Saturday’s morning foursomes have been announced:
12.10pm Bryson DeChambeau and Cameron Young v Matt Fitzpatrick and Ludvig Åberg
12.26pm Harris English and Collin Morikawa v Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood
12.42pm Xander Schauffele and Cantlay v Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton
12.58pm Russell Henley and Scottie Scheffler v Robert MacIntyre and Viktor Hovland
Ewan Murray’s report from Bethpage Black.
Updated
Europe won five of the first six matches out today. They are the first team to do that since 1975. That particular match was a grim one for the Ryder Cup because Great Britain and Ireland lost before the final session even started!
With that, it’s farewell from a remarkable first day. Luke Donald’s plotting was smart, his players were excellent, and Team USA spluttered. There’s a chance that one person who attended thought it was the best ever Ryder Cup performance by an American team, but he’ll probably be the only one.
Scott will be back with you just before noon to kick off day two.
Updated
Here’s a stat. For players who have played a minimum of 10 matches, Tommy Fleetwood has equalled Tom Watson’s highest point percentage record in Ryder Cup foursomes and fourballs. The Englishman’s log book reads 8-2-1 (77.3%) which is the exact same as the great American (next best is Arnold Palmer with 16-5-0 for 76.2%).
A couple of weeks ago Paul McGinley was in the media centre at Wentworth and he explained that the European think tank had established that the two teams’ top three players are key to success. I later look at the stats and, in the 21st century, the match result has always tallied with the totals of those top trios. Of course, in the past you could use world rankings to identify the top three – because of LIV it’s a bit trickier. But if we assume Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood and Jon Rahm v.s Scottie Scheffler, Bryson DeChambeau and Xander Schauffele the Euros currently lead 5.5-1.
Day one result: USA 2.5-5.5 Europe
European captain Luke Donald was a happy man at the end of the action. “An incredible day,” he said. “To win this morning was huge. A good start is important. To win the top two points this afternoon was inspirational. The guys grinded to win the afternoon session. I’m so proud of these guys.” The U.S. captain Keegan Bradley was trying to stay upbeat. “The guys played real good this afternoon,” he insisted. “This is only the first quarter.”
The last five Ryder Cup teams to lead after day one went on to win the match itself. So have eight of the last nine winners. So Europe is in a great position. But Lowry was surely correct to be cautious: complacency is a huge danger.
USA 2.5-5.5 Europe
A slightly downbeat Rory McIlroy: “Still a great day for Europe. We’d have taken this. But obviously, in the moment, I’m disappointed.” Shane Lowry added: “We’re going to be very happy but Luke won’t get too excited. We would have loved to win that point. We’ll take it.”
USA 2.5-5.5 Europe
Rory McIlroy flipped his putter when the ball didn’t drop. But that’s a great first day for Europe. Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry finish all square with Patrick Cantlay and Sam Burns.
Burns/Cantlay A/S McIlroy/Lowry (F)
USA 2.5-5.5 Europe
Updated
Up steps Rory McIlroy. Keegan Bradley looks a little haunted. A putt for Europe to lead by four. It misses! Good putt but it slips by on the high side. A three point lead for the visitors.
Patrick Cantlay can’t find a birdie from the sand so up steps Shane Lowry. He’d love to hole this but – oh no – he’s left it a couple of rolls short. And then there were two. Chants of “Rory, Rory, Rory!” and oddly there are no boos or retorts from the American galleries. Burns has the first go. And he misses!
In five minutes time, Europe will lead by two, three or four points. A “pitch off” will decide it because all four players are inside 110-yards. Shane Lowry has to hit from the rough and has left himself 21 feet for birdie. Patrick Cantlay up next. Yikes – he’s dumped it in the front bunker! Sam Burns? Solid. Very solid. 11 feet 7 inches and he might want to ask Justin Rose for the line. Finally, Rory McIlroy who according to official data has also left himself 11 feet 7 inches from the hole!
Justin Rose talks to U.S. TV: “That one (the winning putt) was for Tommy. He carried me today. That was a huge turnaround match.” The interviewer Damon Hack talks of Tommy Fleetwood’s excellent Ryder Cup record and compares it unfavourably with those of Scottie Scheffler and Bryson DeChambeau. The Englishman is too nice and too smart to follow that line of thinking. “Our team as a collective has been looking forward to this day for a long time,” he says. “Their team is stacked so, whoever it is, the point matters. A great match today. Happy to contribute another point.”
Patrick Cantlay could not make birdie at 17 and Shane Lowry’s putt refuses to drop as well, although it was a lovely roll. Rory McIlroy is up next … and drains it! Almost no emotion from him. Well, maybe. A little nod of the head when he returns to his old mucker Lowry. Can Burns match him and keep a full point a possibility for the Americans? Yes he can! “Sensational,” says Sky Sports Ewen Murray. “Still there is nothing between them.”
USA 2-5 Europe
Take a bigger bow Justin Rose! He nails his birdie putt and Europe have another point. What a contest, what an English combination, what a roar from their friends and team mates. It is reported as 1UP but could be 2UP, but in the words of Barry Davies: “And frankly, who cares?” Tommy Fleetwood and Justin Rose beat Bryson DeChambeau and Ben Griffin 1UP.
Griffin/DeChambeau lose to Fleetwood/Rose 1UP
Burns/Cantlay A/S McIlroy/Lowry (14)
USA 2-5 Europe
Updated
Take a bow Sam Burns. His tee shot at the 17th finishes just inside 8 feet. Yet again the pressure flips to the Europeans. Shane Lowry goes first and leaves it 23 feet from the flag but Patrick Cantlay is outside him and could give him the line. Rory McIlroy is better: 13 feet! This is stellar stuff.
Another putting contest, then. U.S. captain Keegan Bradley is there on 16 and watches Sam Burns miss on the low side. Patrick Cantlay’s turn next … bang: straight in the middle! Superb. As mentioned minutes ago, the dynamic has been transformed.
(Meanwhile, Tommy Fleetwood has hit his approach to 18 to 5 feet!)
And Rory McIlroy follows Cantlay in for birdie from 11 feet. The stars are shining as the light drops at Bethpage Black.
(Justin Rose knocks his approach just outside Fleetwood’s – he’ll give him the line.)
(And now Ben Griffin has popped his approach at 18 to 5 feet. Bryson DeChambeau, on the other hand, has missed the green.)
Back to 16. The Europeans are both in the right rough, the Americans both in the left fairway. Shane Lowry is up first and hits a beauty to 9 feet from 172 yards. Patrick Cantlay will give him a bit of a clue when he putts from twice that distance. Sam Burns? The other side of the green and he has 28 feet. Rory McIlroy steps up and … he has about 11 feet! Slight advantage Europe, but Team USA will putt first and can reverse the pressure if they find the bottom of the hole.
Up at 17 Bryson DeChambeau has piled the pressure on the Europeans. His tee shot at the par-three is inside 7 feet. Justin Rose’s tee shot has slipped off the back of the green and his chip shot comes up short of the hole. Tommy Fleetwood has 34 feet for his birdie, across the green, through the shadows, right to left, and it also pulls up short. It isn’t a guaranteed par, but DeChambeau can make that moot. So can Ben Griffin – but his effort misses, too. All down to his partner. He makes it! Europe now leads 1UP as the match heads up 18. Chants of “USA! USA!” and his team mates leap in the air behind him.
Another putting contest, this time on the 15th: Rory McIlroy .v. Patrick Cantlay. The Northern Irishman’s 19 feet 9 inches putt turns right at 19 feet 7 inches. The American’s effort always looks a little low. The hole is halved with pars. All square with three holes to play.
Europe’s morning advantage of two points has been revived. The question is: how big will the margin be overnight? It might be non-existent, it might yet be doubled. A big hour coming up. At 16, Bryson DeChambeau, Ben Griffin, Tommy Fleetwood and Justin Rose are in a putting contest: all four inside 25 feet and putting for a birdie-3. Rose misses, Griffin misses, Fleetwood drains it! Wow – Luke Donald loved that. So did Fleetwood’s caddie Ian Finnis.
Can DeChambeau half the hole? Another wow! It died across the front of the hole! Europe are 2UP with only two holes to play. What a moment from Fleetwood. He delivered an absolute pile-driving piston of a fist pump when that dropped.
Europe’s latest heroes have talked about their afternoon. Sepp Straka said: “That was a lot of fun. I did not have my game, but Jon kept reminding me to keep pushing.” Informed that he has won seven and halved two of his last nine matches in Ryder Cup foursomes and fourballs, Rahm added: “I can’t take all the credit. I have had good partners. We can’t do this alone.”
USA 2-4 Europe
Ice cool from Sepp Straka. He makes his par-three at the 16th from six feet to land the win for the Austro-Spanish duo. Jon Rahm and Sepp Straka beat Scottie Scheffler and JJ Spaun 3&2.
