SOLHEIM CUP

September 9, 2026

Allisen Corpuz

Auston Kim

Megan Khang

Alison Lee

Bernardus

Team USA

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Joining us ahead of the 2026 Solheim Cup, I'll be introducing the players that we have in from our U.S. team. From left to right we have Allisen Corpuz, Auston Kim, Megan Kang, and Alison Lee.

Allisen Corpuz, we're going to go to you first. You have a lot of experience playing in team competitions, representing the U.S. in two Solheim Cups as well as the Curtis Cup and the Arnold Palmer Cup. What does representing the U.S. on a stage like this mean to you?

ALLISEN CORPUZ: Yeah, I feel like just every time you have the opportunity to do so it's just such an honor to represent the United States. To be able to do it with some of my best friends as well is really special. I think it's especially prescient with this being America's 250th birthday as well. So, yeah, just a really special week to be out here.

THE MODERATOR: Auston, you're a Solheim Cup rookie this year and you talked openly about how this has been a lifelong dream of yours. Can you share how much it means to you to have earned your place on the team this year?

AUSTON KIM: For sure. It's something I've been thinking about for a very long time. I mean, I can think back to the beginning of my rookie year and just hearing about Solheim Cup for the first time and wanting to be on that team. I mean, it's why I work so hard.

Again, like Allisen said, being able to play golf alongside all these girls and after having knowing -- after having known them for so long, it's a really cool experience. To finally have all that hard work come to fruition -- I mean, this is my first time playing for any sort of U.S. team, so having all this culminate in an experience like this is awesome.

THE MODERATOR: Megan, this is your fifth Solheim Cup, and you're often referenced as bringing an energy to the team that is hard to miss. How much does that energy and that passion fuel not only you, but the people around you?

MEGAN KHANG: I mean, I think I can say this for everyone. Again, it's like a big honor to be here and represent your country. So I think when you're playing for something more than just kind of yourself, you got your teammates, your captains, assistants captains, the caddies, your fans, but most importantly your country, I think it's something where can you get behind, you can get really excited, and I think it kind of blends into the whole room. Like, you see some personalities come out that you may not know they had in them.

I'm trying to get Auston out of her shell a little more when we were sitting on the bus. So it's really fun to do because it's not often you get to play on a team and, again, represent your country. So yeah, we're having a lot of fun, we're singing a lot of songs and learning some new dance moves.

THE MODERATOR: Alison this is your third Solheim Cup, but your first as a mom to your son, Levi. You spoke a lot about how making the Solheim Cup was a huge goal of yours. Can you talk about how excited you are to have actually earned your place on the team and how much your perspective has shifted since your last appearance?

ALISON LEE: Yeah, I mean, making this team was a huge goal of mine. I feel like I did everything I can to try and make this team. I feel like I've been working so hard, and so to be able to be standing here, sitting here with these girls, just means a lot and it's really sweet.

Also, my very first Junior Solheim Cup, I played in 2009. Thanks to the Solheim family and Ping. And I feel like especially this week to be able to see the juniors play on the course that we're playing at is so cool. I would have loved to do that when I was 14, you know. And that was so long ago.

So just to come full circle now. Being able to play Junior Solheim in 2009 when I was 14, and now, like, having a baby, being able to play, and we had dinner with the Junior Solheim Cup girls last night and congratulated them. It's just cool. It's just cool to be a part of and see everything come full circle.

THE MODERATOR: We'll open it up to any questions in the room.

Q. Megan, I want to ask you about doing this trip, coming to Europe. What's it been like for you guys to come over to Europe, apart from the weather, to do this trip as a team? What's it been like doing the canal tour in Amsterdam and just being here as a team?

MEGAN KHANG: I think it's super cool. We all flew in as a team together for the first time. We all met in Atlanta and then flew over together, including the caddies. That was really cool because it was the first time we actually traveled as an entire team.

And then to be able to spend Sunday just exploring Amsterdam and walking around and touring it, it was really cool because you know what Amsterdam is known for, and you get to see -- or I guess be a tourist for a day before the week kicks off. So being able to kind of bond in a setting outside of golf is a lot of fun. I think it's always great when you can explore the country that you get to visit because everyone knows once Monday starts, it's game time and it's practice mode, it's grind mode. But it's nice that we are able to do things together outside of golf.

Q. Allisen Corpuz, you've become another stalwart for the Americans with your quiet stealth, I think is how Angela described it. What do you think about your personality suits itself so well to team golf?

