U.S. finally earns a point after getting routed in first three Ryder Cup matches

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. – A few weeks ago, U.S. Ryder Cup Captain Keegan Bradley texted the 2008 U.S. winning captain Paul Azinger to pick his brain and asked if he had considered sitting some of his big guns on the first day and then play them every session from there.

Azinger wasted little time responding.

“I texted back in bold letters, ABSOLUTELY NOT,” he recounted in a phone interview ahead of the 45th Ryder Cup. “I told him you must win Day 1. I want all of his focus on a hot start. The first morning is everything.”

If that’s the case, the United States is in big trouble after getting punched in the face during Friday morning’s opening session of foursomes. None of the first three matches made it to the 16^th as Europe stormed to a 3-1 lead.

Bradley listened to Azinger and came out swinging with Bryson DeChambeau and Justin Thomas expected to fire up the crowd in the first match and world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and No. 3 Russell Henley in the second match. 

DeChambeau blasted driver short of the first green and holed a 15-foot birdie putt to win the first hole but that turned out to be the only hole the U.S. team won in its match. When Thomas missed a putt of no more than 3 feet at the seventh the match was tied and one hole later Rahm walked in a 10-foot birdie and clenched his fist to assume the lead. Hatton’s putter heated up with birdies at Nos. 12 and 13 to stretch the lead to 3 up. Both teams birdied 14 but it was over after Thomas missed his second short putt at 15, 4 and 3. The Euro pair improved to 3-0 in foursomes together and Rahm is now won all five of his foursome matches.

That was the closest of the first three matches. Scheffler and Henley were waxed 5 and 3 by Ludvig Aberg and Matt Fitzpatrick. The Euros won the first hole with birdie and built an early 3-up lead after six holes and never let up. It marked Fitzpatrick’s first win in foursomes and improves his lifetime record to 2-7.

“We had some chances,” Scheffler said. “I think the putts just didn't fall.”

Collin Morikawa and Harris English, who teamed up in the third match, never held a lead en route to being routed 5 and 4 by Tommy Fleetwood and Rory McIlroy. In doing so, this became the first Ryder Cup since 1951 which a team won three matches by at least four holes in the opening session. It also marked the first time that Europe has ever won each of the first three matches played in a Ryder Cup on U.S. soil.

Scheffler and Henley, who had a tough morning and was given the afternoon off, managed to win two holes in their match, which was one more than Morikawa and English won. Both were given the afternoon four-ball session off. 

The New York crowd, which was expected to add a lift to Team USA’s efforts to win back the Cup on home soil, were subdued and then silenced. Meanwhile, the Euro fans were singing “the USA is terrified. Europe’s on fire.”

Only the American team of Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele delivered a point for the U.S., winning 2 up over Robert MacIntyre and Viktor Hovland, in the anchor match. The U.S. built a 3-up lead after 11 holes and then watched the Euros rally to tie things up by the 15^th hole. But the Americans closed in style by winning the final two holes to secure a full point and the first splash of red on the board.

“If we’re only going to win one match, it might as well be the anchor match,” Schauffele said. “We need to get some more points on the board this afternoon.”

Indeed, they do. Europe swept all four matches in the opening session at Rome in 2023 and did well to put blue on the board early and often this morning.

“I think we talk about fast starts a lot,” Fleetwood said. “I think Luke has always drilled that into us since being captain, and that's what you want to do. That's the ideal. So far, so good.”