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A fine up-and-down from sand for Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay at the (relatively) short par-five 4th. The birdie ensures a half, but only because Viktor Hovland\u2019s 17-foot eagle putt shaved the hole but stubbornly refused to drop. And there\u2019s another near miss for Europe, on 7, as Ludvig \u00c5berg\u2019s 25-foot birdie putt horseshoes out. But no mistake by Jon Rahm on the par-three 8th, as he trundles in a 15-footer to hit the lead in the lead match!<\/p>\n
DeChambeau\/Thomas v Rahm\/Hatton 1UP (8)
Scheffler\/Henley v \u00c5berg\/Fitzpatrick 3UP (7)
Morikawa\/English v McIlroy\/Fleetwood 3UP (5)
1UP Schauffele\/Cantlay v MacIntyre\/Hovland (4)<\/p>\n
Share<\/a><\/p>\n \u2026 and in the third match, Fleetwood Mac continue to go their own way. They\u2019re now 3UP after their third birdie of the round, this time at 5! Europe are 3UP in two matches, and as former captain Paul McGinley notes on Sky, \u201cthe stats will tell you that there\u2019s a 90 percent chance that you can\u2019t lose from there \u2026 although we know what golf is like!\u201d<\/p>\n DeChambeau\/Thomas A\/S Rahm\/Hatton (7) Share<\/a><\/p>\n The official ruling: Hatton\u2019s ball oscillated, but didn\u2019t move off its spot. So there\u2019s no problem there, and once the referee has made their call, there\u2019s no chance to change it retrospectively. Europe fine to continue without censure. And what a break, because while Rahm can\u2019t make the long birdie putt that Hatton\u2019s somehow left him, Justin Thomas pulls a short par putt, and what a turnaround there for the European duo! All square in the lead game \u2026<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n The players in this lead match are taking their sweet time this morning. Jon Rahm sends his drive into the woods down the right of 7. Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton then spend ages contemplating the removal of a stick that the ball has nestled beside. Eventually Hatton decides to leave be, and powers through the problem, sending the ball onto the green. Wonderful shot, though did the ball move accidentally when Hatton was prowling around it, wondering what to do? Hmm. The initial footage is inconclusive, but we might not have heard the last of this. Meanwhile back on the tee, match two wait patiently.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Bob MacIntyre walks in a 20-footer on 3 to snatch a half from under the nose of Xander Schauffele, who was surely thinking about winning the hole from a couple of feet. Then another long European putt drops, courtesy of Matt Fitzpatrick on 6, and this time it\u2019s enough to win the hole. Scottie Scheffler misses a birdie chance from nine feet, and the world number one isn\u2019t enjoying himself at all this morning.<\/p>\n 1UP DeChambeau\/Thomas v Rahm\/Hatton (6) Share<\/a><\/p>\n Rory McIlroy\u2019s second into 4 plugs in the face of a greenside bunker. But Tommy Fleetwood punches out to seven feet. Harris English fails to make a birdie putt of similar distance, and so when McIlroy rolls in his putt, Europe go a couple up!<\/p>\n 1UP DeChambeau\/Thomas v Rahm\/Hatton (6) Share<\/a><\/p>\n Justin Thomas splits the fairway at 6. Tyrrell Hatton hooks wildly into some waist-high rubbish. You\u2019d think it\u2019s advantage USA, especially when Bryson DeChambeau wedges the approach from 90 yards to 13 feet. But Jon Rahm muscles an outrageous wedge out of the oomska over the flag to 12 feet, and when JT misses the putt, the door\u2019s open for Europe. Tyrrell Hatton however rolls the opportunity to snatch the hole a couple of feet past \u2026 and it\u2019s not conceded. Fair enough. Gloves off! Game on! Rahm stays cool to tidy up for a half. Given those tee shots, that\u2019s a big escape for Europe, though both teams will harbour a little disappointment at missing the chance to land a sore blow on the opposition.