ALLISEN CORPUZ: I'm sorry if this is too soft over the rain. No, I mean, I love being on a team. I like to make the joke that I was in college for five years. Like, I spent a lot more time around other golfers like me than I would say most people do. Like, once you make it out on tour, it's really lonely sometimes. I've been really lucky. I also have a lot of friends out on tour as well.

Yeah, I would say, like, even though I'm more on the quiet side, like, I have gotten to know and respect and love so many of the players on this team and on this tour. I think that just has contributed a lot to my success here, just really the comfort and just really the respect that I have for the entire team.

ALISON LEE: Not to speak for Allisen, but I think she's such a great partner to have because her demeanor and her personality on the course. Like, even Auston was saying before we walked in here, I don't think I've every seen Allisen Corpuz angry, you know, and that's really nice to have sometimes on the course just to have someone who is calm, cool, collected, kind of bring you back to level ground, especially when things get, you know, you get a lot of pressure out there, things can start to get crazy, it's nice to have someone like that as a partner.

Q. Auston, I would say you have a similar demeanor and generally keep a pretty level head. What has this experience meant to you so far? How cool has it been to just be here? I know this is a really special moment for you and your family.

AUSTON KIM: Yeah, you know, this is my first time here and I'm just trying not to be too wide eyed at everything, but it's pretty tough not to be. Apart from all of the first time experiences and getting to know these girls better it's a complete honor and a privilege to represent the United States on such a big stage. It just feels so different. Having the opportunity to represent your country and play for something bigger than yourself, it just means so much. And I feel like every single step that I take on the course or walking around the venue, I feel an immense sense of pride. It's really amazing to do it with these 11 other girls and know that they all have my back. And again, making another point about Allisen, I played with her the past few days and every single drive, I mean it's hitting the fairway. And I got to say, Oh, she's a robot. Just like just on repeat every single time. It's actually quite incredible. But again, being able to play alongside all these girls is a really cool experience and not something that I'll ever take for granted.

Q. Auston, if you can hear me, what sort of questions have you had for your teammates and your captains about this experience and what to expect?

AUSTON KIM: A wide variety. Like, I've asked a couple of people, like, how the event feels to them or what kind of emotions come out, how they prepared for the week in advance at home. And thankfully I was able to get a lot of good advice about preparing for this event when I was at home. Like, not going full send right when we get here, getting enough sleep when I'm at home, like, a lot of different things. Of course they always say there are no dumb questions, but I did ask a lot of questions and like today I played with Nelly and Corpuz and Lauren Coughlin out there and I was just able to walk alongside them and ask them about different types of shots. Like on the last hole Nelly was hitting a specific type of chip shot and I asked her for some advice about that kind of shot. But also, if I find myself in a situation like that, I just wanted to see what kind of wedge she was using. And for her to be able to answer so in depth and give me that kind of advice is really cool. Just being able to learn from all these other girls is really awesome.

Q. Why do you think it's been so tough for the U.S. to win over here?

ALISON LEE: We talked a little bit about this in the team room earlier when just four of us were sitting there at lunch. I feel like this format in general I feel like just sometimes brings like there's a fire that comes out of a lot of the girls on the European team. I think maybe some of that has to do with the type of play and the type of tournaments they play growing up. Like when you come over to Europe they have more match play style events. So I think something about this format just brings a fire out of the European girls that they will come out and play amazing, amazing golf, and they're great competitors to play against. So I think that's something we're preparing for because I feel like over the last few days all of our games have really, really been solid. Obviously coming over here to Europe is always difficult. As you can see all around us, me especially from southern California, I don't ever play in the rain or wind. But yeah, I think that's something we're all expecting and so we know that if we come out and do our best to play some good golf and hopefully have a bit of chemistry out there as well, I think we have a really good chance this year.

Q. You were on the team the last time they were able to win in Europe, what do you think was the difference that time?

ALISON LEE: I mean, it's so hard to truly reflect on that year and that experience I had. I mean, in 2015 I was only 20 years old, I felt so young, I felt so new. I mean, even playing on that team, it just felt surreal because, I mean, less than a year before that I was watching them all on TV and I made the team pretty last minute, so I wasn't really included in a lot of the dinners, things like that. So even leading up to that Solheim Cup I just felt, not cast out, but just kind of the odd one out, in a sense, because I just felt so young. And thankfully a lot of the girls on the team were so welcoming, they welcomed me with open arms. It was a really cool experience. I feel like this time around a lot of us have played, you know, together quite a bit and we have pretty good momentum coming from the last Solheim Cup. I think we have two really good additions. I think Auston is such a good ball-striker. I mean she's talking about Allisen Corpuz, but for us playing our practice rounds every time I look back like Auston's 30 yards behind the green or something like she's hitting her driver like 350 yards, I swear. And Lindy too. I mean, she's a great addition as well. So it's just always so different. I think every time, whenever you bring different personalities, different types of people, characters, different types of -- girls with different types of games as well, it's always going to be a little bit different. I don't think you ever have a proper recipe for success. But I'm really feeling good about this year.

