GAINESVILLE, Va. — It’s fun to watch people have fun, and Nelly Korda is having a blast this week at the Solheim Cup.

We’ve seen an effervescent side of Korda at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club, one that’s been radiant and inviting, making you want more from the 26-year-old every time she steps out of the tunnel to cheer on her teammates or play in a match.

Korda is enjoying every second of this experience, and it’s obvious.

It’s not to say that Korda isn’t always like this. We aren’t often privy to her personality off the course because a camera isn’t trained on her 24/7 when the clubs are in the closet. We get glimpses of it on social media, when Korda shares a fit check or a funny-faced selfie on her Instagram story.

But she often possesses a measured stealth on the golf course, a calm, cool and collectedness that lends itself to the kind of success that Korda has had since turning professional.

You can’t win six LPGA Tour titles in seven starts or capture two major championships without it, and becoming Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings No. 1 isn’t easily done for those who don’t take their craft incredibly seriously.

Nelly Korda But Korda’s vivacious meter has been turned up to 10 all week in Gainesville, Va. The amount of fun she is having with her teammates, jamming on the bus on the way to the golf course and dancing on the first tee, has translated to some seriously good golf over the three sessions in which Korda has competed.

Korda was sent out in the first match of the 2024 Solheim Cup on Friday morning alongside Allisen Corpuz, with whom she won both of her foursomes matches last year in Spain. The pair won over veteran Charley Hull and Solheim Cup rookie Esther Henseleit to put a point on the board for the U.S. Team.

The Florida native then was paired with her good friend Megan Khang for the Friday afternoon four-ball, and Khang brought even more vibrance out of her partner, something that she’s quite good at for Korda. The duo earned another American point after Korda made a pair of eagles on the par-5 12th and 14th holes to ultimately route the Europeans.

But what was more indicative of Korda’s mental state was her celebration with Khang after draining her eagle putt on 14 to capture a point. The two did a handshake that they first came up with during their PING Junior Solheim Cup days, ones the old friends clearly have practiced a bit since they were 14-year-old teenagers.

Nelly Korda “Megan just brings out something different in me,” said Korda. “I'm very comfortable with her. We played Junior Solheim Cup together and that's where we really grew close. We were paired up there in alternate shot actually.

“There's nothing like teaming up with one of your good friends and just vibing out there and having so much fun. Overall, the crowds were so amazing in the afternoon, and it was hard not to have fun, especially with Megan by your side.”

U.S. Captain Stacy Lewis elected to keep things rolling with Korda, once again teaming her with Corpuz and putting the pair out first. It appeared that decision was made to set the tone for what was going to be a difficult morning of foursomes after so much success on day one.

Playing against Carlota Ciganda and Linn Grant, the Americans battled back from a 2-down deficit in the middle of the match to win 1 up over the formidable Spaniard and young-and-hungry Swede. It made Corpuz and Korda the first two players to win four straight foursomes matches in Solheim Cup history, and when Corpuz lauded her teammate’s prowess on the golf course. Korda quickly turned the spotlight back on her partner.

“It's great playing with Allisen,” said Korda. I have so much fun with her and she's so solid. She said that I played great today, but she did, as well, and we make a really good team, and it's so much fun playing out here with her this week.”

Korda would never take all the credit. Corpuz and Khang have had a lot to do with her success so far this week, and she knows it, often touting the difference both athletes have made in their respective team-play matches any time a microphone is nearby.

But one has to think that Korda’s fully bought-in attitude and radiant energy is heavily contributing to the U.S. Team’s success. Nothing says, “I’ve got your back” quite like how Korda has been acting this week at RTJ, relentlessly rooting for everyone in the team room and lifting her teammates up to her level in every matches.

It’s a sign that she has fully embraced her position as a leader on this U.S. squad, and if the first two days of matches in Virginia are any indication, it’s a role Korda loves getting to play.

Nelly Korda Leading the Way, Having Fun at 2024 Solheim Cup

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