It has become a bit of a cliché at Europe vs the United States golf events that Europe will naturally dominate the foursomes matchups. Playing an every other shot format is much more prominent in European golf culture, giving that team a theoretical advantage.
At the 2025 Ryder Cup, that has certainly been a huge part of the story. Europe has built a nearly insurmountable lead through three sessions off the backs of incredible foursomes play. Europe has won those 6-2, and on Friday in blowout fashion. Does the United States Solheim Cup struggle with these same issues?
Historically? Yes. The United States lost the foursomes matchups every playing between 2011 and 2021. The United States hadn’t won the foursomes dating back to 2007, when they narrowly won 4.5-3.5. The United States were overall stronger in four ball and singles, but were being held back by the most difficult foursomes format.
That turned around in 2023. In 2023 the United States jumped out to a huge road lead, going 4-0 in foursomes. They followed that up with a 2-2 split on Saturday to win overall 6-2. In 2024, the United States led on Friday 3-1 after foursomes and split Saturday, leading to a 5-3 win. Over that time, Europe has actually had the advantage overall in four ball. The traditional weakness of Team USA has become a strength.
Much of that is thanks to Stacy Lewis bringing a more analytical approach to how she paired players. Lewis was a fantastic captain who has really changed how the United States team runs. She wasn’t afraid to sit strong players who maybe don’t fit the format, and she created out of the box pairings that have been terrific.
One of those teams has been the pairing of Megan Khang and Lexi Thompson, who have formed a formidable pairing as evidenced by their near win at the Dow Championship in 2025. Khang and Thompson went 2-0-0 when paired in foursomes in 2023.
The main driving force though has been one of the great pairings in Solheim Cup history, Allisen Corpuz and Nelly Korda. The pairing wouldn’t maybe be the first that would come to mind for a Solheim Cup pairing, but they create magic in foursomes. The two have gone 4-0-0 in their matchups when paired together, highlighting the best United States player in a way that the Ryder Cup with Scottie Scheffler hasn’t.
The United States has figured out the foursome format in the Solheim Cup, if the United States wants to get back to winning Ryder Cups, it needs to find that same form in the toughest format.