<\/p>\n 1UP DeChambeau\/Thomas v Rahm\/Hatton (6) Share<\/a><\/p>\n Scottie Scheffler isn\u2019t used to hitting his approaches from such a long way out, today following the drives of the considerably shorter Russell Henley. But no matter! He still fires a dart at the 5th, from 187 yards to six feet. However anything Scheffler can do, so can Matt Fitzpatrick, who fires from 162 yards to two-and-a-half feet. Henley can\u2019t make the birdie, and Europe go 2UP. Meanwhile on 2, Xander Schauffele wedges the USA\u2019s second to four feet, and that\u2019s enough to win the hole. The hosts lead in this morning\u2019s anchor match.<\/p>\n 1UP DeChambeau\/Thomas v Rahm\/Hatton (5) Share<\/a><\/p>\n Russell Henley misses a short birdie putt on the short par-five 4th. Ludvig \u00c5berg doesn\u2019t make the same mistake, and Europe hit the front again in the second match. And they somehow scramble a half in match three: Tommy Fleetwood gets overly aggressive with a greenside chip on 3, bundling it six feet past, but when Collin Morikawa misses an inviting 15-footer for birdie, Rory McIlroy tidies up and Europe remain 1UP.<\/p>\n 1UP DeChambeau\/Thomas v Rahm\/Hatton (5) Share<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t see the fackin\u2019 pin!\u201d And so the first apology of the week is issued by a broadcaster for the audio capture of effing and jeffing on the telecast. No prizes for guessing that Tyrrell Hatton is the man involved, leaving his approach from the centre of the 5th fairway well short of the pin. Jon Rahm leaves the long birdie putt well short, and Bryson DeChambeau the chance to win the hole from ten feet. But he misreads the putt. Hatton makes up for his earlier error by tidying up for the half.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Ludvig \u00c5berg leaves Matt Fitzpatrick in an awkward spot to the left of the par-three 3rd. But Fitzpatrick whips up a delicious wedge to a couple of feet. That\u2019s conceded, and a half is scrambled. Meanwhile back on the 1st tee, Bob MacIntyre hits Europe\u2019s opening drive in the final morning foursomes. \u201cDo some cardio!\u201d yells some doofus in the crowd, someone you\u2019d imagine would be given a good physical workout himself had he said that to the professional sports star\u2019s face. The tee shot goes into the rough, while Xander Schauffele finds the fairway. Slight advantage USA, though not to belabour the point, this rough is not particularly penal.<\/p>\n 1UP DeChambeau\/Thomas v Rahm\/Hatton (4) Share<\/a><\/p>\n Tommy Fleetwood bumps his first shot of the week to four feet. Rory McIlroy rolls in the birdie putt, and Fleetwood Mac go 1UP on Buckingham\/Nicks Morikawa\/English. The US counting the cost of Collin Morikawa\u2019s overhit approach there. Wonder what his partner has to say about that?<\/p>\n 1UP DeChambeau\/Thomas v Rahm\/Hatton (3) Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a008.03 EDT<\/p>\n Turns out Jon Rahm\u2019s tee shot at 3 found the grass to the side of the bunker. That allows Tyrrell Hatton to caress a chip to kick-in distance. That\u2019s conceded, and Bryson DeChambeau is left with a six-footer, the result of Justin Thomas\u2019s splash from the sand. He nails it. That required nerves of steel. Meanwhile Scottie Scheffler rolls in a 12-footer for birdie at 2, and the second match is level again.<\/p>\n 1UP DeChambeau\/Thomas v Rahm\/Hatton (3) Share<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cIs this a library?! Is this is a library?!\u201d The European fans inject a shot of irony into proceedings on the first tee, during downtime between matches and concomitant bedlam. Shane Lowry, rested this morning, turns round and applauds their humour. Soon after, match three turns up, the volume rises again, and Rory McIlroy and Harris English take turns to lash their opening drives down the track.