The American Solheim Cup Team Needs a Big Day from the Big 3 on Monday

The European Team has a two-point lead headed to singles as Nelly Korda, Jessica Korda and Lexi Thompson have not played to their usual standard.

The Europeans will take a 9 to 7 lead into Monday’s singles at the Solheim Cup in part because of the unexpectedly subpar play of America's big three, Nelly Korda, Lexi Thompson and Jessica Korda.

It would have been unthinkable that a threesome of the Kordas and Thompson — with a career record in Solheim Cup competition of 12-6-9 — would be 2-6-0 on Sunday evening, but that is exactly what USA Captain Pat Hurst had to face after both the Kordas and Thompson lost their opening matches on Saturday.

Since then, one or more of the big three were on the bench for each of the remaining three sessions. 

“I didn't have to mix things around,” Hurst said of making changes on the fly as the big three struggled. “We knew that I had everyone play roughly the same amount, two to three matches before the singles, and that's what our plan was, and we stuck to our plan.”

You'd expect coming into the week that Nelly, the No. 1 player in the world, would be penciled in for four matches and that the Korda sisters would be paired together at least two times in foursomes as they were in the 2019 Solheim Cup at Gleneagles.

“I don't have any worries about them, and that's not why I didn't play them," Hurst said of the Kordas and Thompson. "I played them only one match today, because I need them for my singles matches. That's where we usually shine.”

In Monday’s singles, Pat Hurst put Thompson off first at 12:05 against Anna Nordqvist, Nelly Korda will play Georgia Hall at 12:35 and world No. 1 Jessica Korda will play Charley Hull at 1:45.

Only Thompson garnered a point on Sunday, paired with Brittany Altomare. The pairing won 2 & 1 over Charley Hull and Emily Pedersen in the morning foursomes when the USA won the session 3 & 1.

The lone European victory came when Mel Reid and Leona Maguire defeated Nelly Korda and Ally Ewing, 5 & 4. 

In Sunday’s afternoon fourballs, Jessica Korda and Megan Kang lost 3 & 1 to Carlota Ciganda and rookie Nanna Koerstz Madsen.

The only other point the trio has contributed came due to a controversial ruling on Saturday that cost the European’s the 13^th hole and eventually a 1-up loss to Nelly Korda and Ally Ewing.