Scheffler/Spaun lose to Rahm/Straka 3&2 (F)
Griffin/DeChambeau v Fleetwood/Rose 1UP (15)
Burns/Cantlay A/S McIlroy/Lowry (14)
USA 2-4 Europe
Updated
Justin Rose and Tommy Fleetwood share the 15th with Ben Griffin and Bryson DeChambeau. They remain 1UP. Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry have not made birdie at 14, however. Patrick Cantlay has 5 feet to go 1UP with Sam Burns. He takes his time, as is his wont. Nick Faldo has a joke about his slow play on Sky Sports. And he misses it! It lips out. Yikes. What a bonus for Europe.
Patrick Cantlay is turning up the heat. After pulling level with Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry, he knocks his tee shot at the par-three 14th to 5 feet. His opponents will need to hole long putts to match him if he makes that par-breaking opportunity. This match has turned around very swiftly.
More drama on the par-five 13th. Shane Lowry can only make par. Patrick Cantlay has 13 feet for a birdie … and his ball finds the edge of the hole at deadweight: it drops! Now Rory McIlroy has 7 feet to match the American and remain 1UP. It’s a rapid putt, downhill, tricky to read, it also catches the hole … but it horseshoes out! Lowry looks impassive. The Americans march to the next tee. Wow. McIlroy versus Cantlay: this is like a repeat of Saturday afternoon in Rome.
Cam Young is proud but very deadpan as he says: “That was pretty special. I love this place. I’m super grateful to be here.” His partner Justin Thomas adds: “I sat back and watched the show, I’m proud of Cam. He played like the veteran today.”
A busy few minutes! Tommy Fleetwood makes birdie at 14. He and Jusitn Rose move 1UP on Bryson DeChambeau and Ben Griffin. Then Scottie Scheffler – yes, he was due afterall! He finds the hole from 22 feet at 15 and the crowd goes nuts. Can Jon Rahm follow him in? Yes he can! From 20 feet. Rahm and Sepp Straka are 3UP with only 3 holes to play.
USA 2-3 Europe
Cam Young’s wonderful debut is complete. Playing on home soil, the New Yorker has won his first point and he looks set for a busy weekend. He looked very good today. Cam Young and Justin Thomas beat Ludvig Åberg and Rasmus Højgaard 6&5.
Scheffler/Spaun v Rahm/Straka 3UP (14)
Griffin/DeChambeau A/S Fleetwood/Rose (13)
Young/Thomas 6&4 v Åberg/Højgaard (F)
Burns/Cantlay v McIlroy/Lowry 1UP (12)
USA 2-3 Europe
Updated
It looks like curtains for Ludvig Åberg and Rasmus Højgaard. They’ve struggled all afternoon, and both wilt under pressure from Cam Young at 13. The New Yorker’s approach from 288 yards finishes 15 feet from the flag. The two Scandis have flailed their own approaches into the trees. Remember: the Americans are already 5UP.
Bryson DeChambeau misses his birdie putt at 13. But Justin Rose doesn’t – calm as you like from the veteran. Pressure on Ben Griffin now: he has 3 feet for a half and … he makes it.
Back on 12, Patrick Cantlay refuses to quit. Of course he does. European fans don’t much like him, but that’s partly because he’s so tough to beat and therefore a threat. His 5-foot birdie conversion halves his deficit with Sam Burns. Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry are now only 1UP. It’s not only match two that matters …
So, to that critical second match on the par-five 13th. Justin Rose and Tommy Fleetwood have given themselves 13 and 6 feet opportunities for a birdie with wedges from the fairway. The Americans are in greenside rough. Ben Griffin knocks his effort inside the English pair and Bryson DeChambeau … doesn’t. He was closest after two and is furthest away after three – he’s got 19 feet for a 4, Griffin has 3 feet.
By the way, Sepp Straka fist pumps a big lump of Long Island fresh air all the way to Manhattan after draining a 30-foot birdie at 14. JJ Spaun follows him in from 8 feet. The top match remains in the European favour (3UP, four to play), however.
Updated
This didn’t take long! “HUGE, Matt?!?!?” emails Simon Hailey. “The second match is MASSIVE.” If the other matches stay the same (not a given, of course), the second match will determine if Europe leads by two, three or four points.
Jon Rahm has 11 feet for a winning eagle-3 at the 13th. He didn’t like it from very early and it’s not been conceded. U.S. captain Keegan Bradley talks to Scottie Scheffler and JJ Spaun as Rahm mops up the birdie chance. He and Sepp Straka remain 3UP with five holes to play. The second match continues to look HUGE.
Scheffler/Spaun v Rahm/Straka 3UP (13)
Griffin/DeChambeau A/S Fleetwood/Rose (12)
Young/Thomas 4UP v Åberg/Højgaard (11)
Burns/Cantlay v McIlroy/Lowry 2UP (11)
Shane Lowry points to the galleries and then to the European badge by his heart which he then pumps. He’s just made a superb winning birdie at 11 to send himself and Rory McIlroy 2UP on Sam Burns and Patrick Cantlay. Rory McIlroy follows the route of his friend’s pointing finger – there’s an Irish tricolour in the near distance.
Bethpage Black is a long and undulating walk. Throw in the emotional toll of a long week, and what TV’s Iona Stephen reports is a fatiguing heat out there, and you wonder how many players will contest all five sessions this week. If the captains take the route of resting stars, squad depth becomes a more important factor – quite who that favours, however, is a difficult question to answer.
Justin Thomas wins 11 to go 4UP with Cam Young against Ludvig Åberg/Rasmus Højgaard combination. He’s pumped up and implores the galleries to make some noise.
The TV commentators are at it yet again. “Well overdue is Scottie,” says Wayne Riley. Give it a few more holes and they’ll be inducing Scheffler. He’s missed again, though. Jon Rahm and Sepp Straka are 3UP with six holes to play on the world number one and JJ Spaun.
The final match edges closer as Patrick Cantlay nicks the 10th. Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry are 1UP on Cantlay and Sam Burns.
Matches 1, 3 and 4 are not settled, but the trailing pair in all three are under pressure with at least two holes to make up. The second match is tighter and might be tighter still very soon. Ben Griffin has missed the 11th green, Bryson DeChambeau has too, but will probably putt from 14 feet. Justin Rose and Tommy Fleetwood are inside him and both will learn a lot about their own birdie putts from the American’s effort. Ooooh – DeChambeau bumps it forward with a wedge and leaves it way short. That limits the going-to-school element. But no fear! Tommy Fleetwood makes his putt and the match is all square with seven to play. A big 90 minutes coming up. Hang on – every minute of the Ryder Cup is big right?
Updated
Scottie Scheffler’s birdie try at 11 was yet another dribbler. What can Jon Rahm learn from it? Enough to find the bottom of the cup and win the hole! What a performer the Spaniard is, maintaining the long line of his nation’s Ryder Cup stars that includes Seve Ballesteros, Manuel Piñero (the often overlooked top scorer in the 1985 match), José María Olazábal and Sergio Garcia. Every match has made the turn. The scores on the doors are:
Scheffler/Spaun v Rahm/Straka 3UP (11)
Griffin/DeChambeau 1UP v Fleetwood/Rose (10)
Young/Thomas 3UP v Åberg/Højgaard (9)
Burns/Cantlay v McIlroy/Lowry 2UP (9)
It really isn’t Scottie Scheffler’s day. He hits a fine approach to 11, but it rips back with spin, just misses the pin, and finishes outside Jon Rahm’s approach. He’ll have 13 feet for birdie yet he will also gift the Spaniard a great look at the line ahead of his own 9-foot birdie effort.
Updated
Bob Cushion is thinking of tomorrow. He emails: “Looks to me as though Messrs Straka and Højgaard can look forward to a nice lazy day tomorrow!” Bob’s not cushioning the blow.
Ludvig Åberg and Højgaard lose 9 to go 3DOWN to Cam Young and Justin Thomas. Captain Luke Donald watches on in his sunnies, looking a little like an extra from 1980s TV cop show CHiPs. He looks impassive, but his cheek muscles reveal the clenching and unclenching of his teeth.
Can Shane Lowry join the party in the final match? He’s been cheerleader, and would love to toss aside the pom poms and get involved, but his birdie putt at 8 never looks like it fancies the bottom of the hole. He and Rory McIlroy remain 2UP.
Up ahead, Sky’s Wayne Riley joins the commentary chorus that “Scottie Scheffler is due” before the world number one strikes another limp putt that dribbles towards, rather than disappears into, the hole. He remains 2DOWN in the top match.
The stats expert Justin Ray has just reminded us of Ryder Cup match winning percentages when leading at the turn. 1UP is 64%, 2UP is 82% and 3UP is 89% (for all matches since 1985).
Updated
It’s not only locals who are nattering out loud. “Hurry up!” shouts a European voice as the famously slow Patrick Cantlay dawdles in a bunker at 7.
Oh wow! Rory McIlroy then drops a 25-foot winning birdie at the same hole and a “COME ON!” bursts from his lower rib cage. He’s pumped out there. He and Shane Lowry are also now 2UP in the bottom match. Remember, McIlroy is not just facing Patrick Cantlay this afternoon – the American’s caddie is still Joe LaCava, who got under McIlroy’s collar in Rome two years ago.
