DeChambeau and Thomas Lead United States in Ryder Cup
Golf fanatics prepare to witness the anticipated showdown between Bryson DeChambeau and Justin Thomas at the 45th edition of the Ryder Cup, to be held at Bethpage Black. The American duo, led by two-time U.S. Open champion DeChambeau, and Thomas, will face the European duo composed of Jon Rahm of Spain and Tyrrell Hatton of England in the first foursomes (alternate shot) match at 7:10 a.m. ET.This will be the first time DeChambeau and Thomas play together in a Ryder Cup match. DeChambeau anticipates a “wave of support” from American fans on the tee box. Rahm and Hatton, for their part, arrive with a 2-0 foursomes record in the last Ryder Cup, where Europe won. Rahm has an impressive 4-0 record in foursomes in his three previous participations.Besides being phenomenal players, both bring a spark to our team. Bryson has been an incredible teammate in the locker room, and we really want him to lead our team with Justin in the first match.
Keegan Bradley, captain of the U.S. team.
In the second match, Scottie Scheffler and Russell Henley will face Ludvig Åberg and Matt Fitzpatrick, representing Europe. Scheffler, with 13 PGA Tour victories in the last two seasons, will seek redemption after a less brilliant performance in Italy. The third American pair, composed of Collin Morikawa and Harris English, will face Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood, two key pillars of Europe in the recent Ryder Cups. The final match of the inaugural session will pit Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele against Robert MacIntyre and Viktor Hovland. Captain Bradley revealed that the lineup has remained stable for a long time. Two years ago, the United States suffered a foursomes sweep, marking the first time Europe led 4-0 after the first session. Donald and his vice-captains chose to separate some of Marco Simone’s successful pairings. Åberg and Hovland secured a resounding victory in their first foursomes match, and subsequently defeated Scheffler and Brooks Koepka on Saturday, with the largest victory in the history of 18-hole Ryder Cup matches. Shane Lowry and Sepp Straka also achieved a victory in the first session. Donald explained that the European team relied on analysis to define their pairings.We obviously want to start strong. We know that in match play you have to start well. These guys have had a lot of success together. They know how to win. They are a strong pair; they get along well. We are very happy to send them out first.
Luke Donald, captain of the European team
Åberg highlighted that he has played a lot of golf with Fitzpatrick in recent weeks.A bit of statistics, looking at the golf course, and a bit that it’s been two years since Rome. People’s profiles and games change. Once again, we went with what we thought was the strongest match. We are trying to win. We are trying to put out our strongest pairings, and this is what we feel is our strongest group.
Luke Donald, captain of the European team
Lowry, Straka, Justin Rose, and Rasmus Højgaard will not participate in the first session. J.J. Spaun, Sam Burns, Ben Griffin, and Cameron Young will not play for the United States in foursomes. The opening session will be followed by four four-ball (best ball) matches, starting at 12:25 p.m. ET on Friday. The same schedule will be repeated on Saturday, culminating in 12 singles matches on Sunday. Europe needs 14 points to retain the Ryder Cup, while the United States requires 14½ points to win it back. The home team has won the last five Ryder Cups. Europe’s last victory on American soil was in 2012.It’s a plan set by Luke, and we all trust that. It’s going to be a lot of fun, and I’m looking forward to playing some good golf together.
Ludvig Åberg
