FARMINGDALE, N.Y. — Bryson DeChambeau will be part of the first American group on the tee Friday morning when he beings the 45th Ryder Cup alongside teammate Justin Thomas, taking on the European duo of Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton.
DeChambeau, who has not played in the Ryder Cup since 2021 and has not competed in foursomes since 2018, will be a boost to fans surrounding the first tee as the competition begins at 7:10 a.m. ET.
"Both are phenomenal players, but they also bring a spark to our team,” said U.S. captain Keegan Bradley of his decision to start with DeChambeau and Thomas.
They will be going against two of Europe’s stronger players who went 2-0 in foursomes two years ago and each went 2-0-1 in the team competitions.
The second game, 16 minutes later, will see the European team of Ludvig Aberg and Matt Fitzpatrick against Americans Scottie Scheffler and Russell Henley.
The third match out is Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood vs. Collin Morikawa and Harris English.
And last off will be the Robert MacIntyre and Viktor Hovland for the Europeans against longtime foursomes teammates Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay.
Ryder Cup Day 1 Opening Foursomes Matches
Match 1: Bryson DeChambeau/Justin Thomas vs. Jon Rahm/Tyrrell Hatton
Match 2: Scottie Scheffler/Russell Henley vs. Ludvig Åberg/Matt Fitzpatrick
Match 3: Collin Morikawa/Harris English vs. Rory McIlroy/Tommy Fleetwood
Match 4: Xander Schauffele/Patrick Cantlay vs. Robert MacIntyre/Viktor Hovland
The foursomes competition has proven to be crucial in the overall result of the Ryder Cup. The Europeans raced to a 4-0 lead in the format two years ago in Rome and dominated foursomes overall, going 7-1 in a 16 ½ to 11 ½ victory.
European captain Luke Donald altered his lineup a bit from four years ago, splitting Åberg and Hovland. The team of Shane Lowry and Sepp Straka is also not playing foursomes this time.
Sitting for the Europeans for the first session will be Lowry, Straka, Rasmus Hojgaard and Justin Rose.
For the Americans, sitting out will be Sam Burns, Cameron Young, J.J. Spaun and Ben Griffin.
Four years ago at Whistling Straits, the Americans started fast in foursomes, going 3-1 and 6-2 overall in a 19-9 victory. In each of the last six Ryder Cups, the home team has prevailed in foursomes.
At the conclusion of the foursomes matches, captains Keegan Bradley for the U.S. and Luke Donald for Europe will announce their afternoon four-ball pairings, scheduled to begin at 12:25 p.m.
The same order of play will be used on Saturday—foursomes followed by four-ball—with 12 singles matches on Sunday.
Europe needs 14 points to retain the Cup while the Americans need to earn 14 ½ points to regain it.
Europe is looking to win on the road for the first time since 2012 and has made it a mission to become the fifth team overall to win in America.
The Americans are looking to extend their home winning streak to three matches. The home team has won each of the past five Ryder Cups.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Ryder Cup Friday Morning Pairings Announced: Bryson DeChambeau to Lead Off for U.S. Team.
