If things had worked out differently, Jessica and Nelly Korda could have been playing for Europe in this weekend’s Solheim Cup. They are the daughters of the Czech Republic’s major-winning tennis player, Petr, after all.
Born in Florida, though, the Korda siblings are very much all-American girls and this morning at Glen-eagles they will make a little bit of history as they become the first set of sisters to partner each other in the Solheim Cup.
The Sorenstams, Annika and Charlotta, played on the same European side in 1998 but never played together.
So, is it a good idea to try to harness all that sibling rivalry and unleash its energy in the Solheim Cup? US captain Juli Inkster is hoping it is. She did take some convincing, mind you.
Earlier this year, the Kordas played together in the LPGA Tour’s Dow Great Lakes Invitational event and the seeds of a potential Solheim Cup alliance were tentatively sown.
Inkster takes up the story. “Jessica said, ‘why don’t you see how we play in the Dow together; if we kill each other then maybe not put us together. But if we do OK, can you think about putting us together?’
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“The more I thought about it, it would be stupid not to play them. I thought that it wasn’t too often two sisters get the chance to do this.
“They really are two different personalities, even though they have the same game. They wanted to play together so that’s why I did it.”
There are five years between the Korda sisters. Nelly, 21, is ranked 10th in the world and is making her Solheim Cup debut. The 26-year-old Jessica, who is 18th on the global order, played in the event in 2013.
“We know what ticks one another off and we know how to calm each other down,” said Nelly, pictured right. Jessica added: “Hopefully this can be something great.”
In 2013, a teenage Nelly was invited along as something of a cheerleader as her older sister made her debut in the event.
“The LPGA Tour [media department] recently posted a throw-back picture of me wearing a cowboy hat and I was like ‘oh my Lord’,” she said with a cringing chuckle. “I was grateful that I could walk inside the ropes that week and be a team mascot. I got to experience everything and I got inside the locker room too. I think that was the first time the Solheim Cup started to be a goal of mine.”
Today, these sisters will not be doing it for themselves but for Team USA.
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