Ryder Cup: US dominate Europe in Friday’s first session at Whistling Straits
Jon Rahm and Sergio Garcia struck the first blow for Europe in the 43rd Ryder Cup but the United States dominated the opening foursomes to take a 3-1 lead at Whistling Straits.
World number one Rahm holed birdie putts on the seventh and eighth holes to put Europe in command as they beat the much fancied American pairing Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas 3&1 in the top match.
Garcia, who equalled Sir Nick Faldo’s Ryder Cup record of winning 23 matches, said the score was “not a big deal”.
“We have a good [second] session and everything is back to normal,” he added.
The first session belonged firmly with the home side though with rookies Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele winning the first five holes as they defeated experienced Europeans Rory McIlroy and Ian Poulter 5&3.
Brooks Koepka and Daniel Berger also never trailed against Lee Westwood and Matt Fitzpatrick, eventually triumphing 2&1, while Dustin Johnson and Collin Morikawa pulled clear on the back nine to win 3&2 against Paul Casey and Viktor Hovland.
The matches teed off on a still but chilly morning, on the iconic Wisconsin course beside Lake Michigan that has staged the US PGA Championship on three occasions.
There were the expected pantomime boos on the first tee for the European players, with raucous cheers for the US players drowning out the meagre support for the visitors. There will be up to 40,000 fans daily but few Europeans are present because of the tough Covid-19 travel rules.
And the home fans had more to cheer with Thomas and Spieth taking an early lead but Rahm, who spoke on Thursday about wanting to build on the “Spanish legacy” in the Ryder Cup, holed three birdies in five holes to put Europe two ahead at the turn.
Garcia rolled in a 20-footer on the 15th to put Europe three holes ahead with three to play in the alternate shot format and guarantee at least half a point.
The match was closed out on the 17th despite a quite sensational shot from Spieth, who nearly ended up careering into the lake as he overbalanced while playing from heavy rough on a steep banking.
“I don’t think I exaggerated that fall, you know how steep that is,” said Spieth.
An impressed Garcia added: “I was clapping. I was hoping that he wouldn’t hurt himself, but he hit an unbelievable shot.
“I didn’t think there was a chance he could get it on the green.”
After the pairings were announced on Thursday, Europe captain Padraig Harrington said the top match was “big for both sides” – given how the opening session has panned out, it’s turned out to be a massive point for Europe.
While the top match was blue from the fourth hole, the other three matches were pretty much red throughout.
World number two Johnson and Open champion Morikawa won the first hole with a birdie, and although Casey and Hovland took the third and fourth holes to lead, the US won the next two to turn the match back in their favour.
Westwood and Fitzpatrick were always in their match against Koepka and Berger and a birdie on the ninth saw them level the match. But the Americans won the next two with birdies and the next six holes were halved.
Harrington opted for experience in his final pairing, with Poulter and McIlroy, who have played in 13 Ryder Cups between them, going up against debutants Cantlay and Schauffele.
However, the Americans have been in sparking form this season, with Cantlay being named PGA Tour player of the season after winning the season-ending Tour Championship earlier this month – which also earned him a $15m bonus as the FedEx Cup champion – while Schauffele won the Olympic title in Tokyo in August.
And they raced into a five-hole lead. Poulter and McIlroy won the 10th and 11th to spark hopes of a fightback but the Americans matched their birdies on the next two before holing two more to wrap up the victory.
Europe has not led after the opening session of the Ryder Cup since the K Club in Ireland in 2006. They trailed 3-1 in Paris in 2018 before going on to win.
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