The first match hits the turn. JJ Spaun misses a 12-foot putt for birdie – and he took it before Scottie Scheffler misses his own from 23 feet (he didn’t want to give Jon Rahm a read if he didn’t need to). Now the Spaniard has that read and 21 feet to win the hole. It just slips by! A wonderful putt, though, and match play fun and games. It’s tight out there. The back nine promises plenty of tension and drama. The in-play fourball score is 2-2.
Scheffler/Spaun v Rahm/Straka 2UP (9)
Griffin/DeChambeau 1UP v Fleetwood/Rose (8)
Young/Thomas 2UP v Åberg/Højgaard (7)
Burns/Cantlay v McIlroy/Lowry 1UP (6)
Big moment for Tommy Fleetwood. A poor first putt and he has 4 feet for a half after partner Justin Rose missed from just outside him. No problem for the Tour Championship winner, however. The pair remain 1DOWN against Ben Griffin and Bryson DeChambeau.
Rory McIlroy has 12 feet to win the 6th with a birdie … and it drops! He issues a huge roar when it disappears down the hole. Shane Lowry rushes forward to slap his pal’s hand and give him a little chest bump. They lead Sam Burns and Patrick Cantlay 1UP.
Updated
Nathan Cavin messages: “I’ve had to turn over for some respite. I can’t take much more “U-S-A!”” Meanwhile, Ben Griffin might have been reading about Yabba on The Hill because, at the par-three 8th, he’s smacked his tee shot wide of the green, wide of the hazards, and up on the hill where fans thought they were a long, long way from any threat of taking a blow from a tee shot.
Updated
This session feels a little undefined so far. The Europeans are a little flat; the Americans better, but not significantly so. The captains will be craving a little period of sustained quality from their men. Oh hang on – Ben Griffin drains a huge birdie at 7. But Justin Rose matches him! The old man of the team bangs his chest “Me Tarzan”-style. And then Jon Rahm joins in with a winning birdie at 8 to go 2UP in the top match.
Scheffler/Spaun v Rahm/Straka 2UP (7)
Griffin/DeChambeau 1UP v Fleetwood/Rose (7)
Young/Thomas 2UP v Åberg/Højgaard (6)
Burns/Cantlay A/S McIlroy/Lowry (5)
Updated
Talking of that “banter”, here’s an example we just caught on TV: “Hey, Lowry, your partner stinks.” It’s not Yabba on The Hill at the Sydney Cricket Ground who once shouted at Douglas Jardine (who was swatting a persistent fly away from his face): “Leave our flies alone.”
Updated
Lots of chatter thrown from the galleries at Rory McIlroy before he hits into the green in the final match at 5. “Not in the spirit,” says Laura Davies on TV. “It’s not the noise, it’s the terrible level of banter,” argues Nick Dougherty. “Weak,” agrees Davies.
Ludvig Åberg and Rasmus Højgaard both miss from 10 feet at 5. The birdie putts refuse to drop, but Justin Thomas makes no mistake from half the distance. JT and Cam Young are now 2UP. Bryson DeChambeau, however, spurns the chance to make birdie at 6. He had a similar distance to Thomas and it didn’t touch the hole. And an errant Jon Rahm approach shot has bounced out of high rough in more or less inexplicable fashion. A big break for the Spaniard at 7.
Hunter Mahan on Sky Sport ponders the Scottie Scheffler question. He’s struggled in Rome and he’s struggling today. He just doesn’t look like the world number one. It feels familiar. Indeed, there are so many whispers of “just like Tiger” it is practically a roar. His partner JJ Spaun has a 15-foot putt to win 7 and it doesn’t threaten the hole. Jon Rahm and Sepp Straka remain 1UP.
Bryson DeChambeau does things his way. His putting, for example. His technique looks like a badly hung front gate, but boy does it work when he is on form – and a birdie-3 at 5 puts he and Ben Griffin 1UP on Tommy Fleetwood and Justin Rose. The big galleries following him need little encouragement to be loud – so they’re loud.
Big miss from Rory McIlroy! Well, a short miss but a big missed opportunity. He can’t make the most of that superb blow from the tee at 3 and misses out on what would have been a winning birdie. The galleries enjoyed that. McIlroy himself grimaces. Little to separate the two teams early in this second session.
Scheffler/Spaun v Rahm/Straka 1UP (5)
Griffin/DeChambeau A/S Fleetwood/Rose (4)
Young/Thomas 1UP v Åberg/Højgaard (3)
Burns/Cantlay A/S McIlroy/Lowry (3)
Updated
Rory McIlroy backs up the good work of Shane Lowry at 3. The Masters champion’s tee shot at the par-three finishes within 5 feet of the pin. Sam Burns buckles a bit and misses the green but Patrick Cantlay will have a good look from about 15 feet before McIlroy. Classic match play. McIlroy’s putt will seem longer if Cantlay makes his.
Up ahead, Dame Laura Davies on Sky Sports congratulates Sepp Straka’s lag putting by calling him Mystic Meg. One for the kids. The Austrian, by the way, is a Taurus who are known for reliability and their good feel outside 20 feet with the flat stick.
If you want to plot a route around Bethpage Black – or just see where the four groups are out on the course, here’s our hole-by-hole guide to this week’s venue.
Ooohh – classic Ryder Cup moment with a BIG roar in the distance as we watch some action. It turns out to be a hole-winning birdie at 2 for Shane Lowry. He and Rory McIlroy are now all square in the 4th game.
It’s interesting that, after all the talk of raucous New York galleries, this morning didn’t feel that wild once the players left the 1st tee. The Scotsman’s Martin Dempster is on-site and has just described it as “more akin to a ball pit than bearpit”.
Updated
Cam Young joins the party. The New Yorker equalled the course record at Bethpage Black as an amateur (since bettered) and he drains a 35-foot birdie at the 2nd to go 1UP with Justin Thomas on the Scandi 20-somethings. The fourball format is already delivering the birdies.
Drama on 1. Patrick Cantlay rips into his wedge approach. It lands way past the hole and then spin drags it back to kick-in range. How can Rory McIlroy respond? Before he has a chance a member of the gallery yells something at him while the American Sam Burns prepares to hit. Then McIlroy skips his ball up towards the hole and leaves himself a nasty 9-foot putt for birdie and almost certainly the half (Cantlay might not have his putt conceded). Oh dear. Not a nice putt at all from the Masters champion. It missed by a big margin. Cantlay doesn’t miss. He and Burns are 1UP.
Scheffler/Spaun v Rahm/Straka 1UP (4)
Griffin/DeChambeau A/S Fleetwood/Rose (3)
Young/Thomas A/S Åberg/Højgaard (1)
Burns/Cantlay 1UP v McIlroy/Lowry (1)
The final match of the afternoon leaves the 1st tee. Shane Lowry finds the left rough and Rory McIlroy is just short of the green. Sam Burns and Patrick Cantlay (who pointed his finger at President Trump and gave a nod) are the final American duo. There was a thumbs down for McIlroy from one member of the gallery – a touch of baiting that always has an element of the comic about it.
Updated
Hola Jon Rahm. He drops a birdie-2 at the par-three 3rd to take the lead in the top match (that is yet to experience a halved hole). At 1, Rasmus Højgaard and Justin Thomas swap birdies.
Scheffler/Spaun v Rahm/Straka 1UP (3)
Griffin/DeChambeau A/S Fleetwood/Rose (2)
Young/Thomas A/S Åberg/Højgaard (1)
Match three leaves the 1st tee and the Scandinavians are out in force for the visitors. Sweden’s Ludvig Åberg finds the left rough, Denmark’s Rasmus Højgaard finds short grass just short of the green. “Majestic,” says Ewen Murray on Sky Sports of the debutant. What of New Yorker Cam Young? Another decent blow for another debutant. And finally there is the veteran Justin Thomas who finds the right rough. Meanwhile, there is a tidy little chip-in for birdie at 2 from Sepp Straka – that draws the opening match back to all square.
Updated
Tommy Fleetwood makes a birdie at the par-four 1st. He finds the hole from about 12 feet and now Bryson DeChambeau has six feet to halve the hole. He makes it. The American leaves the green waving his arms upwards and towards the galleries, urging them to make more noise.
Scheffler/Spaun 1UP v Rahm/Straka (1)
Griffin/DeChambeau A/S Fleetwood/Rose (1)
Julian Menz emails: “I enjoyed the first half of the day, of course. COME ON EUROPE!!” He’s not so keen on the involvement of the U.S. President, however.
The biggest roar of the afternoon so far is for Bryson DeChambeau at the 1st tee. He responds with a big blow to the centre of the fairway, a mere flick from the green. He’s 2-for-2 at doing that today which is a significant contrast to everyone today (on both sides) who are struggling to find the short grass. He’s playing with debutant Ben Griffin, up against the English duo of Justin Rose and Tommy Fleetwood (who both claimed win on the PGA Tour in August).
Updated
Straka’s birdie attempt at 1 never looks close to the hole. What about Rahm? Ditto! From different angles, they saw a similar slope that didn’t exist. Spaun doesn’t miss his short effort. Nice start for him. Back at the tee, Bryson DeChambeau and President Donald Trump tickle each other’s tummies.
