Mandatory Credit: Michael Madrid-USA TODAY Sports
The Americans are off to a big lead after the first session of the Ryder Cup.
After months of anticipation, the 2016 Ryder Cup might be over before it’s even really started.
With a clean sweep of the Friday morning foursome matches, Team USA has taken a commanding four-point lead over Team Europe. It’s far from insurmountable, but the tone of the event has shifted entirely. Now the underdogs, the Europeans must battle back, possibly for the remainder of the weekend.
With the first four matches of the Ryder Cup completed, let’s take a look at how the U.S. got off to such a dominant start.
Sep 30, 2016; Chaska, MN, USA; Jordan Spieth of the United States plays his shot from the second tee in the morning foursome matches during the 41st Ryder Cup at Hazeltine National Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports
Jordan Spieth/Patrick Reed def. Henrik Stenson/Justin Rose 3 & 2
Billed as one of the marquee matches of the entire event, this opening matchup didn’t turn out to be quite as exciting as it could have been. While both sides sent out their top alternate shot pairing, the Americans took the lead with a birdie on the second hole and never gave it up.
While Rose and Stenson have historically been a productive tandem — they won three points together back in 2014 — they couldn’t get anything going today. The two major champions didn’t make a birdie all day, appearing overmatched against the fiery American duo, who circled four.
While an American bogey on the ninth closed the gap to two holes, the Europeans couldn’t gain any momentum on the back nine, allowing Reed to sink the winning birdie putt on 16. It’s the third career win for the Spieth-Reed duo.
Mandatory Credit: Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports
Phil Mickelson/Rickie Fowler def. Rory McIlroy/Andy Sullivan 1-up
Unsurprisingly, the most dramatic match of the morning was also the last to finish. It also featured three of the most popular players in Minnesota this week: Mickelson, Fowler and McIlroy, with Sullivan, a Ryder Cup rookie, just drinking it all in.
After halving the first three holes, the Europeans won two of the next three to put some distance between themselves and the opposition. However, Mickelson and Fowler responded by winning the next three in a row, taking a lead of their own as the foursome made the turn.
The Europeans regained a two-hole lead through 14 holes, but a couple of missed birdie putts from Sullivan allowed the U.S. to even things up with just two to play. On the par 3 17th, Fowler threw a dart and watched as Sullivan’s tee shot found the drink, tipping the scales even further in the Americans’ favor. After a pair of pars on 18, the match was decided.
For Mickelson, the match was just the latest installment in what’s been a terrific run of Ryder Cup success over the past few years, while for Fowler, it must have been gratifying to finally earn a whole point for his country. McIlroy, meanwhile, will need to regroup if he wants his team to have a shot this weekend.
Mandatory Credit: Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports
Jimmy Walker/Zach Johnson def. Sergio Garcia/Martin Kaymer 4 & 2
While Garcia and Kaymer had the edge in terms of name recognition, the third match of the day featured a thrilling comeback from the Americans. Despite relatively mediocre play from both sides, it ended up being one of the most nerve-wracking showdowns of the morning.
Walker and Johnson fell behind after bogeying the second, but they matched their opponents hole-for-hole for the rest of the front nine. Garcia and Kaymer squared a bogey of their own on 12, setting things up for a showdown over the final six holes.
Unfortunately for European fans, that showdown never materialized. Walker and Johnson circled three birdies over the next four holes, while Garcia and Kaymer could only muster three pars and a bogey. The match ended after 16.
Mandatory Credit: Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports
Dustin Johnson/Matt Kuchar def. Lee Westwood/Thomas Pieters 5 & 4
This one was a mismatch, both on paper and in practice. Johnson, the world No. 2, is playing better than just about anyone else at the moment, and Kuchar is a clutch performer and a steady player who enjoys alternate shot. Meanwhile, neither Westwood nor Pieters, both captain’s picks, sits inside the top 40 in the world ranking.
It was never in doubt — the U.S. won the first hole and didn’t look back, stretching the lead to three after the first five. While the Europeans fought back by winning the ninth hole, they couldn’t muster enough to seriously challenge the opposition, and the match was over after just 14 holes.
While the victory was a team effort, Kuchar singled out Johnson for praise, saying anyone would have wanted to be paired with the Coastal Carolina product. “It’s a fun game for me,” he said.
What do you think: will the U.S. hold on to win the Ryder Cup? Let us know in the comments and keep it here for more updates from Hazeltine.
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