Q. Allisen, you have such a tremendous record with Nelly Korda. What is it about that partnership that you think works so well and what did you learn about Nelly through that time with her?

ALLISEN CORPUZ: Yeah, absolutely. I think my favorite joke to make, which isn't really a joke, is that it's really easy to play when you're playing off the world No. 1's ball. There's just a lot of shots that she hits and I'm just, me and Jay, my caddie as well are just continually impressed by her game. I mean, every time we even get to play practice rounds with her I feel like that's not something we really do on a regular tournament week, so just to be able to see the way she practices and like Auston was saying, like being able to ask her how she hits a few chip shots or just she has the complete package, like I feel like she hits so many greens that you don't really get to see the chipping, the bunker game. But like everything that she does is just so elite. I think just, personality-wise, like she's also really easy to be around. I'm pretty calm and she is as well, so I think there's a good energy match there.

Q. Obviously you're the visiting team, but have you got a sense of how big this occasion is for the people of the Netherlands and maybe the impact it could have here on golf in the country?

MEGAN KHANG: Definitely I think the first time being here is awesome with the 20th edition of the Solheim Cup. I think they did a great job having the Junior Solheim Cup play on the same golf course as us. Like Alison said, I've been lucky enough to play on a Junior Solheim Cup as well and it would have so cool to see and obviously the girls are still here and we get to hang out with them and it's really cool that they're making a big impact with everyone cycling here as well. So I think that's going to be really cool to see and fun to see. I feel like as soon as you've been here there's been so many people, even in Amsterdam who were so excited for the Solheim Cup. So I think the Netherlands has done a fantastic job of promoting this event and really embrace this had competition. And for us it's been nothing but a great experience. We're still dry inside, so it's fantastic. And hopefully the weather stays a little away from us, but if it comes, we're ready for it. But I think the fans will show out and it's a beautiful golf course here at Bernardus.

Q. How have you guys tried to support Angel as she was talking about obviously the long layoff and her break coming back and where her game's at, and obviously she's probably under some pressure to make sure she's ready for this. How have you guys tried to support her and your thoughts on her being here?

MEGAN KHANG: I think I can speak on this. Angel is playing great golf.

ALISON LEE: We got to play with her today. And I'm not going to lie, she's been one of the hardest working girls here this week. She's going out there, playing a bunch of extra holes, spending extra time getting the reps in and practice in. Like today for example, she played 18 holes, the rest of us only played nine. And we had a match, we had like a little game today against, me and Megan against her and Yealimi and, I mean, Angel played amazing. We lost some money to them today (laughing). But I'm not going to lie, I was very impressed. Playing with her today and this whole week.

MEGAN KHANG: She's working hard, she's putting in the work, and she's working probably the hardest out here. For her to go out early because she wants to make the reps, wants to put in the effort, like it's no lie that -- she's obviously earned her spot here and she's doing her best to obviously give her best. So there's nothing but great things to say about her.

Q. For you guys who have played with her in these Solheim Cups, what makes her a good match player?

ALISON LEE: Her putting.

ALLISEN CORPUZ: And her energy as well. I mean, she's just so much fun to be around. I think we've all kind of missed her not being out on tour for the last two months. It's been great to see her come back. Yeah, I'm really excited to see how she does this week. I think she will do great.

THE MODERATOR: There's been a lot of talk that you can hear the U.S. team before you see the U.S. team. Just what do you think that that energy that the Americans bring, what do you think that that means not even in just this Solheim Cup but Solheim Cups throughout history?

ALISON LEE: I think it means a lot. I feel like historically, I mean, we talk about fire and chemistry, I feel like typically the European team usually has more of that. But I think we're doing the best we can this week to fire everybody up. I mean, we're not on home soil anymore, we're just going to do the best we can to have some fun, regardless of what happens. My caddie who caddied for me last time around is out here this week, and he's definitely doing his best, he's doing his job right if you can hear the music. But he's doing the best to keep us pumped up, allow us to have a really good time.

THE MODERATOR: Perfect, thank you guys, best of luck this week.