Scheffler/Spaun 1UP v Rahm/Straka (1)
A delicious start for Spaun. After Straka and Scheffler leave their approaches at 1 short of the hole, Spaun has knocked his very close. Not a gimme but close to it. Rahm cannot respond. He and Straka have two chances from around 20 feet to match Spaun’s (likely) birdie.
All sorts of noise as the opening afternoon match hits the 1st tee. “A festival of birdies,” predicts Ewen Murray on Sky Sports. World number one Scottie Scheffler is joined by US Open champion JJ Spaun to take on Jon Rahm and Sepp Straka, a new Spanish-Austrian combo few would have predicted. Lots of noise around Rahm’s tee shot, but it did quieten down for the hit. Less aggro for Straka. Both of them hit through the dogleg and into the left rough. Spaun receives plenty of (good) noise and his first Ryder Cup blow finds the right rough. Scheffler (big cheers then absolute silence) joins the Europeans in the left rough.
A reminder for those of you new to the Ryder Cup: This morning the teams played foursomes which involves the two golfers playing alternate shots. In contrast, this afternoon the format is fourball (or better ball) which means all four golfers play their own ball and the best score for each team counts. If Player A makes a 5 and Player B a 4, the team score is 4.
“Luke has obviously got a game plan, splitting up his pairings,” says Nick Faldo on Sky Sports. He adds that he’d like to play with Ludvig Åberg. Who wouldn’t, in foursomes especially? The Swede has now won all three career foursomes contests. Playing alongside Viktor Hovland in Rome, remember, he beat Scottie Scheffler & Brooks Koepka (9&7) and Max Homa & Brian Harman (4&3). He’s yet to see the 16th hole in the three games.
A few impressive stats have been flying around off the back of this morning’s action. How about this? Europe has won three points in the first session of a Ryder Cup just three times before - in 2002, 2004 and 2023. On all three occasions, the team went on to win the Cup itself. I suspect Luke Donald wouldn’t like such an observation, afraid of any possibility of complacency. And here’s the combined score in the last three foursomes sessions at the Ryder Cup: Europe 10, USA 2 (holes won: Europe 70, USA 37). All three of those sessions, of course, were captained by Luke Donald (with data input from Edoardo Molinari).
Thanks Scott. It’s been a great morning of Ryder Cup golf - here’s hoping for more of the same this afternoon. A bit of personal drama as well, this morning, because I had a bit of a disaster with my laptop yesterday when it crashed to earth from 8 feet and ended up looking as beaten up as a British or Irish player in the pre-Europe Ryder Cup era. It could have been worse, though. I have a spare that has stepped into the breach and I’ve seen worse laptop problems this year. Glasgow Herald journalist Nick Rodger’s keyboard malfunctioned at the Open - he couldn’t get the R, T or S to work. Tricky under any circumstances, of course, but a nightmare for a fellow whose focus of the week was Robert MacIntyre of Scotland.
Updated
The fourballs will commence in 20 minutes or so. All times BST.
5.25pm: Scottie Scheffler and JJ Spaun v Jon Rahm and Sepp Straka
5.41pm: Ben Griffin and Bryson DeChambeau v Tommy Fleetwood and Justin Rose
5.57pm: Cameron Young and Justin Thomas v Ludvig Åberg and Rasmus Højgaard
6.13pm: Sam Burns and Patrick Cantlay v Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry
Thanks for reading this morning’s foursomes coverage. Matt Cooper will take you through the afternoon’s fourballs, and I’ll see you again tomorrow. Good luck one and all!
Updated
Day one foursomes: result
DeChambeau/Thomas v Rahm/Hatton 4&3
Scheffler/Henley v Åberg/Fitzpatrick 5&3
Morikawa/English v McIlroy/Fleetwood 5&4
2UP Schauffele/Cantlay v MacIntyre/Hovland
USA 1-3 Europe
USA 1-3 Europe
The crowd continue their boisterous party, so much so that Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay are forced to raise their hands to get them to pipe down so Bob Mac can putt. He doesn’t make it, and that’s a diminuendo end to their attempted comeback. But the USA pair showed great heart in rebounding from the loss of their three-hole lead, closing the match out on 17 and 18 in style. The hosts on the board! Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay beat Robert MacIntyre and Viktor Hovland 2UP.
2UP Schauffele/Cantlay v MacIntyre/Hovland (F)
USA 1-3 Europe
Updated
Hovland swishes out from the bunker, and does so pretty well. But his ball stops 15 feet short of the flag, and this final match is all but done and dusted. The crowd at full volume, at long last!
Xander Schauffele, from the middle of the fairway, 105 yards out. He’s going first. With Bob MacIntyre’s ball in deep cabbage, here’s a chance to pretty much close this out … and he wedges a delicious approach to ten feet. Cheers of USA! USA! USA! ring out for the first time in hours … and they double in volume as MacIntyre is unable to muscle Europe’s second onto the green. His ball apologetically dunks into the bunker guarding the front right of the dancefloor. Viktor Hovland will need to hole out for Europe to have any chance of winning the hole and putting up half a point.
Patrick Cantlay sends Team USA’s drive at 18 down the track. Viktor Hovland carves Europe’s miles to the right, the ball disappearing into a rare patch of thick Bethpage rough. Hovland and MacIntyre clawed their way back into this match wonderfully, but the momentum has suddenly shifted back to Cantlay and Schauffele, just in time for the USA, at the moment they desperately needed something. A first point for the hosts looks more likely than not from here. Very much more likely.
1UP Schauffele/Cantlay v MacIntyre/Hovland (17)
USA 0-3 Europe
… but Cantlay doesn’t hit it! Yet another underhit putt, stopping a couple of turns short. Over to Bob MacIntyre, who is serenaded by several frat boys accusing him of onanistic practices. The crowd have really gone for him at this hole, and the putt breaks sadly off to the left. The hosts go 1UP with one to play, and are certain of getting something on the board. But what? The next few minutes so precious to Team USA.
1UP Schauffele/Cantlay v MacIntyre/Hovland (17)
USA 0-3 Europe
Viktor Hovland is presented with a plugged lie. He nevertheless splashes out to seven-and-a-half feet. That’s some result from where he was – there wasn’t too much in the way of green to work with, either – and that’s pretty much the best he could do. But it still leaves his partner with a missable putt for par. And it won’t matter anyway if Patrick Cantlay holes his downhill left-to-right slider from 20 feet …
Xander Schauffele nails his tee shot. An 8-iron sent sailing majestically over the flag to 20 feet. Serious advantage to the USA. The crowd, for the first time since this morning’s very early exchanges, are en fête.
Schauffele/Cantlay A/S MacIntyre/Hovland (16)
USA 0-3 Europe
The par-three 17th makes its tournament debut. The number: 168 yards. Bob MacIntyre stands over his ball, begins his backswing … but then aborts the mission. He steps away to a chorus of pantomime booing. He goes through with his second effort … and dunks it into the bunker to the left of the green. The crowd might have got under his skin there. Door open for Xander Schauffele.
… but hits a weak putt that’s always destined to die left well before it reaches the cup. That’s not Cantlay’s first tentative prod of the morning. He’s not putted well. So costly for the hosts.
Schauffele/Cantlay A/S MacIntyre/Hovland (16)
USA 0-3 Europe
Both pairs call the referee to ascertain who putts first. It’s Europe, just. Viktor Hovland, his putter hot, steps up … but this one kinks off to the right on its final couple of turns. Over to Patrick Cantlay, who has the chance to reclaim the lead for the USA …
This final match is such an entertaining battle. Xander Schauffele screeches his approach into 15 to a halt, pin high, ten feet from the flag. Bob MacIntyre responds by firing a dart straight at the flag, 12 feet short! Yet another flat-stick showdown coming up!
A jaw-dropping stat courtesy of the ever-superb Sky Sports commentator Ewen Murray. “The biggest surprise of the morning is the world number-one Scottie Scheffler … his last 26 holes in foursomes … he’s 14 down!” He then goes on to observe that Tiger Woods didn’t really fancy the format either. “Sometimes the best hunters hunt alone.”
Viktor Hovland bashes his drive at 16 down the left-hand side of the fairway. Patrick Cantlay, the nerves surely jangling like billy-o, sends a power fade down the right-hand side of it. Both teams in good nick. One team feeling a darn sight better than the other right now.
Of the two players chipping onto 15, Xander Schauffele has more green to work with. He bundles his chip to eight feet. Bob MacIntyre lobs up from closer range to six. Patrick Cantlay’s downhill putt is always sliding by on the left; Viktor Hovland’s tickle down is always dropping into the centre of the cup! Europe have hauled themselves back level in this anchor match, in no small part because of Hovland’s flat-stick moxie!
Schauffele/Cantlay A/S MacIntyre/Hovland (15)
USA 0-3 Europe
A very pleased Luke Donald takes his turn to chat to the host broadcaster USA Network. “I’m very proud. They’ve come out very strong. I knew the USA would be very tough. It’s very tough out here. I’m very pleased to see the boys playing so well. They know the plan and it’s nice to see them sticking to it.”
Viktor Hovland sends his second at 15 towards a greenside bunker. It stops just short, and he’d be left with an awkward stance with his feet in the sand … were he playing the next shot himself. But he’s not, and his partner Bob MacIntyre is left-handed. Meanwhile Patrick Cantlay gets a drop away from the boozy-do, and also finds greenside rough. Shredded nerves all over the shop already, and it’s not even midday on day one!
