Robert TheodorsonTeam Europe established their dominance and imposed their will early and often at Bethpage Black.
The European squad goes into Saturday with a commanding 5 ½ – 2 ½ lead.
Ryder Cup rookie Cameron Young looks like Team USA’s best bet going forward. The New York native dazzled in Four Ball while veteran Patrick Cantlay was able to notch one and a half points on the board.
Scottie Scheffler suffered his worst single day of golf in recent memory and several members of Team USA were non-factors however, there’s still two days left to turn everything around!
Table of Contents
Foursomes
Disaster after disaster struck Team USA as captain Keegan Bradley’s American pairings were unable to put together any sort of momentum on a recurring basis.
Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood put the smack down on Team USA while Jon Rahm gave patrons a glimpse of what was to come the rest of the weekend.
Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele’s Foursome win accounted for the lone Team USA point in the morning session. The anchor match would eventually give Team Europe a 3 – 1 points advantage going into the afternoon.
Who’s Hot?
Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele – When Cantlay was down, Xander would pick him up and when Xander was down, Cantlay would return the favour.
Team USA’s lone point came from the veteran Ryder Cup duo who held the lead over Hovland and MacIntyre for most of the day before succumbing to a tie late on, and eventually recapturing the fire which led to a win.
Won 2 Up in Foursomes, defeated Viktor Hovland and Robert MacIntyre
Fleetwood Mac– As expected, Rory McIlroy and playing partner Tommy Fleetwood were solid throughout Day 1 Foursomes. Winning holes 4-5-6, McIlroy was responsible for much of the scoring while Team USA opponents Harris English and Colin Morikawa looked on somewhat hopelessly. Won 5&4 in Foursomes, defeated Harris English and Colin Morikawa
The LIV Duo of Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton – The only two golfers in the tournament who play together on a regular basis, Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton fell behind early, but took full control as the day went on. Won 4&3 in Foursomes, defeated Bryson DeChambeau and Justin Thomas
Who’s Not?
Russell Henley – Being paired up with the world’s greatest golfer in Scottie Scheffler did not bring out the best in Henley who made his Ryder Cup debut at age 36. Team Europe opponents Matt Fitzpatrick and Ludvig Aberg, who did not figure to be too much of an issue before Day 1, absolutely coasted to victory over the hapless Team USA duo.
Keegan Bradley’s Decisions – When you looked at Keegan Bradley, one of the best and most in-form golfers in the world, sitting adjacent to the green just watching, you could tell the captain’s decision not to play was a horrible mistake. Upon conclusion of Day 1, the fact of the matter is that Keegan Bradley could have offered something better for Team USA than what we saw on Friday.
If Team USA can somehow pull off what amounts to be a huge comeback, all will be forgiven, but as for now the decision not to play looks like a poor one.
Viktor Hovland – Though he redeemed himself with a clutch putt late, Hovland missed several opportunities that could have potentially given Europe a 4-0 sweep to start the day. Hovland and his playing partner MacIntyre were relegated to the bench for the remainder of the day.
Four Ball
USA and Europe brought out the big guns for afternoon Fourball as Bethpage Black hosted a who’s who of the world’s greatest golfers in the day’s second event.
Bryson DeChambeau and Ben Griffin were welcomed to the tee box by President Trump while Scottie Scheffler and J.J. Spaun led the premier pairing against Jon Rahm and Sepp Straka.
Team Europe captain Luke Donald chose to sit Tyrrell Hatton who had won his Foursome match in order to get a look at Sepp Straka and Ryder Cup veteran Justin Rose.
Team USA tried their best to claw their way back from a 1 – 3 hole but some late hiccups were responsible for losing a crucial half point.
Who’s Hot?
Cameron Young – The New York native sunk the putts he needed to and came in clutch for Team USA throughout the afternoon. Young and playing partner Justin Thomas helped close the total points gap 3 – 2 for the time being. Won 6&5 in Four Ball, defeated Ludvig Aberg and Rasmus Hojgaard
Jon Rahm and Whoever His Teammate Is – Luke Donald swapped Sepp Straka in for Rahm’s longtime teammate Tyrrell Hatton and the results were just about the same as Rahm’s dominance in Foursomes. Won 3&2 in Four Ball, defeated Scottie Scheffler and J.J. Spaun
The Return of Patty Ice – Despite several missed putts on the back nine, Cantlay’s Friday overall was a resounding success. Cantlay and Burns dropped a crucial half point that rightfully belonged to Team USA but Cantlay gave off the impression that he would improve as the tournament progressed. Tied in Four Ball, split decision against Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry
Who’s Not?
Scottie Scheffler – Friday was simply not Scottie Scheffler’s day. The world’s best lost his foursome match in brutal fashion and it didn’t get much better during four-ball against Jon Rahm and Sepp Straka. While Scheffler is an all-situations golfer, the conversations regarding his play tomorrow and Sunday will be interesting to say the least.
Ludvig Aberg and Rasmus Hojgaard – Aberg, who finished the morning triumphantly found himself in the opposition position in the four-ball afternoon match.
Aberg and Hojgaard received the same treatment that Team Europe dished out on Team USA in the morning. The match was never close and made Cameron Young look like Team USA’s best golfer.
Sam Burns and Ben Griffin – We’re not expecting to see too much more of the captains’ choices Burns and Griffin. With the closing Day 1 score of 5 ½ – 2 ½, Keegan Bradley will inevitably shorten the bench to play catch-up. Perhaps these gentlemen will get another chance, but as for now, the leash is as short as can be.
Closing Remarks and What to Expect for Saturday
Team Europe’s early lead felt insurmountable throughout the day despite the win from JT and Cameron Young. Expect Young to take a starring role in the days to come.
Jon Rahm taking down Scottie Scheffler and J.J. Spaun, the latter of which won three out of four major championships this year, made the Spaniard look like the early favourite for Ryder Cup MVP. During 2025, Rahm failed to show up on Friday’s time and time again. Something clicked in the 2023 Masters winner at Bethpage. If this version of Rahm can be sustained for two more days, Team USA will be unable to overcome his dominance.
Patrick Cantlay and Cameron Young have the potential to become American heroes. Both were incredible throughout the day. Cantlay had a few surprise misses that could have shut out McIlroy and Lowry, but Patty Ice figures to be a huge part of the equation if Team USA can pull off a come-from-behind victory.
Justin Rose received outright disrespect in several (almost all, if we’re being honest) Ryder Cup player rankings. Despite having an incredible 2025, Rose was routinely ranked in the bottom 5 of total Ryder Cup golfer rankings.
Playing with Tommy Fleetwood, Rose proved to everyone that he absolutely belongs on the team.