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a008.20 EDT<\/p>\n Onto the first par-three at Bethpage Black. The 3rd green\u2019s long and narrow \u2026 and Bryson tugs his tee shot into a deep bunker on the left. The door\u2019s ajar for Rahm \u2026 but he smacks face-first into the frame, following his opponent into the same trap! Both teams need some wedge magic to get out of this one unscathed.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Back on 1, Scheffler can\u2019t get close with his wedge in from the rough, and Henley leaves the long birdie putt three feet short. That won\u2019t be conceded yet. But Matt Fitzpatrick has sent a glorious wedge straight at the flag to five feet, and in goes \u00c5berg\u2019s birdie putt. Europe one up in match two!<\/p>\n 1UP DeChambeau\/Thomas v Rahm\/Hatton (2) Share<\/a><\/p>\n Bryson and Rahmbo take turns to land their approaches over the flag at the short par-four 2nd. Both spin back to set up birdie chances. Europe\u2019s is twice the distance of the USA\u2019s chance, and Hatton\u2019s putt is never getting there. Just a par \u2026 but Europe get away with the half because JT pulls his ten-footer a tad, and that\u2019s a big chance to go 2UP in short order spurned.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n \u2026 but while there\u2019s a long way to go, these foursomes will nevertheless be crucial. The last five Ryder Cups have seen the eventual winners come out on top in the opening foursomes. Europe trail 11\u00bd-4\u00bd in foursomes on their last two visits Stateside. Anyway, here comes match number two, and while Ludvig \u00c5berg finds the fairway, Russell Henley sends his tee shot into rough down the left. But it\u2019s not particularly thick, and there shouldn\u2019t be too much for Scottie Scheffler to worry about there.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Jon Rahm\u2019s left-to-right slider is dead on line \u2026 but the early-morning green is slower than he thinks, and the ball stops one turn short. That\u2019s par, but he\u2019s given DeChambeau a good read, and the Americans are ten feet closer. Bryson walks in the birdie putt, and the gallery goes bananas. First blood to the hosts! A long way to go in this Ryder Cup<\/a>, to be fair.<\/p>\n 1UP DeChambeau\/Thomas v Rahm\/Hatton (1)<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Tyrrell Hatton cops some jeering as he takes his time to clean his wedge with a towel. And then underhits his chip out of the rough. His ball only just gets over the bunker guarding the front-right of the green. But it squirts onto the putting surface and that leaves Jon Rahm with a 25-foot look at birdie. Justin Thomas then nervously bumps up to 15 feet, a poor effort. Big putting contest coming up!<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a007.29 EDT<\/p>\n Europe captain Luke Donald speaks to USA Network \u2026 \u201cIt\u2019s not quite the same welcome we had in Rome! \u2026 our boys are ready for it \u2026 we have a strong four pairings.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2026 as does his American counterpart Keegan Bradley. \u201cI\u2019m extremely grateful \u2026 I\u2019ve done a lot of amazing things but this is one of the coolest moments of my life \u2026 go USA!\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n The opening shot of the 2025 Ryder Cup<\/a> is taken by Jon Rahm. He\u2019s already got four foursomes wins on his resum\u00e9. But opening nerves do a number on the big man, who carves his drive into thick stuff down the right. Bryson however absolutely clubs his opening drive, over the trees by the left-to-right dogleg and nearly onto the green! That\u2019s a 344-yarder to begin with, and it\u2019s advantage USA.<\/p>\n Bryson DeChambeau and Justin Thomas with some crowd-pleasing antics on the first tee. Photograph: Peter Casey\/Imagn\/ReutersShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a008.21 EDT<\/p>\n Bryson DeChambeau and Justin Thomas emerge from the tunnel together, with the Stars and Stripes draped behind them. USA! USA! USA! Wild scenes! Then Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton arrive, and they\u2019re bombarded by ear-splitting boos. Rahm wears a wry smile. Hatton initially looks stunned, but quickly breaks into a huge smile. A pose for photos. Rahm and Hatton are announced. Boos. Arms around each other. Bryson and JT get their flowers. Arms around each other too. This, ladies and gentlemen, is the Ryder Cup<\/a>, and it is ON!