First Blood To Europe With Scheffler/Dunlap Pairing Brillianlty Outplayed At Bethpage

2 hours ago by 0

In a near repeat of two years ago, Europe has taken first blood in the opening series of matches at the 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black.

Luke Donald’s men won the opening three matches and with the home nation only just managing to save face winning the last Friday morning foursomes match for America’s only win ahead of the four afternoon fourballs and with Europe emphatic 3 – 1 winners.

Biggest losers on day one of the 45th hosting of the Ryder Cup was World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and partner Brooks Koepka each looking completely out of their depth and finding no answer to a’left red-faced’ 9 & 7 thrashing at the hands of Viktor Hovland and Ludvig Aberg in their second match of the 45th hosting of the competiton.

The LIV Golf duo of Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton were out in the very much anticipated first match for Europe and while losing the opening hole they superbly bounced back to win at the 7th and 8th holes to go 1up over the Americans Bryson DeChambeau and Justin Thomas.

Rahm and Hatton went 2up in winning the 12th and 13th holes ahead of the Americans conceedng the match 5 & 3 in losing the par-4 15th and thus no need for the match to continue.

Match two it was Ludwig Auberg and Matt Fitzpatrick against World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and his partner Russell Henley but with the Europeans never headed after winning the first hole with a birdie to go 1up.  The match was tied with a USA second hole birdie but from thereon it was just an embarrassment for the USA team

Scheffler and Henley just had no answer to the pressure being put on them by Auberg and Fitpatrick.  It was all one-way traffic in Europe’s favour winning the fourth, fifth and six holes to be now 4up and going 5-under with a winning birdie at the 12th hole.

The hapless Americans won the 13th but it was all over at the par-4 15th thanks to a European birdie for a thorough 5 & 3 lashing.

Europe then went 3 up thanks to Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood delivering a 5 & 3 licking to Colin Morikawa and Harris English in their match of just 14 holes.

The only joy for Keegan Bradley’s side was the last match on the morning that was all square through 16 holes before the American duo of Xander Schaffule and Patrick Cantlany won the closing two holes thanks to a par and a closing birdie for their 2up success over Viktor Hovland Scot Bob MacIntyre.

Hereunder is the afternoon series of fourball matches:



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