The Athletic has live coverage of the second day of the 2025 Ryder Cup.

Armed with 11 of the 12 players who dominated the Ryder Cup two years ago in Rome, the Europeans are out to a commanding 5 1/2 to 2 1/2 lead after Day 1 at Bethpage Black.

While Europe captain Luke Donald couldn’t have scripted a start much better than this, hope is not totally lost for the Americans, with more than 70 percent of the points on offer this week still to play for.

Here are the top notes and numbers to know from an exciting Friday at the 45th Ryder Cup.

1. This is the fourth time in the modern era that the European side has led by 3 points or more after Day 1 of a Ryder Cup held in the United States. Two of the previous three instances — a 4-point advantage in 1987 and a 5-point lead in 2004 — led to European wins. The exception was Brookline in 1999, when the Europeans led by 4 points after days 1 and 2 before a historic U.S. comeback in singles.

Europe won three of four foursomes matches in the morning, then took the first two played in the afternoon. It’s the first time any Ryder Cup team has won five of the first six matches sent out since the Americans did it 50 years ago. In 1975, the U.S. won five of the first six at Laurel Valley in Pennsylvania on its way to a 10-point runaway victory.

Europe has gone on to win each of the last six times it held the lead after the first day of the Ryder Cup.

2. Two years ago in Rome, Europe throttled the Americans in foursomes, sweeping the opening session and winning the Saturday morning matches 3-1. Friday morning was a continuation of that dominance. For the first time, Europe won each of the first three matches of a Ryder Cup held on American soil. Over the last two Ryder Cups, the Europeans have a 10-2 advantage in foursomes, winning nearly twice as many holes (70) as their U.S. counterparts (37). Europe has led those matches following a staggering 133 holes. The Americans? Just 29.

Tommy Fleetwood and Jon Rahm kept their Ryder Cup foursomes record blemish-free, each improving to 5-0-0 in their careers. Eighty men have played in at least five foursomes matches in the history of the Ryder Cup. Only two are unbeaten and untied: Rahm and Fleetwood.

3. It’s long overdue to sound the alarm on the American deficiencies in foursomes play. Over the last three Cup events — two Ryder Cups and the Presidents Cup last year — the Americans have a dismal record of 5-16. That includes a 5-0 session sweep last year at the hands of an international side that was wildly undermanned, according to every metric available.

The margins of victory have been stunning, too. Six of the 11 foursomes losses to the Europeans in that stretch haven’t even reached the 16th hole.

Cameron Young was a bright spot for the Americans. (Rich Graessle / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

4. Fleetwood and Rory McIlroy have been a lethal duo in this format over the last two Ryder Cups, winning all three foursomes matches they have played in together. McIlroy and Fleetwood have led the match following 48 of those 51 holes played and have never trailed at any point.

One more point on Fleetwood: With a pair of match wins Friday, the affable Englishman has an 8-2-1 record in Ryder Cup foursomes and fourball matches. That point percentage (77.3 percent) is tied for the best in the event’s history when combining those formats among players with 10 or more matches played. Tom Watson (77.3 percent) was also 8-2-1, with Arnold Palmer next in line (76.2 percent, 16-5-0).

5. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler lost both of his matches Friday: 5&3 to Ludvig Åberg and Matt Fitzpatrick in foursomes, then 3&2 to Jon Rahm and Sepp Straka in afternoon fourball. Scheffler wasn’t his sharpest at points during the day — he played the first 12 holes in the late session without making a birdie on his own ball — but it was not entirely his fault. Scheffler’s opponents were a combined 15 under par.

Scheffler is the first reigning top-ranked player to go winless in both Friday matches of a Ryder Cup since Tiger Woods in 2002. Going back to Rome in 2023, Scheffler is winless in his last six Ryder Cup matches (0-4-2). Americans ranked the best in the world have now dropped six straight Ryder Cup foursomes matches, going all the way back to Woods in 2010.

6. The last time Scheffler won a Ryder Cup match was in singles against Rahm in 2021. Though Scheffler has struggled since that afternoon at Whistling Straits, Rahm has been otherworldly, going unbeaten in six matches (4-0-2). Rahm was electric on the greens at Bethpage Black on Friday, making eight putts of 8 feet or longer. Per Data Golf, Rahm’s 2.24 strokes gained putting on the day led all players.

As great as the McIlroy-Fleetwood foursomes combo has been, the team of Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton has been just as dominant. Over the last two Ryder Cups, the LIV-based duo have won all three of their foursomes matches, with none of them reaching the 18th hole. They have won 16 holes and lost just six.

7. The best match of the day fittingly closed out Day 1 and ended in a tie. McIlroy and Shane Lowry drew even with Patrick Cantlay and Sam Burns, with both sides carding seven birdies in four-ball. McIlroy was ruthless with his iron play coming down the stretch, hitting each of his last eight greens in regulation to finish the round. Five of those approach shots wound up inside 20 feet, good for an average proximity to the hole of 16’4″. Burns and McIlroy had looks from about 12 feet on the 18th green, but neither went down.

Europe won each of the first two sessions for the fourth time since 2000. It went on to win the Ryder Cup in each of the previous three instances.

8. The brightest performance of the day for the Americans came in a dominant four-ball win by Cameron Young and Justin Thomas. In his first career Ryder Cup match, Young made five birdies on his own ball and gained a session-best 2.5 strokes with his approach play. Young has a terrific history at Bethpage Black: In 2017, he became the first amateur to win the New York State Open, contested here.

The winning score over Rasmus Hojgaard and Åberg was 6&5, tying the second-largest margin of victory in an 18-hole four-ball match in the history of the Ryder Cup. Only a 7&5 blowout in 1981 by Lee Trevino and Jerry Pate over Sam Torrance and Nick Faldo was larger.

9. Two particular stretches of the golf course stood out when it came to European advantage. On holes Nos. 3-8 Friday, Europe won 14 holes and lost just three as a team. Interestingly, four of those six holes yielded longer approach shots, anywhere from 185 to 230 yards. The other key stretch came on Nos. 14-16, where the Europeans won six times and did not lose once.

Drawing first blood was not nearly as significant Friday as it was two years ago at Marco Simone. The side that took the first lead two years ago had a match record of 19-4-5. Friday, it was just 3-4-1.

10. The Americans will send three of their four alternate shot pairings from Friday back out together Saturday morning. The lone exception is the first group off, with Young replacing Thomas alongside DeChambeau. Europe won’t fix what isn’t broken, sending out the same four duos as it did in the opening session.

The Saturday morning session has been won 3-1 by the home side in each of the last three Ryder Cups.

(Top photo of Scottie Scheffler: Carl Recine / Getty Images)