<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n The air literally bangs and crackles with excitement as three US Air Force fighter jets whizz overhead in formation! The hosts putting on a show. No further encouragement needed for the crowd to turn the volume up another couple of notches. Nigel Tufnel has nothing on this. These go to 12.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n BREAKING NEWS \u2026 brought to you by legendary US newspaperman Arnold Ziffel \u2026<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \u2026 is that the atmosphere on the first tee at Bethpage is electric. There are plenty of Europe fans trying their best to make themselves heard \u2026 but many more home supporters giving it plenty. Good luck to Europe\u2019s opening partnership of Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton, because you can bet your last bronze cent that Bryson DeChambeau and Justin Thomas, showmen both, will whip \u2018em up even further. Not long now!<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Now then, New York plus golf equals \u2026 yes, we know exactly what springs to mind first \u2026<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \u201cThe sea was angry that day, my friends – like an old man trying to send back soup in a deli.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2026 or perhaps \u2026<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m talking PGA Pro Tour 2 \/ I\u2019m Doctor Beepers on the TV in my golfing shoes \/ Pass me an iron and I\u2019ll bust a chip shot \/ Then you throw me off the green \u2018cause I\u2019m strictly hip-hop\u201d<\/p>\n \u2026 but Bethpage Black also sits in the overlap between NY and the greatest game on the big Venn diagram of life. It\u2019s hosted two US Opens, a Tiger Woods stroll in 2002 \u2026<\/p>\n \u2026 then David Duval\u2019s near miss in 2009 \u2026<\/p>\n \u2026 plus there\u2019s also Brooks Koepka going out of his way to make the final day of the 2019 PGA Championship more exciting than it promised to be at the start of it.<\/p>\n Plenty of history there to relive, courtesy of David Davies, Lawrence Donegan and Ewan Murray. Goodness me, the Guardian has been blessed with some wonderful golf writers down the years. Enjoy, enjoy.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>The format for golf newbies<\/p>\n For the benefit of folk who fancy getting up on the downswing this weekend but don\u2019t always follow the greatest sport in the world, we usually cut and paste the following explainer. Hey, if it\u2019s worth reading once, it\u2019s worth reading a dozen times. Here we go …<\/p>\n The Ryder Cup<\/a> is a matchplay event. Each match is worth a point. There are 28 points available over the three days, so the first team to get to 14.5 points will win the Cup. Should the scores be tied at 14 points apiece, Europe will retain the trophy as current holders.<\/p>\n Match-play explained for those dipping their toe into the murky world of golf for the first time: In common-or-garden championship golf, such as the Masters or the Open, tournaments are scored using the stroke-play system. Whoever takes the fewest shots over all four rounds in a championship wins. All shots count and are added up for a cumulative total. So if, say, in next year\u2019s Masters, Jon Rahm shoots 63-63-63-63 and Scottie Scheffler shoots 87-87-87-87, Rahmbo will have taken 252 strokes, and beaten the best player in the world by 96 shots. (Good luck if you bet large on this exact outcome.)