2024 Solheim Cup: Friday pairings

It's the eve of the 2024 Solheim Cup and the wait is nearly over. After just 12 short months the biggest event in women's professional golf is ready to get underway at 7:05am local time on Friday morning.

Well, we thought last year was going to be one of the hottest contested Solheim Cups in history and it didn't disappoint. With some 'unfinished business', Team USA will be looking to go at least half a point better to claim the cup that has been in European hands since 2019.

On paper Team USA are stronger but that was the case last year too. What we do know is that we're in for an epic battle, potentially more gruesome and hard fought than at Finca Cortesin as Team USA will no doubt be wanting to get their hands on the cup more than ever before.

Friday Foursomes

At a press conference at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club on Thursday afternoon, team Captains Stacy Lewis and Suzann Pettersen took to the stage in the media centre to announce the pairings for the Friday Foursomes:

Let's start with the most noticeable changes from the opening morning last year - no Lexi Thompson/Megan Khang pairing, after playing in every session in the past two Solheim Cups Leona Maguire will be sitting out the morning session, whilst the opening pairing of Maja Stark and Linn Grant has beb split and they'll be heading out separately in the third and fourth match.

When asked about omitting Thompson and Khang, Captain Lewis said:

"It was more we have a lot of goof pairings and not everybody is going to play this session. I don't think I'll have anybody end up playing five. It was just the combinations and the way they worked out and a little bit of golf course fit as well."

Match 1 - 7:05am

Rookies from both sides will get their chance to shine straight away with the two from each side getting to play. Esther Henseleit will get going in the first foursomes with Charley Hull and will take on a proven combination of Nelly Korda and Allisen Corpuz.

World Number one Korda will bring the experience that Lewis is looking for from her opening pair, "I wanted to send some experience out first, and no better than No. 1 in the world and a pairing that was very successful last year and they're very comfortable together. So I have a lot of confidence in them."

Hull and Henseleit may not have initially seem like a pairing that you would put together, so Captain Pettersen explained her selection:

"They're a good match. They're good friends and they get along great. It's nice to get Charley going. she doesn't like to sit around and wait. They've been very keen on playing well and on paper they're quite good together as well."

Match 2 - 7:17am

Last year's rookie Rose Zhang will potentially become the mentor as she goes out in the second match at 7:17am with in-form rookie Lauren Coughlin. They'll be going up against fellow rookie Albane Valenzuela and Celine Boutier.

Lewis has been known for using data and statistics in a lot her choices and non more so that with Zhang and Coughlin, "that one really came from the stats. That one came out of a computer, but I like the energy between the two of them. I like the energy of the caddies we have in that group. Tons of experience in the caddies to kind of help them through."

Match 3 - 7:29am

No rookies are present in the third match of the morning which sees Maja Stark and Emily Pedersen take on Ally Ewing and Jennifer Kupcho. Surprisingly, even though they have been in the last three Solheim Cups, Ewing and Kupcho are yet to be paired together. The same can be said of Stark and Pedersen, who will make their debut together on Friday morning.

Lewis explained more about why the Ewing/Kupcho pairing now works:

"Those were two players that last year didn't fit very good in the puzzle. So I was excited when they themselves came to me and said, hey, we're going to try this pairing. It played itself out at Dow and they both liked playing together. So it all came from there, and it was really more them than me."

Match 4 - 7:41am

Linn Grant and Carlota Ciganda will hope to return to winning ways but this time in foursomes, when they take on Lilia Vu and rookie Sarah Schmelzel.

Grant and Ciganda claimed a vital point in the Friday afternoon fourballs last year and helped to turn around what had been a difficult morning session.

Pettersen is all too aware of what can happen in a Friday morning session:

"It was a tough start for us last year, but that being said, I don't know that I would have done the pairings any different. You put what you think is the best A team up against the opponent's A team and on any given day, I think anyone can win or lose. Maybe half a point more than we got in last year's Friday morning session would be great!"

We're sure Pettersen will be hoping for a lot more, but now we all need to rest up and get our voices ready to cheer on our team as the battle commences at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club.

Play will get underway at 7:05am local time. In the UK you can build up to the first match with live coverage on Sky Sports Golf and Sky Sports Main Event from 11:30am (BST)

If you haven't already, take a look at our 2024 Solheim Cup preview for all you need to know about this week's event.