As Donald Trump’s plane passes overhead, USA captain Keegan Bradley puts a brave face on things. “It’s not exactly what we wanted, but we know the Ryder Cup is going to be ebbs and flows. I gotta lot of faith in our boys. Let’s see how this last match finishes up. We just had the president fly over in his Air Force One, so I gotta feeling things are gonna turn here.”
Updated
The volume cranks up as the final match crosses Arnold Palmer Way – the road that runs through Bethpage Black – and towards the 15th tee. All of the hospitality is over on this side of the road – serving holes 1, 15, 16, 17 and 18 – which explains the more lubricated nature of the noise. Bob MacIntyre sends a fairly straight tee shot down the hole, but Xander Schauffele pulls his into one of those hospitality suites! Team USA really feeling it right now.
No problem for Viktor Hovland, who hasn’t let that short missed putt on 11 mess with his mind. A half, and he’s earned a hearty slap on the back from his captain Luke Donald as everyone vacates the green.
1UP Schauffele/Cantlay v MacIntyre/Hovland (14)
USA 0-3 Europe
Xander Schauffele gives his long birdie putt a good roll, but it’s always dying to the low side on the left. That’s par, but a chance for Bob MacIntyre to level things up. However his putt from the fringe gets a bit of a flier, and skitters three feet past. No way is that going to be conceded, and out of nowhere, the man from Oban might have thrown his opponents a lifeline. Big putt coming up for Viktor Hovland.
Viktor Hovland and Patrick Cantlay take turns to wedge their tee shots into 14. The Hov is closer, 15 feet to 35, but Cantlay’s ball is on the green, while Hovland’s is on the fringe. You could slice the tension with a 1-iron. The home gallery know things have already gotten real.
This will be the first time Europe has won the opening session of the Ryder Cup on American soil since 2004. They ended up winning that contest 18½ to 9½. And here’s a reminder that the winner of the morning session on day one has gone on to win the Ryder Cup on each of the last five stagings. The one previous to that, when the day-one morning winners didn’t go on to close the deal? The miracle of Medinah. A lot for Team USA to process here.
Team USA really need to hold on in this final match now. A point almost essential. Having been three holes up, anything else would be an unmitigated disaster. It’s bad enough for the hosts already. And they’re not in great shape coming up the par-five 13th, both teams on in three but Europe far closer. Patrick Cantlay can’t make the 35-footer that he’s left with … but Viktor Hovland is good for his ten footer, and that’s back-to-back business from the talented Norwegian. At the side of the green, Rory McIlroy, his morning’s work complete, screams with delight. The hosts reeling.
1UP Schauffele/Cantlay v MacIntyre/Hovland (13)
USA 0-3 Europe
USA 0-3 Europe
It’s just not happened for Scottie Scheffler and Russell Henley this morning. Henley’s drive finds rough down the left; Scheffler’s approach disappears into thick greenside filth. Henley doesn’t get particularly close with his chip, and when Scottie fails to tickle in a lightning-fast downhill par putt from 25 feet, it leaves Europe with two putts to win the match. They only need one. Matt Fitzpatrick rolls it in from 15 feet, and this is Europe’s morning now: guaranteed. Ludvig Åberg and Matthew Fitzpatrick beat Scottie Scheffler and Russell Henley 5&3.
Scheffler/Henley v Åberg/Fitzpatrick 5&3 (F)
2UP Schauffele/Cantlay v MacIntyre/Hovland (12)
USA 0-3 Europe
USA 0-2 Europe
Rory McIlroy has a 30-footer to win the match on 14. It’s always staying up on the high side and rolls two feet past. That’s not conceded. Harris English has to go for it, and whistles his birdie putt five feet past. Collin Morikawa makes the one coming back, and McIlroy doesn’t look particularly impressed at Tommy Fleetwood being forced to tidy up … but this is matchplay golf at its highest level, so you can’t really blame Morikawa and English for hanging onto their last scrap of hope. But Fleetwood’s not missing the putt. Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood beat Collin Morikawa and Harris English 5&4.
Scheffler/Henley v Åberg/Fitzpatrick 4UP (14)
Morikawa/English v McIlroy/Fleetwood 5&4 (F)
2UP Schauffele/Cantlay v MacIntyre/Hovland (12)
USA 0-2 Europe
Viktor Hovland walks in a ten-footer for birdie at 12. That’s a fine response to the missed tiddler on the previous hole, and Europe aren’t finished yet in the anchor match!
Scheffler/Henley v Åberg/Fitzpatrick 4UP (14)
Morikawa/English v McIlroy/Fleetwood 5UP (13)
2UP Schauffele/Cantlay v MacIntyre/Hovland (12)
USA 0-1 Europe
USA 0-1 Europe
Bryson DeChambeau doesn’t leave his monster birdie effort on 15 short. He kind of had to make it, so it goes five feet past. Jon Rahm tickles his 15-footer to a couple of feet. It’s not conceded, but Justin Thomas has to make the par putt to have any hope of extending … and he shoves it wide right. He acts surprised, but that was a shaky stroke. First blood to Team Europe! Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton beat Bryson DeChambeau and Justin Thomas 4&3.
DeChambeau/Thomas v Rahm/Hatton 4&3 (F)
Scheffler/Henley v Åberg/Fitzpatrick 4UP (14)
Morikawa/English v McIlroy/Fleetwood 5UP (13)
3UP Schauffele/Cantlay v MacIntyre/Hovland (11)
USA 0-1 Europe
Collin Morikawa’s 20-foot birdie putt on 13 lips out. Unlucky, but it’s just a half, and now Fleetwood Mac are dormie five. Tommy then finds the centre of the par-three 14th, 30 feet from the flag. Morikawa needs to do something fast, and sends his tee shot half the distance inside. Another big putting competition coming up!
Justin Thomas gets his drop from the bin, and finds the green. That’s not a bad result from where he was, off a filthy lie, but he’s miles from the flag, which is at the front, his ball at the back. Tyrrell Hatton wedges to 15 feet, and somewhere an opera singer is clearing her throat.
DeChambeau/Thomas v Rahm/Hatton 3UP (14)
Scheffler/Henley v Åberg/Fitzpatrick 4UP (14)
Morikawa/English v McIlroy/Fleetwood 5UP (13)
3UP Schauffele/Cantlay v MacIntyre/Hovland (11)
The hosts are taking control of the anchor game, though. Viktor Hovland misses a short putt on 11, and Patty Ice rediscovers his super-cool, tidying up from close range to put the USA 3UP. Meanwhile on 14, Russell Henley lands a 30-foot tramliner to put some pressure on Ludvig Åberg’s five-foot birdie chance … but Åberg calmly slots for a half. That’s a great result for the USA in normal circumstances, but with holes running out, it’ll still feel like a mild disappointment.
DeChambeau/Thomas v Rahm/Hatton 3UP (14)
Scheffler/Henley v Åberg/Fitzpatrick 4UP (14)
Morikawa/English v McIlroy/Fleetwood 5UP (12)
3UP Schauffele/Cantlay v MacIntyre/Hovland (11)
Bryson DeChambeau clatters his drive at 15 towards the hospitality suite down the right of the hole. The ball pings off the structure and into a nearby trashcan. That’s too on-the-nose, isn’t it?
In fact Team USA are just a little bit outside Europe on the par-three 14th. Bryson DeChambeau to putt first. And he races it into the centre of the cup. He’s not gonna die wondering! A vicious punch of the air in celebration … but it’s all in vain because Jon Rahm follows him in. Half. Better news for the hosts though on 13, where Russell Henley finally finds the form that’s brought him up to number three in the world rankings. He screeches a wedge to kick-in distance, and that’s a hole back. They’re still on the brink, but they’re not done yet!
DeChambeau/Thomas v Rahm/Hatton 3UP (14)
Scheffler/Henley v Åberg/Fitzpatrick 4UP (13)
Morikawa/English v McIlroy/Fleetwood 5UP (12)
2UP Schauffele/Cantlay v MacIntyre/Hovland (10)
Harris English yanks the USA’s second on 12 into a bunker down the left. Collin Morikawa can’t get anywhere near the pin from the best part of 100 feet out, and that’s yet another hole shipped by the hosts.
DeChambeau/Thomas v Rahm/Hatton 3UP (13)
Scheffler/Henley v Åberg/Fitzpatrick 5UP (12)
Morikawa/English v McIlroy/Fleetwood 5UP (12)
2UP Schauffele/Cantlay v MacIntyre/Hovland (10)
JT steps up to take his tee shot … then steps away for some reason. His own fans meet that reaction with some sarcastic woos. But the two-time major champion is made of the right stuff, and under the gaze of the living legend Michael Jordan – imagine that for pressure! – replicates Hatton’s effort. In fact betters it by a couple of feet. Huge putting competition coming up.
Updated
Tyrrell Hatton isn’t hanging about on the 149-yard par-three 14th. He wastes no time in stepping up and eases his tee shot over the flag, landing it 25 feet past and spinning it back to eight feet. Over to Justin Thomas, who has to find a response here.
