SHEBOYGAN, Wis. — Europe is trying to make up some serious ground after a big first day at the Ryder Cup by the United States.
How did that not go in?!@JordanSpieth | #GoUSA pic.twitter.com/vdUrwmLnUw
— Ryder Cup USA (@RyderCupUSA) September 25, 2021
We have you covered from start to finish at Whistling Straits:
SCORE: UNITED STATES 9, EUROPE 3
Saturday afternoon session: Four-ball
Birdie putt ✔️
Classic reaction ✔️Well played, Shane Lowry | #Ryder Cup pic.twitter.com/NxbJdRNsHG
— Ryder Cup (@rydercup) September 25, 2021
Breakdown: English and Finau sat out the morning session after taking down Lowry and McIlroy 4 and 3 in Friday afternoon’s four-ball matches. Finau was one of the most impressive players on Day 1 with six birdies and eight 3s in just 15 holes. English, a 32-year-old Ryder Cup rookie, had one birdie to help in the win. Lowry, who won The Open at Royal Portrush in 2019, is another Ryder Cup rookie. His loss to English and Finau on Friday was his only match of the Ryder Cup so far. He had one birdie and no bogeys in Friday’s match. Hatton played better in Friday’s tie in a four-ball match than he did in Saturday morning’s foursomes.
Prediction: English/Finau 1 up
Jordan Spieth doing Jordan Spieth things.#GoUSA pic.twitter.com/SOW5kKx60n
— Ryder Cup USA (@RyderCupUSA) September 25, 2021
Breakdown: Garcia and Rahm have been the backbone of the European team. Unfortunately for them, they haven’t gotten much help from their teammates. Rahm has helped win 2.5 of Europe’s 3 points with a 2-0-1 record this week. That’s a vast improvement over his Ryder Cup debut in Paris in 2018, when he earned one point while going 1-2-0. With Saturday morning’s victory over Koepka and Berger in the foursomes, Garcia won his 24th match at the Ryder Cup, which moved him past Nick Faldo for the most by any player. His 12 career victories in foursome matches is another Ryder Cup record.
Prediction: Rahm/Garcia 2 and 1
💪 from @b_dechambeau #GoUSA | #RyderCup pic.twitter.com/UgA2Bys0rl
— Ryder Cup USA (@RyderCupUSA) September 25, 2021
Breakdown: Both teams competed in Friday’s four-ball matches and both came away with ties. DeChambeau and Scheffler lost a 1-up lead when Hatton made a 7-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole. Fleetwood and Hovland had a 2-up lead after 11 holes but couldn’t hold off Patrick Cantlay and Justin Thomas, who had a birdie on No. 12 and eagle on No. 16 to tie the match. DeChambeau’s length off the tee should once again give the American team a sizable advantage on short par-4s and par-5s.
Prediction: DeChambeau/Scheffler 2 and 1
Big time from @collin_morikawa#GoUSA pic.twitter.com/DdUL6ZYO1m
— Ryder Cup USA (@RyderCupUSA) September 25, 2021
Breakdown: Johnson may be the U.S. team’s oldest player at 37, but he’s the only one on the 12-man roster who will play all five matches. He has raised his game at the Ryder Cup and is 3-0. He went 1-4 at the 2018 Ryder Cup, losing his final four matches. DJ and Morikawa defeated Paul Casey and Hovland 3 and 2 in Friday morning’s foursomes. Poulter and McIlroy, two European veterans, took a seat on Saturday morning after struggling mightily on Day 1. It was the first time McIlroy didn’t play in a session because of captain’s choice in his Ryder Cup career. McIlroy and Poulter were beaten badly 5 and 3 by Cantlay and Xander Schauffele in Friday’s foursome matches.
Prediction: Johnson/Morikawa 4 and 3
Saturday morning session: Foursomes
How it happened: The Spanish duo gave the European team much-needed momentum by knocking off the former Florida State teammates. The Americans had a 3-up lead after only three holes, but the Spaniards rallied to tie the match when Garcia chipped in front from 41 feet on the ninth hole. The Europeans took a 1-up lead on Garcia’s 8-foot birdie putt on No. 12 and extended it to 2 up when the U.S. team bogeyed the next hole. After the Americans cut the lead to 1 up on No. 14, there was much controversy on the next hole. Koepka spent several minutes unsuccessfully lobbying for relief from two rules officials. Koepka’s ball was lying in native grass between bunkers, and he was worried he might reinjure his left wrist if his club hit a drain that was in front of his ball. Rules officials denied him relief, but he was still able to knock his ball onto the green. The Spaniards extended their lead to 2 up on No. 16 after Garcia hit his second shot 244 yards to 5 feet of the pin, and Rahm sank the eagle putt.
Making more history 👏@TheSergioGarcia has now won the most matches at the Ryder Cup.#TeamEurope #RyderCup pic.twitter.com/ow72fMRHER
— Ryder Cup Europe (@RyderCupEurope) September 25, 2021
How it happened: Johnson’s spectacular play continued, as he and Morikawa, the reigning winner of The Open, won a foursomes match for the second consecutive day. Like Kopeka and Berger, DJ and Morikawa had a 3-up lead after only three holes. Unlike Koepka and Berger, Johnson and Morikawa didn’t squander it. The Europeans did cut their 4-down deficit to just one hole when Casey knocked in a wedge shot from 105 yards for an eagle on the par-4 14th hole. But then Hatton missed a 5-foot par putt on the next hole. The teams traded pars on the next two holes for a U.S. win. Johnson, the No. 2-ranked player in the world, improved to 3-0 at the Ryder Cup.
And that closes it out. @collin_morikawa nabs a point for #RyderCupUSA pic.twitter.com/dkWsP1yf1r
— Ryder Cup USA (@RyderCupUSA) September 25, 2021
How it happened: After being the only American team to lose on the first day, Spieth and Thomas were in trouble early on Saturday. The Europeans were 3 up on Spieth and Thomas after six holes. But then the Americans took advantage of the Europeans’ poor play to rally, cutting the deficit to just one after Hovland and Wiesberger carded bogeys on Nos. 7 and 9. The Europeans were 1 up after 13 holes, but back-to-back bogeys gave the Americans a 1-up lead. On the 16th hole, Thomas hit his second shot onto the green from 240 yards and Spieth made an 8-footer for eagle to make it 2 up. The Europeans were 1 down heading into No. 18, but Weisberger’s second shot went into the water.
Another comeback from Spieth and JT. #RyderCup pic.twitter.com/CF8wVtx4mW
— Ryder Cup (@rydercup) September 25, 2021
How it happened: The match was competitive and went back and forth until the back nine, where the Europeans’ mistakes helped give the Americans a lead. After Cantlay and Schauffele went 1 up on Cantlay’s 23-foot birdie putt on the ninth hole, Fitzpatrick and Westwood had bogeys on the next two holes to go 3 down. They never got closer than 2 down the rest of the way. The Americans carded four birdies, one bogey and somehow took a double-bogey 5 on the par-3 third hole. Cantlay and Schauffele, two California natives and close friends, are now 4-0 in international competition. They went 2-0 at the President’s Cup in Australia in 2019 and they’re 2-0 at Whistling Straits. Schauffele has already earned three points this week.
Birdies haven’t been easy to come by on No. 7 this week… Don’t tell that to @XSchauffele 🔥#RyderCup pic.twitter.com/EgibkH6fX1
— Ryder Cup (@rydercup) September 25, 2021
