Europe took a 5.5 to 2.5 lead over the U.S. after the first day of the 2025 Ryder Cup.
The U.S. team lost the afternoon session 2.5-1.5 after also losing the morning session 3-1.
Two afternoon matches came down to the final hole, with the U.S. losing one and tying the other.
FARMINGDALE, N.Y. — The tide was turning for the U.S. on the first day of the 2025 Ryder Cup on Friday, Sept. 26. After a flailing morning session, in which Europe raced out to a 3-1 advantage, the Americans had a chance to even that score and leave Day 1 with a 4-4 split.
Instead, the U.S. again lost the session, 2.5-1.5, with two matches going down to the final hole; Sam Burns and Patrick Cantlay tied Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry in the last match of the day to halve the point.
“We would have absolutely taken this (Thursday) night if you had told us we would be five-and-a-half, two-and-a-half up,” McIlroy said.
Bryson DeChambeau and Ben Griffin led Europe’s Justin Rose and Tommy Fleetwood for the first 13 holes of their fourball (best ball) match. Three holes later, they were down by two with two to play. A birdie by DeChambeau on the par-3 17th kept the U.S. alive, but Rose’s birdie on No. 18 sealed the 1-up victory for Europe.
How different the feeling would be for the U.S. side if Griffin and DeChambeau could have halved or won their match, and Burns and Cantlay could have broken through in theirs. The fickle nature of Ryder Cups was never more apparent than those heavy moments as those matches came down to the wire.
Of the two close matches in the afternoon – J.J. Spaun and Scottie Scheffler could never quite find a rhythm against Sepp Straka and Jon Rahm, while Cameron Young and Justin Thomas (who rebounded from a morning session in which he struggled) dominated Ludvig Åberg and Rasmus Højgaard – DeChambeau and Griffin had the best chance of scoring points and cutting into the early American deficit. DeChambeau let out a double fist-pump on the fifth after making birdie, and he nearly drove the sixth green and had a short birdie opportunity he missed. The pair appeared to take a two-hole lead on the seventh after Griffin drained a long birdie putt, much to the delight of the crowd and DeChambeau, only for Rose to immediately answer and suck the momentum back to their side and away from the crowd at Bethpage Black.
“Luck is on their side right now,” DeChambeau said in his television interview after the second match on Friday.
Back and forth the teams battled until Fleetwood’s birdie at 11 tied it and another birdie from him on the par-3 14th gave he and Rose an advantage they never surrendered despite a surge from the U.S. One hole earlier, a spectator threatened to cut off his luscious, long brown hair in his sleep. On the next, with more heckling coming his way prior to his birdie putt, Fleetwood made sure to stare into the grandstand behind the hole for added effect.
McIlroy’s birdie putt on 13 lipped around the edge nearly 360 degrees to move the Americans into a tie in that match, but Cantlay could not take advantage despite an excellent tee shot on 14, as he missed a short birdie putt. The match stayed tied until the end.
The morning session had none of that excitement. Europe hasn’t lost a Friday morning session dating back to 2021 now. Their 4-0 cushion in Paris two years ago paved the way for a walkover victory for the Europeans. According to datagolf, the Europeans gained 4.7 strokes on the putting green during the morning session.
The Americans rebounded from the 6-2 deficit to win the 1999 Ryder Cup at the Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts, where captain Keegan Bradley watched as a boy. He’ll have to inspire a similar comeback from his team to accomplish victory at Bethpage.
“Happy with the way we’re playing,” Bradley said. “Hopefully it’ll turn and our putts will go in (Saturday).”
The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.