JT’s putt is always staying up on the right side. He looks pained. Hatton has the opportunity to put Europe three holes up from 12 feet. It’s an uphill putt with some gentle left-to-right drift. It’s always dropping from the second it leaves the face of his putter. A couple of big putts from Hatton on the last two greens. The US 3DOWN with five to play. Better news for them, though, in the anchor match, as they win the 10th after Viktor Hovland catches a bunker shot too cleanly and flies the green.
DeChambeau/Thomas v Rahm/Hatton 3UP (13)
Scheffler/Henley v Åberg/Fitzpatrick 5UP (12)
Morikawa/English v McIlroy/Fleetwood 4UP (11)
2UP Schauffele/Cantlay v MacIntyre/Hovland (10)
Justin Thomas carves his approach at 13 miles right of the green. He’s fortunate that the ball hits a discombobulated marshal and doesn’t fly even further off line. Tyrrell Hatton has a good look inside the gift horse’s mouth, and sends Europe’s second into rough on the other side of the green. Neither Bryson DeChambeau nor Jon Rahm get particularly close with their chips, and this is turning into a bit of a farce. Having said that, a couple of long putts are coming up for birdie.
Updated
Scottie Scheffler lobs up from the bank down the back of 12. He only just gets the ball up onto the fringe. It’s still America’s turn. Russell Henley takes putter, and he’s forced to go for it. The ball lips out, a decent enough effort, but not enough. Another hole goes by, and Europe are now 5UP with six to play.
DeChambeau/Thomas v Rahm/Hatton 2UP (12)
Scheffler/Henley v Åberg/Fitzpatrick 5UP (12)
Morikawa/English v McIlroy/Fleetwood 4UP (11)
1UP Schauffele/Cantlay v MacIntyre/Hovland (9)
… and so on 11, Collin Morikawa and Harris English are both left with more work to do than they’d ideally like. Both make no mistake. Hole halved.
DeChambeau/Thomas v Rahm/Hatton 2UP (12)
Scheffler/Henley v Åberg/Fitzpatrick 4UP (11)
Morikawa/English v McIlroy/Fleetwood 4UP (11)
1UP Schauffele/Cantlay v MacIntyre/Hovland (9)
Russell Henley continues to struggle. From the centre of the 12th fairway, he airmails the green, the ball smacking some poor punter on the hand before disappearing into the rough. Ludvig Åberg turns the screw by screeching his approach pin high to ten feet. Meanwhile back on 11, Rory McIlroy leaves a putt three feet short, while Harris English sends one a similar distance long.
Justin Thomas is shortsided on 12, so does extremely well to gently clip his wedge to kick-in distance. But that still leaves Tyrrell Hatton with a 25-footer for birdie and the win. Hatton prepares to putt, but stops as a buzzing fly comes into his life. He swats it away from his ball, before rolling in the putt and swiping the air again, this time with an emotional punch of glee. Meanwhile the fly floats away, like honey in the sun.
DeChambeau/Thomas v Rahm/Hatton 2UP (12)
Scheffler/Henley v Åberg/Fitzpatrick 4UP (11)
Morikawa/English v McIlroy/Fleetwood 4UP (10)
1UP Schauffele/Cantlay v MacIntyre/Hovland (8)
Scottie Scheffler and Russell Henley don’t look like coming back at Ludvig Åberg and Matt Fitzpatrick right now. Scheffler’s approach into 11 is extraordinarily average by his own absurdly high standards, and Henley leaves his long birdie putt well short. Scheffler makes the five footer that remains, but that’s just a half and holes are running out for the USA.
Justin Thomas and Tyrrell Hatton both find the rough down the left of 12 with their tee shots. Bryson DeChambeau is up first, and he gets a flyer out of it, sending his ball into the filth behind the green. Jon Rahm responds by finding the middle of the dancefloor.
Bounceback birdie for Team USA in the final match of the morning! Patrick Cantlay knocks his tee shot at the par-three 8th pin high, and Collin Morikawa strides after his 15-foot putt as it drops. For all of their struggles in the middle two matches, the lead and anchor games are very much in the balance, and if they can put some red on the board there, the mood will shift quickly and considerably. The knife-edge majesty of matchplay golf, right here!
DeChambeau/Thomas v Rahm/Hatton 1UP (11)
Scheffler/Henley v Åberg/Fitzpatrick 4UP (10)
Morikawa/English v McIlroy/Fleetwood 4UP (9)
1UP Schauffele/Cantlay v MacIntyre/Hovland (8)
Oh my! Bryson gives his birdie putt a good rattle, and it shaves the hole on the left and sails four feet past. It’s still America’s honour … but Justin Thomas saves their honour in another way to make the one coming back. Tyrrell Hatton still has a three footer himself, but he’s not missing that, and it’s another big escape for Europe in this lead match.
DeChambeau/Thomas v Rahm/Hatton 1UP (11)
Scheffler/Henley v Åberg/Fitzpatrick 4UP (10)
Morikawa/English v McIlroy/Fleetwood 4UP (9)
Schauffele/Cantlay A/S MacIntyre/Hovland (7)
… but there’s some better news for the USA on 9, where Harris English tidies up for birdie and just the fourth hole won by the hosts so far this morning. A huge roar that surely reaches the 11th green, where Bryson DeChambeau has a fairly straight 15-footer for birdie. If that goes in, the hosts could be cooking with gas again!
DeChambeau/Thomas v Rahm/Hatton 1UP (10)
Scheffler/Henley v Åberg/Fitzpatrick 4UP (10)
Morikawa/English v McIlroy/Fleetwood 4UP (9)
Schauffele/Cantlay A/S MacIntyre/Hovland (7)
The last splash of red disappears from the board. Xander Schaffele sends his tee shot at 7 into rough down the left, and the US are always out of position from that point. Patrick Cantlay hits another putt in an oddly uncertain fashion, this time from nine feet, and is unable to salvage par.
DeChambeau/Thomas v Rahm/Hatton 1UP (10)
Scheffler/Henley v Åberg/Fitzpatrick 4UP (9)
Morikawa/English v McIlroy/Fleetwood 5UP (8)
Schauffele/Cantlay A/S MacIntyre/Hovland (7)
Perhaps this is it! Harris English has left Collin Morikawa behind a tree down the left of 9. No straight route to the green. So the two-time major winner manufactures a huge draw around the tree from 152 yards to four feet! That’s outrageous, the shot of the day so far. Tommy Fleetwood responds well, sending Europe’s second from the centre of the fairway to nine feet. Normally we’d be rhapsodising about that, but Morikawa’s brilliance has put that in the shadow. And given their respective positions after the tee shots, this could be a classic matchplay smash and grab for Team USA. A couple of big putts coming up. But then how many times have we said that already?!
Justin Thomas and Tyrrell Hatton trade 40-foot near-misses on 10. A pair of pars, and everyone moves on. Two halved holes after two losses for the US, so the gallery, jonesing for something to grab onto, for something to build on, try to whip up a chant of USA! USA! … but their heart isn’t really in it. The hosts searching for the spark they so desperately need.
DeChambeau/Thomas v Rahm/Hatton 1UP (10)
Scheffler/Henley v Åberg/Fitzpatrick 4UP (9)
Morikawa/English v McIlroy/Fleetwood 5UP (8)
1UP Schauffele/Cantlay v MacIntyre/Hovland (6)
Ludvig Åberg walks in a confidently struck 15-footer on 9 and punches the air with delight. Meanwhile Rory McIlroy tidies up on 8. Two more holes won by Europe, and look at their lead in matches two and three! The crowd at Bethpage, so buoyant a couple of hours ago, is pretty quiet now. But golf being golf, it wouldn’t take too much to change for the volume to be cranked up again. A huge couple of hours coming up here.
DeChambeau/Thomas v Rahm/Hatton 1UP (9)
Scheffler/Henley v Åberg/Fitzpatrick 4UP (9)
Morikawa/English v McIlroy/Fleetwood 5UP (8)
1UP Schauffele/Cantlay v MacIntyre/Hovland (6)
Harris English trundles an aggressive birdie putt four feet past on 7. He’s thankful to his partner Collin Morikawa for making the one coming back to salvage a half. But the Europeans are keeping the pressure on, Tommy Fleetwood sending a gentle high draw to seven feet on the par-three 8th. Morikawa’s response lands pin high, but on the fringe to the right, 17 feet away. Meanwhile Patrick Cantlay almost scuffs a 16-foot birdie chance on 6. The opportunity to go 2UP spurned by an uncharacteristically nervous Patty Ice.
DeChambeau/Thomas v Rahm/Hatton 1UP (9)
Scheffler/Henley v Åberg/Fitzpatrick 3UP (8)
Morikawa/English v McIlroy/Fleetwood 4UP (7)
1UP Schauffele/Cantlay v MacIntyre/Hovland (6)
Hats off to Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton, who suffered such a cold start. They went 1DOWN in short order, then hung on desperately for another five holes, getting away with murder from the trees down the right of 6 for a half. Then, bang, bang, two holes in quick succession to turn things around. That’s a proper matchplay smash and grab. The spoils shared on 9. Europe remain 1UP.
