The first day of the 2025 Ryder Cup was captivating from start to finish.
It got underway with a bang, literally, when Bryson DeChambeau sent a booming tee shot to just in in front of the green in the US’s first shot of the match against Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton in the foursomes.
By the time the sun was sinking over Bethpage Black, the final four-ball match saw Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry battling it out against Sam Burns and Patrick Cantlay on the 18th.
The Europeans smelled blood when McIlroy was faced with a birdie putt to win the match. It went narrowly left, but it was still the visitors’ day, as Luke Donald’s team took a 5.5-2.5 lead with two days to go.
But who shone in the foursomes and four ball sessions, and who is left licking their wounds?
The names that stand out a mile for the US are its two biggest stars, Bryson DeChambeau and Scottie Scheffler, but not in the way Keegan Bradley would have liked.
Despite DeChambeau’s statement tee shot to get the US challenge under way, he slipped to a 4&3 defeat alongside Justin Thomas in the foursomes against Rahm and Hatton.
It didn’t get better in the afternoon four ball session for the LIV Golfer, when, alongside rookie Ben Griffin, he couldn’t prevent Tommy Fleetwood and Justin Rose taking a 1 up win.
Bryson DeChambeau had a disappointing opening day at Bethpage Black
(Image credit: Getty Images)
As for Scheffler, he had a horrendous time alongside Russell Henley in the foursomes, losing 5&3 to Ludvig Aberg and Matt Fitzpatrick.
In the four ball, Rahm and Sepp Straka beat Scheffler, this time alongside JJ Spaun, with the European pair claiming a 3&2 win.
Onto the success stories for the US, and Patrick Cantlay was the top US points scorer, with 1.5.
He claimed a full point alongside Xander Schauffele in the morning foursomes, beating Robert MacIntyre and Viktor Hovland 2 up despite a late scare when the Europeans pulled a three-hole deficit back late on.
In the four ball, he was alongside Sam Burns against McIlroy and Shane Lowry, inspiring a stirring comeback from two behind to level things up. He couldn’t quite do enough to claim a full point alongside Burns, but he can be satisfied with his day.
Schauffele didn’t play in the four ball session, leaving him with one point for the day for his…
..
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Latest from Golf Monthly…