Mandatory Credit: Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports
The stars were out on the first day of the Ryder Cup, and some shone brighter than others.
It wasn’t until the shadows faded over the 16th green when the pro-American crowd at Hazeltine was finally officially introduced to Team Europe at the Ryder Cup.
Rory McIlroy theatrically bowed to the gallery after rolling home an eagle putt to clinch a 3 & 2 four-ball victory with Ryder Cup rookie Thomas Pieters over the American team of Dustin Johnson and Matt Kuchar. The 15-footer cut Team USA’s lead to 5-3, stifling any momentum from their historic 4-0 foursome session on Friday morning.
Team USA came firing out of the gates early, starting with the duo of Patrick Reed and Jordan Spieth scoring a 3 & 2 win over Olympic medalists Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson. Buoyed by a five straight hole finish from Jimmy Walker and Zach Johnson, the U.S. had every reason to be confident heading into the afternoon.
It took some time for the European engines to warm up, but as the morning clouds rolled away, so too did the poor European play. European captain Darren Clarke’s men were able to go 3-1 in the afternoon session. Strong play from Rose, Stenson, McIlroy and Pieters helped revive the hopes of the Europeans.
With such a dynamic swing, it is tough to pick out which players performed the best. But hey, let’s take a swing at it. Here’s a list of the top 5 performers from Day 1 at the Ryder Cup.
Sep 27, 2016; Chaska, MN, USA; Dustin Johnson of the United States plays his shot from the fifth tee during a practice for the 41st Ryder Cup at Hazeltine National Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports
5. Dustin Johnson (USA)
The opening slot in any countdown is always tough to decide. This was one of those times when it could have gone to any number of players. Rafael Cabrera-Bello, Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose all had fantastic afternoons, but their poor (or nonexistent) morning performances took away from their overall success.
That is why Dustin Johnson receives the fifth position on this list. From the opening tee shot on Friday, DJ played like he was the top-ranked golfer in the field. Clutch putts on four and 15, along with his trademark massive drives, helped him dominate in foursomes.
Though the afternoon was not as kind to Johnson, he was carrying most of the load for teammate Matt Kuchar and kept the duo from sinking entirely. Look for Johnson to tattoo the ball some more on Saturday given the kind of form he is in.
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
4. Jordan Spieth (USA)
It sure is nice to see Spieth starting to play to his potential again. The two-time major winner had a bland PGA Tour season, failing to secure a major championship in 2016. But those disappointments slipped away once he and Patrick Reed teed off in foursome play.
Spieth got off to a hot start by helping birdie the second and third holes. His solid iron play helped maintain the lead for the rest of the match. However, Spieth still showed signs of unfocused play, shanking a shot on the sixth and finding the water on 12 in the afternoon. Hopefully a good night’s sleep will refresh the former world No. 1, who played so well in the morning.
Sep 30, 2016; Chaska, MN, USA; Henrik Stenson of Sweden walks up to the fourth green in the afternoon four-ball matches during the 41st Ryder Cup at Hazeltine National Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Michael Madrid-USA TODAY Sports
3. Henrik Stenson (Europe)
The lone European on this list is also the lone European who played a very good two rounds of golf on Friday. Despite losing the morning round, he played quite admirably. The play of Reed and Spieth was simply better than that of Rose and Stenson, but that didn’t keep the Swede down in the afternoon.
Stenson found his 2016 Open Championship form once more after sinking a crucial birdie at No. 7 to go 1-up, and he subsequently nearly aced the par 3 eighth. He is sure to continue his strong run of form on Saturday, which he’ll need when he faces the next two players on this list.
Sep 30, 2016; Chaska, MN, USA; Brandt Snedeker of the United States plays a shot from a bunker on the fourth hole in the afternoon four-ball matches during the 41st Ryder Cup at Hazeltine National Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Michael Madrid-USA TODAY Sports
2. Brandt Snedeker (USA)
Snedeker played lights-out in the afternoon. Unfortunately for Team USA, afternoon four-ball was the only session in which he played. It was tempting to leave Snedeker off this list because of his morning absence, but it would be foolish to not give him recognition for his outstanding performance.
He and Brooks Koepka formed the only American duo to defeat Europe in four-ball. With the help of a whopping four birdies in 14 holes, as well as some long putts that were the definition of clutch, Snedeker gave the Americans the extra bit of cushion they needed heading into Saturday. Look for USA captain Davis Love III to use an in-form Snedeker more often as the weekend progresses.
Mandatory Credit: Michael Madrid-USA TODAY Sports
1. Patrick Reed (USA)
Reed has certainly forgotten his performance at the last two FedEx Cup tournaments, managing to channel the form he had after The Barclays and the Deutche Bank Championship. Right from the gun, Reed was the most formidable performer at Hazeltine National.
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Making a slippery eight-footer on the 10th helped preserve a two-shot lead, which he and playing partner Spieth would hold through the end of foursome play.
“We had a great game plan coming in and stuck with it,” Reed stated after his opening round. “We hit a lot of greens and in alternate shot you have to do that.”
The game plan was definitely working in the afternoon — until he hit the back nine, where a few missed birdie opportunities provided his only blemishes on the day. Going forward, Davis Love III can be confident that Reed will continue to be the performer carrying the banner for the Americans.
Who is primed to perform best over the weekend? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below, and don’t forget to subscribe to our email list!
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