Summary
FARMINGDALE, NY (AP) — World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler finished the first day of the Ryder Cup 2-for-0, marking the worst start for a qualifier since Tiger Woods. Scheffler lost in foursomes with Russell Henley in the morning, then later in the afternoon with U.S. Open champion JJ Spaun, but also suffered a fourball loss.
Despite Scheffler's outstanding individual performance, winning more than anyone else in golf this year, his teams were behind almost the entire time in their Friday matches. With him and Bryson DeChambeau, their two biggest stars, both at 0-2, the U.S. team trailed Europe by a score of 5.5 to 2.5.
In the afternoon match, Scheffler appeared to regain his game, making three birdies in the final four holes, but it wasn't enough. He didn't make any birdies until the 13th hole, while Jon Rahm and Sepp Straka established a comfortable lead, taking the victory 3 and 2. “We had a lot of opportunities,” Scheffler said. “In the end, it came down to not making enough putts. We fought well at the end.”
Key details
With this result, his record in the last six Ryder Cup matches is 0-4-2, becoming the first world number one to start an opening day 0-2 since Woods in 2002. Woods also had a similar start in 1999; Ian Woosnam in 1991 is the only other player at the top to have achieved it.
In the morning, Scheffler and Henley were beaten 5 and 3 by Matt Fitzpatrick and Ludvig Åberg, marking Scheffler's third crushing defeat in his three Ryder Cup foursome matches. Two years ago, after an emotional loss to Åberg and Viktor Hovland, Scheffler watched as Fitzpatrick and Åberg birdied seven of their 15 holes. In his three Ryder Cup foursome matches, Scheffler has trailed by at least four holes.
“We didn’t make enough putts early on,” Scheffler added. “We had some opportunities, but the putts weren’t falling.” In the afternoon match, the tide turned when he missed a putt on the 8th hole. With Spaun 1 down, Scheffler teed up the par-3 to within 8 feet, but Rahm holed out from longer than that and Scheffler missed, turning hopes of a tie into a 2-2 lead for Europe. Rahm and Straka maintained their advantage, making five birdies over the final six holes.
Statements and context
“The guys really stepped up on the back nine, but it was about not taking advantage of the opportunities we had early on,” Scheffler reflected. “But overall, it was a good fight at the end, and we'll be back tomorrow.”
Despite his Ryder Cup performance, Scheffler has won six times this year, four more than any other player on the PGA Tour, including two major championships. He's shown he can bounce back from slow starts in previous tournaments, and his closing performance could give him a boost heading into Saturday.
American captain Keegan Bradley sent Scheffler and Henley out as a pairing in second place, following DeChambeau and Justin Thomas. While the first pairing was the morning's standout match, the next pairing might have been the best American team. Henley is ranked third in the world, and he and Scheffler had a 2-1 record together last year at the Presidents Cup in Montreal. Scheffler celebrated with a fist pump after holing a birdie on the second hole, quickly tying the match after Fitzpatrick and Åberg won the first, but there wasn't much else to celebrate for the Americans.
The Europeans made three consecutive birdies to win holes 4-6, building a 3-hole lead that extended to 5, and won when the United States bogeyed the 15th hole.
What's next?
“They played great, gave themselves a lot of opportunities, and we were a little inaccurate,” Henley said. “I didn't make the putts I needed and didn't maintain momentum with my ball-striking on the back nine. I did the best I could, but they played very well.”
In his other foursome match in 2023, Scheffler also lost 4 and 3 with Sam Burns to Jon Rahm and Tyrell Hatton, finishing with an 0-2-2 record. In his Ryder Cup debut in 2021, he did not feature in any of the matches, achieving a 2-0-1 record.