<\/p>\n Anyway, in match play, each player or team wins a hole for every hole they better their opponents. So if Scottie takes five shots at the 1st, but Rahm needs only three, Rahm goes 1up. If Rahm wins the next hole too, he\u2019s 2up. If the pair share the same number of shots on the 3rd, the hole is halved, and Rahm remains 2up. It doesn\u2019t matter if Scheffler took 13 shots on her way to losing the 2nd, by the way; a bit like the unwritten rule of visits to wallet-sewer-interface-venue Las Vegas, what happens on each hole stays on each hole. There is no knock-on effect.<\/p>\n So let\u2019s say Rahm wins the first nine holes of our make-believe match. With nine played, and nine remaining, he is 9up. Scottie can only tie at best; Rahm can\u2019t lose. This is known as dormie. (And more specifically, in this slightly ludicrous example, as dormie nine.) If Scheffler wins the next nine, the game will end all square, and each team will get half a point to their overall total. But if Rahm wins the 10th, he\u2019s 10up with eight holes to play. He has won 10&8. If the 10th hole is halved, Rahm would be 9up with eight to play. He\u2019s won 9&8. Similarly Scheffler can be said to have lost 9&8. Europe would add a point to their overall total. I\u2019ve probably made this sound way more complicated than it needs to be, but there it is anyway.<\/p>\n There will be three types of match: foursomes (teams of two players use one ball, taking alternate shots); fourballs (teams of two players play a ball each and take the best score, known as the better ball); and singles (this is when it gets quite wild and everyone across two continents starts with the shallow breathing and chest clutching). And these matches are arranged in a schedule like this:<\/p>\n Today: four matches of morning foursomes; four matches of afternoon fourballs. Share<\/a>Preamble<\/p>\n U! S!! A!!! U! S!! A!!! It\u2019s not going to get any quieter, is it.<\/a> And that\u2019s absolutely fair enough. The prerogative of the hosts. So earplug up, baby, buckle in, and enjoy!<\/p>\n Here are the tee times for the first session, the first foursomes, of the 45th Ryder Cup<\/a> at Bethpage Black, New York. All times BST, the prerogative of the host of this website. Good luck America, all the best Europe, may the best team win. It\u2019s on!<\/p>\n 12.10pm: Bryson DeChambeau and Justin Thomas v Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton
Scheffler\/Henley v \u00c5berg\/Fitzpatrick 3UP (6)
Morikawa\/English v McIlroy\/Fleetwood 3UP (5)
1UP Schauffele\/Cantlay v MacIntyre\/Hovland (3)<\/p>\n
Scheffler\/Henley v \u00c5berg\/Fitzpatrick 3UP (6)
Morikawa\/English v McIlroy\/Fleetwood 2UP (4)
1UP Schauffele\/Cantlay v MacIntyre\/Hovland (3)<\/p>\n
Scheffler\/Henley v \u00c5berg\/Fitzpatrick 2UP (5)
Morikawa\/English v McIlroy\/Fleetwood 2UP (4)
1UP Schauffele\/Cantlay v MacIntyre\/Hovland (2)<\/p>\n
Scheffler\/Henley v \u00c5berg\/Fitzpatrick 2UP (5)
Morikawa\/English v McIlroy\/Fleetwood 1UP (3)
1UP Schauffele\/Cantlay v MacIntyre\/Hovland (2)<\/p>\n
Scheffler\/Henley v \u00c5berg\/Fitzpatrick 2UP (5)
Morikawa\/English v McIlroy\/Fleetwood 1UP (3)
1UP Schauffele\/Cantlay v MacIntyre\/Hovland (2)<\/p>\n
Scheffler\/Henley v \u00c5berg\/Fitzpatrick 1UP (4)
Morikawa\/English v McIlroy\/Fleetwood 1UP (3)
Schauffele\/Cantlay A\/S MacIntyre\/Hovland (1)<\/p>\n
Scheffler\/Henley A\/S \u00c5berg\/Fitzpatrick (3)
Morikawa\/English v McIlroy\/Fleetwood 1UP (1)
Schauffele\/Cantlay v MacIntyre\/Hovland<\/p>\n
Scheffler\/Henley A\/S \u00c5berg\/Fitzpatrick (2)
Morikawa\/English v McIlroy\/Fleetwood 1UP (1)<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Scheffler\/Henley A\/S \u00c5berg\/Fitzpatrick 1UP (2)<\/p>\n
Scheffler\/Henley v \u00c5berg\/Fitzpatrick 1UP (1)<\/p>\n
Tomorrow: four matches of morning foursomes; four matches of afternoon fourballs.
Sunday: 12 singles matches.<\/p>\n
12.26pm: Scottie Scheffler and Russell Henley v Ludvig \u00c5berg and Matt Fitzpatrick
12.42pm: Collin Morikawa and Harris English v Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood
12.58pm: Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay v Robert MacIntyre and Viktor Hovland<\/p>\n