Friday foursomes are in the books and it is all even at 2-2. Now we move to fourball. Here are our predictions for each match:
Match 1: EUR – Charley Hull and Lottie Woad vs USA Yealimi Noh and Angel Yin
It is no surprise to me that Hull and Woad are being sent out first again, if all goes well in the fourball, I expect them to play all four rounds together. They ran into a buzzsaw in Nelly Korda and Allisen Corpuz in round one, but I thought Woad looked really composed all things considered. I think we will see better play out of them this afternoon. Yin remains the biggest question mark for the United States, with so little golf played as of late. Noh and Yin did pair terrifically in the International Crown, but this feels like a match that could get away from the Americans.
Prediction: Europe wins 4&3.
Match 2: EUR – Celine Boutier and Nanna Koerstz Madsen vs USA Megan Khang and Alison Lee
I am intrigued that Nordqvist decided to send this duo back out, but it makes some sense with how late the other four players finished up. Boutier and Madsen looked erratic in the morning, showing some flashes of brilliance, but also making far too many bad mistakes. They face the emotional leader of Team USA Megan Khang, who is of course paired with Alison Lee. While Lee wasn’t great in her first match, she did get a win on the board and should have a lot of confidence because of that. It’ll be interesting to see how Madsen recovers from the finish in that opening match, where she had a poor tee shot in the penalty area and a missed short putt.
Prediction: USA wins 2&1
Match 3: EUR – Mimi Rhodes and Nastasia Nadaud vs USA Allisen Corpuz and Auston Kim
We’ll find out a lot about these teams here, as we have a match with three players in their first ever Solheim Cup match. The lone veteran in the group, Corpuz, looked phenomenal in the morning, but if there is one thing she struggles in here, it is fourball, going 0-1-1 in her career. I am a bit surprised to see her playing, but both captains seem to be resting some of their later morning teams. Rhodes and Nadaud will likely struggle a bit early because of nerves, the question is if they can come back from that. Angela Stanford has repeatedly stressed how impressive Kim has been this week, so that could lead to fireworks. I do think Corpuz’s veteran leadership helps Kim through her first match.
Prediction: USA wins 2&1
Match 4: Eur – Carlota Ciganda and Julia López Ramirez vs USA Nelly Korda and Lauren Coughlin
I think, in general, these afternoon matchups really are to the USA’s advantage. Ciganda is inconsistent in the Solheim Cup and Ramirez will have to face the two strongest American players in her debut match. That has to be intimidating. Korda and Coughlin must keep their heads and stay patient in what will likely be a slow match. A key thing to look out for: Nelly Korda is arguably the best bad weather player in the world, and the weather has looked terrible out here. It is just impossible to pick against this all star duo for the United States, they should be really fun to watch.
Prediction: USA wins 4&3
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