that she was nervous, but she was hitting shots, she was stiffing it all day giving me birdie chances, and when I put her in a tough spot, she still left me alive. So I told her, I got it, I’ll clean it up, and it’s been really, really fun and enjoyable.”

Match 3 – Nelly Korda/Allisen Corpuz (USA) def. Leona Maguire/Anna Nordqvist (EUR), 1-up

After an errant tee shot into the water on hole 1, the United States found themselves trailing 1-down the first two holes before tying it up on No. 3. The U.S. would go on to take a 2-up lead for three holes before the European Team would once again, tie up the match thanks to a long birdie putt from the vice-captain and player, Anna Nordqvist. The United States took a 2-up lead on the back nine and kept the Europeans at bay the rest of the way, winning 1-up after 18 holes.

“For [Allisen] to come out and make some really clutch putts for us it was great to see,” said Korda of her partner. She may be a rookie, but I think she came in really clutch today and she doesn’t show that at all.”

Match 4 – Ally Ewing/Cheyenne Knight (USA) def. Charley Hull/Emily K. Pedersen (EUR), 5 and 4

Match four started their day tied after the first hole but the U.S. Team took command and held control for the rest of the match after winning with par on the second. A birdie on hole 4 kept things rolling for the Team United States. More pars on 5, 6 and 7 gave the duo of Ally Ewing and Cheyenne Knight a 5-up advantage before the turn. A birdie on No. 9 for the United States all but sealed the victory to earn them their first point of the 2023 Solheim Cup. After the turn, the European Team won their first hole on No. 10 before Knight sank an 8-footer to give the U.S. Team a 5-and-4 victory.

“We know we’re going to be in for a dog fight. Team Europe’s really stacked. Honestly, I think it kind of set the tone, kind of Lexi going out first. A lot of people have doubted her, and I hope that she pulls out the point today, and I saw they got off to a really great start. But I think we are the underdogs and we’ve got everything to gain and nothing to lose and we are here to kind of shock some people,” said Knight of the U.S. Teams foursomes sweep.