Scottie Scheffler tickles in the par saver on 8, and at least his team aren’t slipping further behind. But in the anchor match, an out-of-position Bob MacIntyre nearly slam-dunks a chip, and that’s close enough to salvage a half from a hole Europe looked like losing. So it’s swings and roundabouts there.
DeChambeau/Thomas v Rahm/Hatton 1UP (8)
Scheffler/Henley v Åberg/Fitzpatrick 3UP (8)
Morikawa/English v McIlroy/Fleetwood 4UP (6)
1UP Schauffele/Cantlay v MacIntyre/Hovland (5)
Updated
So far this morning, Europe have won 10 holes to USA’s three. That’s the sort of stat that would shake the belief of any player on earth, and the world number one is no exception. He doesn’t exactly flush his tee shot at the par-three 8th, his ball only just making it over the water. But he’s not found the green. Russell Henley can only bump his chip out to four feet, so there’s still some work to do there. With Europe in for par, it’s a big putt for Scottie coming up.
We’re getting close to dreamland territory for Europe now. Rory McIlroy wedges his second at 6 from 100 yards to inside a couple of feet, and that’s enough for yet another birdie, a fourth in six holes, for Fleetwood Mac. Real savage like. They’re 4UP!
DeChambeau/Thomas v Rahm/Hatton 1UP (8)
Scheffler/Henley v Åberg/Fitzpatrick 3UP (7)
Morikawa/English v McIlroy/Fleetwood 4UP (6)
1UP Schauffele/Cantlay v MacIntyre/Hovland (4)
A fine up-and-down from sand for Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay at the (relatively) short par-five 4th. The birdie ensures a half, but only because Viktor Hovland’s 17-foot eagle putt shaved the hole but stubbornly refused to drop. And there’s another near miss for Europe, on 7, as Ludvig Åberg’s 25-foot birdie putt horseshoes out. But no mistake by Jon Rahm on the par-three 8th, as he trundles in a 15-footer to hit the lead in the lead match!
DeChambeau/Thomas v Rahm/Hatton 1UP (8)
Scheffler/Henley v Åberg/Fitzpatrick 3UP (7)
Morikawa/English v McIlroy/Fleetwood 3UP (5)
1UP Schauffele/Cantlay v MacIntyre/Hovland (4)
… and in the third match, Fleetwood Mac continue to go their own way. They’re now 3UP after their third birdie of the round, this time at 5! Europe are 3UP in two matches, and as former captain Paul McGinley notes on Sky, “the stats will tell you that there’s a 90 percent chance that you can’t lose from there … although we know what golf is like!”
DeChambeau/Thomas A/S Rahm/Hatton (7)
Scheffler/Henley v Åberg/Fitzpatrick 3UP (6)
Morikawa/English v McIlroy/Fleetwood 3UP (5)
1UP Schauffele/Cantlay v MacIntyre/Hovland (3)
The official ruling: Hatton’s ball oscillated, but didn’t move off its spot. So there’s no problem there, and once the referee has made their call, there’s no chance to change it retrospectively. Europe fine to continue without censure. And what a break, because while Rahm can’t make the long birdie putt that Hatton’s somehow left him, Justin Thomas pulls a short par putt, and what a turnaround there for the European duo! All square in the lead game …
The players in this lead match are taking their sweet time this morning. Jon Rahm sends his drive into the woods down the right of 7. Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton then spend ages contemplating the removal of a stick that the ball has nestled beside. Eventually Hatton decides to leave be, and powers through the problem, sending the ball onto the green. Wonderful shot, though did the ball move accidentally when Hatton was prowling around it, wondering what to do? Hmm. The initial footage is inconclusive, but we might not have heard the last of this. Meanwhile back on the tee, match two wait patiently.
Bob MacIntyre walks in a 20-footer on 3 to snatch a half from under the nose of Xander Schauffele, who was surely thinking about winning the hole from a couple of feet. Then another long European putt drops, courtesy of Matt Fitzpatrick on 6, and this time it’s enough to win the hole. Scottie Scheffler misses a birdie chance from nine feet, and the world number one isn’t enjoying himself at all this morning.
1UP DeChambeau/Thomas v Rahm/Hatton (6)
Scheffler/Henley v Åberg/Fitzpatrick 3UP (6)
Morikawa/English v McIlroy/Fleetwood 2UP (4)
1UP Schauffele/Cantlay v MacIntyre/Hovland (3)
Rory McIlroy’s second into 4 plugs in the face of a greenside bunker. But Tommy Fleetwood punches out to seven feet. Harris English fails to make a birdie putt of similar distance, and so when McIlroy rolls in his putt, Europe go a couple up!
1UP DeChambeau/Thomas v Rahm/Hatton (6)
Scheffler/Henley v Åberg/Fitzpatrick 2UP (5)
Morikawa/English v McIlroy/Fleetwood 2UP (4)
1UP Schauffele/Cantlay v MacIntyre/Hovland (2)
Justin Thomas splits the fairway at 6. Tyrrell Hatton hooks wildly into some waist-high rubbish. You’d think it’s advantage USA, especially when Bryson DeChambeau wedges the approach from 90 yards to 13 feet. But Jon Rahm muscles an outrageous wedge out of the oomska over the flag to 12 feet, and when JT misses the putt, the door’s open for Europe. Tyrrell Hatton however rolls the opportunity to snatch the hole a couple of feet past … and it’s not conceded. Fair enough. Gloves off! Game on! Rahm stays cool to tidy up for a half. Given those tee shots, that’s a big escape for Europe, though both teams will harbour a little disappointment at missing the chance to land a sore blow on the opposition.
1UP DeChambeau/Thomas v Rahm/Hatton (6)
Scheffler/Henley v Åberg/Fitzpatrick 2UP (5)
Morikawa/English v McIlroy/Fleetwood 1UP (3)
1UP Schauffele/Cantlay v MacIntyre/Hovland (2)
Scottie Scheffler isn’t used to hitting his approaches from such a long way out, today following the drives of the considerably shorter Russell Henley. But no matter! He still fires a dart at the 5th, from 187 yards to six feet. However anything Scheffler can do, so can Matt Fitzpatrick, who fires from 162 yards to two-and-a-half feet. Henley can’t make the birdie, and Europe go 2UP. Meanwhile on 2, Xander Schauffele wedges the USA’s second to four feet, and that’s enough to win the hole. The hosts lead in this morning’s anchor match.
1UP DeChambeau/Thomas v Rahm/Hatton (5)
Scheffler/Henley v Åberg/Fitzpatrick 2UP (5)
Morikawa/English v McIlroy/Fleetwood 1UP (3)
1UP Schauffele/Cantlay v MacIntyre/Hovland (2)
Russell Henley misses a short birdie putt on the short par-five 4th. Ludvig Åberg doesn’t make the same mistake, and Europe hit the front again in the second match. And they somehow scramble a half in match three: Tommy Fleetwood gets overly aggressive with a greenside chip on 3, bundling it six feet past, but when Collin Morikawa misses an inviting 15-footer for birdie, Rory McIlroy tidies up and Europe remain 1UP.
1UP DeChambeau/Thomas v Rahm/Hatton (5)
Scheffler/Henley v Åberg/Fitzpatrick 1UP (4)
Morikawa/English v McIlroy/Fleetwood 1UP (3)
Schauffele/Cantlay A/S MacIntyre/Hovland (1)
“I can’t see the fackin’ pin!” And so the first apology of the week is issued by a broadcaster for the audio capture of effing and jeffing on the telecast. No prizes for guessing that Tyrrell Hatton is the man involved, leaving his approach from the centre of the 5th fairway well short of the pin. Jon Rahm leaves the long birdie putt well short, and Bryson DeChambeau the chance to win the hole from ten feet. But he misreads the putt. Hatton makes up for his earlier error by tidying up for the half.
Ludvig Åberg leaves Matt Fitzpatrick in an awkward spot to the left of the par-three 3rd. But Fitzpatrick whips up a delicious wedge to a couple of feet. That’s conceded, and a half is scrambled. Meanwhile back on the 1st tee, Bob MacIntyre hits Europe’s opening drive in the final morning foursomes. “Do some cardio!” yells some doofus in the crowd, someone you’d imagine would be given a good physical workout himself had he said that to the professional sports star’s face. The tee shot goes into the rough, while Xander Schauffele finds the fairway. Slight advantage USA, though not to belabour the point, this rough is not particularly penal.
1UP DeChambeau/Thomas v Rahm/Hatton (4)
Scheffler/Henley A/S Åberg/Fitzpatrick (3)
Morikawa/English v McIlroy/Fleetwood 1UP (1)
Schauffele/Cantlay v MacIntyre/Hovland
Tommy Fleetwood bumps his first shot of the week to four feet. Rory McIlroy rolls in the birdie putt, and Fleetwood Mac go 1UP on Buckingham/Nicks Morikawa/English. The US counting the cost of Collin Morikawa’s overhit approach there. Wonder what his partner has to say about that?
