The opening days of the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black had been running nicely to schedule, with commitments including Team USA and Team Europe practice rounds taking place as planned on Monday and Tuesday.
However, on Tuesday afternoon, news broke that, with rain in the forecast for Thursday, the Opening Ceremony was being brought forward by a day.
That had a knock-on effect on some of Wednesday’s schedule, including the practice rounds for both teams being brought forward to accommodate the ceremony’s new time slot.
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Usually, immediately after the Opening Ceremony is arguably the biggest moment in the lead up to the match, the captain’s pairings, when they announce the eight players from their team who will compete in Friday morning’s opening foursomes session, and who they will be playing alongside.
However, this time, the captain’s pairings didn’t follow the ceremony. So, when is the announcement?
The pairings will be revealed at 4pm EDT (9pm BST) on Thursday, the original slot in the schedule. Once the captains have revealed their choices, the two will also give interviews explaining their reasoning, with the process expected to end around an hour later.
At that stage, if it hadn’t already, the start of the Ryder Cup will feel very real indeed, with the first pairings of the Friday morning foursomes getting underway early, at 7.10am EDT (12.10pm BST).
The action gets underway at 7.10am EDT on Friday
(Image credit: Getty Images)
That could be a pivotal session, particularly considering a remarkable home record in foursomes, where the last five teams to win the foursomes battle also went on to win the Ryder Cup. It’s not the only action on the first day, though.
The opening four-ball session is scheduled to begin at 12.25pm EDT (5.25 BST) on Friday, and less than an hour beforehand, Bradley and Donald will announce the pairings, with that taking place between 11.45am EDT (4.45pm BST) and 12.00pm EDT (5.00pm BST).
The afternoon four-ball pairings for the second day will be announced during the same time slot on Saturday.
There is no designated slot in the schedule for announcing the Saturday morning foursomes pairings, but they are typically revealed around an hour after Friday’s play concludes.
Pairings Announcement Schedule – Days One And Two
All times EDT
Thursday, 4.00pm-5.00pm: Friday Morning PairingsFriday, 12.45pm-1.00pm: Friday Afternoon PairingsSaturday, 12.45pm-1.00pm: Saturday Afternoon Pairings