Ryder Cup: Slow start sees Americans dig a hole on home soil

NEW YORK MINUTE: USA captain Keegan Bradley during the morning foursomes. Pic: Vaughn Ridley/Sportsfile

The last thing the Americans want to hear is advice from a Scottish poet who died a century and a half before the Ryder Cup started, but Robert Burns could tell captain Keegan Bradley a thing or two about “best laid schemes.” Bradley’s plan to send out Bryson DeChambeau to try to drive the first green and create “a tsunami wave of support” for Team USA in the opening foursomes “gang oft agley.” The opening birdie of the 45th Ryder Cup from DeChambeau not only didn’t spark much enthusiasm from the notorious New York crowd, it did not light up the board with red as Europe seized early control at Bethpage Black with a 3-1 opening session.

It certainly didn’t measure up to the production of Luke Donald’s lineup.

“It’s Friday morning of the Ryder Cup,” said Tommy Fleetwood, whose 8-3-2 record makes him just the fifth European player to win at least nine points through 13 matches at this event. “I think we talk about fast starts a lot. 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. But yeah, we have a lot of great players and a lot of great partnerships.” 

The US president’s claim that America “is the hottest country” in the world didn’t ring very true as Europe picked right up where it left off in Rome two years ago and staked claim to an early lead on American soil to quiet the home crowd before Donald Trump even showed up to watch the afternoon four-balls tee off.

“Yeah, it’s not exactly what we wanted, but we know the Ryder Cup is going to be ebbs and flows, and I’ve got a lot of faith in our boys. Let’s see how this last match finishes up,” said Bradley as he clung to a desperate hope that his final foursomes team of Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay could salvage a point after blowing a 3-up lead through 11 holes.

“We just had the president fly over in Air Force One. I think things are gonna turn here.” 

Schauffele and Cantlay came through with a crucial point, but the hole was already dug.

Donald’s side took the first three points without ever reaching the 16th tee – the first time Europe has ever won the each of the first three matches played on American soil. It was no surprise claiming wins from the undefeated Rome foursomes teams of Jon-Rahm/Tyrrell Hatton and Rory McIlroy/Tommy Fleetwood.

The only shock was the duo of world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and Russell Henley getting run over 5&3 by Ludvig Åberg and the previously 1-7 Matt Fitzpatrick. Scheffler is 0-3-2 in his last two Ryder Cups after a promising 2-0-1 debut in 2021.

No US team has come back to win from a 3-1 or worse deficit since 1971. Needing to rally was not a part of the gameplan, as home teams have led in foursomes play in nine consecutive Ryder Cups.

The Americans were counting on a home-course lift from the crowds by sending their fieriest team out first with DeChambeau and Justin Thomas. But other than brief eruptions of enthusiasm, the atmosphere on the massively built-out first tee was the deadest most veteran Ryder Cuppers have ever experienced. When a cluster of European fans broke up a lull with chants of “Is this a library?” Shane Lowry laughed and applauded the cheeky rebuke of the so-called hard-boiled New York crowds.

Europe quickly won the first hole with birdies in the second and third matches and the crowds remained muted. Fitzpatrick played beyond his 1-7 career Ryder Cup record with Åberg in burying world Scheffler and Henley, while McIlroy and Fleetwood never broke a sweat in dismissing Collin Morikawa and Harris English, 5&4.

The wisdom of sending DeChambeau and Thomas out backfired. Despite the flashy start on 1, they never won another hole the rest of the way. LIV’s Legion XIII partners Rahm and Hatton scrambled to hang in through the first seven holes and then took over with each of them draining big birdie putts to win 4&3.

“Even though we didn’t have our best start during the first seven holes, we battled, we stayed in it and from then on we started hitting good shots and getting really positive vibes,” said Rahm. “This man is a joy to be partnered with. We spend a lot of time together and he can be very, very dependable when things get going difficult.” 

The Americans were in jeopardy of getting shut out in the opening session for the second straight Ryder Cup when their 3-up lead in the anchor match was erased in four holes from 12 to 15 and they headed to the par-3 17th all square. But Robert MacIntyre and Viktor Hovland bogeyed the last two holes to give Bradley’s squad hope heading to the four-balls, where the American players traditionally perform better playing their own balls.

“If we’re only going to win one point, might as will be the anchor match going into the afternoon,” said Schauffele. “Yeah, we need to get some points back on the board here.” 

The European side has not won the cumulative four-ball competition in any Ryder Cup since 2010, with the Americans owning a 24-17-7 advantage in four-ball play since the start of the 2012 Ryder Cup.

“Yeah, we needed that point,” said Cantlay, who owns a career 7-3 foursomes record with Schauffele in international competition. “I think Xander and I have been in this spot a bunch of times, and he hit a bunch of great shots coming down the stretch. It’s nice to get that point on the board going into four-ball.”