1UP DeChambeau/Thomas v Rahm/Hatton (3)
Scheffler/Henley A/S Åberg/Fitzpatrick (2)
Morikawa/English v McIlroy/Fleetwood 1UP (1)
Updated
Turns out Jon Rahm’s tee shot at 3 found the grass to the side of the bunker. That allows Tyrrell Hatton to caress a chip to kick-in distance. That’s conceded, and Bryson DeChambeau is left with a six-footer, the result of Justin Thomas’s splash from the sand. He nails it. That required nerves of steel. Meanwhile Scottie Scheffler rolls in a 12-footer for birdie at 2, and the second match is level again.
1UP DeChambeau/Thomas v Rahm/Hatton (3)
Scheffler/Henley A/S Åberg/Fitzpatrick 1UP (2)
“Is this a library?! Is this is a library?!” The European fans inject a shot of irony into proceedings on the first tee, during downtime between matches and concomitant bedlam. Shane Lowry, rested this morning, turns round and applauds their humour. Soon after, match three turns up, the volume rises again, and Rory McIlroy and Harris English take turns to lash their opening drives down the track.
Updated
Onto the first par-three at Bethpage Black. The 3rd green’s long and narrow … and Bryson tugs his tee shot into a deep bunker on the left. The door’s ajar for Rahm … but he smacks face-first into the frame, following his opponent into the same trap! Both teams need some wedge magic to get out of this one unscathed.
Back on 1, Scheffler can’t get close with his wedge in from the rough, and Henley leaves the long birdie putt three feet short. That won’t be conceded yet. But Matt Fitzpatrick has sent a glorious wedge straight at the flag to five feet, and in goes Åberg’s birdie putt. Europe one up in match two!
1UP DeChambeau/Thomas v Rahm/Hatton (2)
Scheffler/Henley v Åberg/Fitzpatrick 1UP (1)
Bryson and Rahmbo take turns to land their approaches over the flag at the short par-four 2nd. Both spin back to set up birdie chances. Europe’s is twice the distance of the USA’s chance, and Hatton’s putt is never getting there. Just a par … but Europe get away with the half because JT pulls his ten-footer a tad, and that’s a big chance to go 2UP in short order spurned.
… but while there’s a long way to go, these foursomes will nevertheless be crucial. The last five Ryder Cups have seen the eventual winners come out on top in the opening foursomes. Europe trail 11½-4½ in foursomes on their last two visits Stateside. Anyway, here comes match number two, and while Ludvig Åberg finds the fairway, Russell Henley sends his tee shot into rough down the left. But it’s not particularly thick, and there shouldn’t be too much for Scottie Scheffler to worry about there.
Jon Rahm’s left-to-right slider is dead on line … but the early-morning green is slower than he thinks, and the ball stops one turn short. That’s par, but he’s given DeChambeau a good read, and the Americans are ten feet closer. Bryson walks in the birdie putt, and the gallery goes bananas. First blood to the hosts! A long way to go in this Ryder Cup, to be fair.
1UP DeChambeau/Thomas v Rahm/Hatton (1)
Tyrrell Hatton cops some jeering as he takes his time to clean his wedge with a towel. And then underhits his chip out of the rough. His ball only just gets over the bunker guarding the front-right of the green. But it squirts onto the putting surface and that leaves Jon Rahm with a 25-foot look at birdie. Justin Thomas then nervously bumps up to 15 feet, a poor effort. Big putting contest coming up!
Updated
Europe captain Luke Donald speaks to USA Network … “It’s not quite the same welcome we had in Rome! … our boys are ready for it … we have a strong four pairings.”
… as does his American counterpart Keegan Bradley. “I’m extremely grateful … I’ve done a lot of amazing things but this is one of the coolest moments of my life … go USA!”
The opening shot of the 2025 Ryder Cup is taken by Jon Rahm. He’s already got four foursomes wins on his resumé. But opening nerves do a number on the big man, who carves his drive into thick stuff down the right. Bryson however absolutely clubs his opening drive, over the trees by the left-to-right dogleg and nearly onto the green! That’s a 344-yarder to begin with, and it’s advantage USA.
Updated
Bryson DeChambeau and Justin Thomas emerge from the tunnel together, with the Stars and Stripes draped behind them. USA! USA! USA! Wild scenes! Then Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton arrive, and they’re bombarded by ear-splitting boos. Rahm wears a wry smile. Hatton initially looks stunned, but quickly breaks into a huge smile. A pose for photos. Rahm and Hatton are announced. Boos. Arms around each other. Bryson and JT get their flowers. Arms around each other too. This, ladies and gentlemen, is the Ryder Cup, and it is ON!
The air literally bangs and crackles with excitement as three US Air Force fighter jets whizz overhead in formation! The hosts putting on a show. No further encouragement needed for the crowd to turn the volume up another couple of notches. Nigel Tufnel has nothing on this. These go to 12.
BREAKING NEWS … brought to you by legendary US newspaperman Arnold Ziffel …
… is that the atmosphere on the first tee at Bethpage is electric. There are plenty of Europe fans trying their best to make themselves heard … but many more home supporters giving it plenty. Good luck to Europe’s opening partnership of Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton, because you can bet your last bronze cent that Bryson DeChambeau and Justin Thomas, showmen both, will whip ‘em up even further. Not long now!
Now then, New York plus golf equals … yes, we know exactly what springs to mind first …
… or perhaps …
… but Bethpage Black also sits in the overlap between NY and the greatest game on the big Venn diagram of life. It’s hosted two US Opens, a Tiger Woods stroll in 2002 …
… then David Duval’s near miss in 2009 …
… plus there’s also Brooks Koepka going out of his way to make the final day of the 2019 PGA Championship more exciting than it promised to be at the start of it.
Plenty of history there to relive, courtesy of David Davies, Lawrence Donegan and Ewan Murray. Goodness me, the Guardian has been blessed with some wonderful golf writers down the years. Enjoy, enjoy.
The format for golf newbies
For the benefit of folk who fancy getting up on the downswing this weekend but don’t always follow the greatest sport in the world, we usually cut and paste the following explainer. Hey, if it’s worth reading once, it’s worth reading a dozen times. Here we go ...
The Ryder Cup is a matchplay event. Each match is worth a point. There are 28 points available over the three days, so the first team to get to 14.5 points will win the Cup. Should the scores be tied at 14 points apiece, Europe will retain the trophy as current holders.
Match-play explained for those dipping their toe into the murky world of golf for the first time: In common-or-garden championship golf, such as the Masters or the Open, tournaments are scored using the stroke-play system. Whoever takes the fewest shots over all four rounds in a championship wins. All shots count and are added up for a cumulative total. So if, say, in next year’s Masters, Jon Rahm shoots 63-63-63-63 and Scottie Scheffler shoots 87-87-87-87, Rahmbo will have taken 252 strokes, and beaten the best player in the world by 96 shots. (Good luck if you bet large on this exact outcome.)
Anyway, in match play, each player or team wins a hole for every hole they better their opponents. So if Scottie takes five shots at the 1st, but Rahm needs only three, Rahm goes 1up. If Rahm wins the next hole too, he’s 2up. If the pair share the same number of shots on the 3rd, the hole is halved, and Rahm remains 2up. It doesn’t matter if Scheffler took 13 shots on her way to losing the 2nd, by the way; a bit like the unwritten rule of visits to wallet-sewer-interface-venue Las Vegas, what happens on each hole stays on each hole. There is no knock-on effect.
So let’s say Rahm wins the first nine holes of our make-believe match. With nine played, and nine remaining, he is 9up. Scottie can only tie at best; Rahm can’t lose. This is known as dormie. (And more specifically, in this slightly ludicrous example, as dormie nine.) If Scheffler wins the next nine, the game will end all square, and each team will get half a point to their overall total. But if Rahm wins the 10th, he’s 10up with eight holes to play. He has won 10&8. If the 10th hole is halved, Rahm would be 9up with eight to play. He’s won 9&8. Similarly Scheffler can be said to have lost 9&8. Europe would add a point to their overall total. I’ve probably made this sound way more complicated than it needs to be, but there it is anyway.
There will be three types of match: foursomes (teams of two players use one ball, taking alternate shots); fourballs (teams of two players play a ball each and take the best score, known as the better ball); and singles (this is when it gets quite wild and everyone across two continents starts with the shallow breathing and chest clutching). And these matches are arranged in a schedule like this:
Today: four matches of morning foursomes; four matches of afternoon fourballs.
Tomorrow: four matches of morning foursomes; four matches of afternoon fourballs.
Sunday: 12 singles matches.
Preamble
U! S!! A!!! U! S!! A!!! It’s not going to get any quieter, is it. And that’s absolutely fair enough. The prerogative of the hosts. So earplug up, baby, buckle in, and enjoy!
Here are the tee times for the first session, the first foursomes, of the 45th Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black, New York. All times BST, the prerogative of the host of this website. Good luck America, all the best Europe, may the best team win. It’s on!
12.10pm: Bryson DeChambeau and Justin Thomas v Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton
12.26pm: Scottie Scheffler and Russell Henley v Ludvig Åberg and Matt Fitzpatrick
12.42pm: Collin Morikawa and Harris English v Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood
12.58pm: Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay v Robert MacIntyre and Viktor Hovland
