GAINESVILLE, Va. — Pardon the atrociousness of the pun, but Charley Hull smoked Nelly Korda in Sunday singles at the Solheim Cup.
In the first match out in the final session at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club, Hull defeated the world’s No. 1 player, 6 and 4.
“I knew that you had to play unbelievable to beat her, and to beat Nelly, she’s a great player, and I played my — well, my heart out,” Hull said.
The match was tied through five holes before Hull won the sixth and seventh holes with pars. Gifted a 2-up advantage, Hull took charge from there.
She birdied the eighth, 11th and 13th holes to go 5 up, before closing it out with a conceded eagle on the par-5 14th, where she hit a 6-iron from 187 yards to tap-in range.
“I just love playing under pressure. I absolutely love it,” Hull said. “That’s why I always feel like I play well in the majors. I love big events, playing in front of crowds, and on hard tough golf courses. That’s something I just love doing.”
Hull’s victory cut Europe’s deficit to 10-7, with the U.S., needing 4 1/2 points to win the cup, leading in the majority of the remaining matches on the course.
For Korda, the singles match continued her trend of disappointing performances in big, individual moments. After winning six times to start the season, Korda missed the cut in back-to-back majors (shooting in the 80s in both). She had a chance to medal in the Olympics but made a late triple bogey and finished T-22. She also led by four shots midway through the AIG Women’s Open at St. Andrews, only to close in 75-72 to tie for second.
Korda won her three partner matches ahead of singles. She’s now 10-5-1 in four cups. Hull is now 15-9-3 in seven appearances.