ROME — A tie has to feel like kissing your sister to the U.S. Ryder Cup team.
The Americans squandered opportunities to win three of the four matches in Friday afternoon’s fourball session, failing to win a single match on the first day of the 44th Ryder Cup, the first time that’s happened in Cup history, and digging themselves a big deficit.
After sweeping the morning foursome 4-0, the Europeans made three clutch putts at 18 to turn potential losses into ties. First, Viktor Hovland drained a 26-foot birdie putt to tie the first match of the session. In the next group, Jon Rahm drilled a 33-foot eagle putt to salvage a tie. Finally, Justin Rose buried a 9-foot birdie putt that capped off a comeback from 2 down with two holes to go. In the end, Team Europe jumped out to a 6½-1½ lead.
“One thing that we talked about a lot is just it’s not over till it’s over, and the boys did that, those three matches,” Matt Fitzpatrick said. “They all got something out of it when they could have easily gone the other way, and it just makes a big difference.”
Fitzpatrick almost singlehandedly won a full point in the only match that didn’t end in a tie. Entering the Ryder Cup with a chip on his shoulder, the Englishman showed his mettle in the biennial competition. In two previous Cups, he was winless in five matches. Not anymore.
Fitzpatrick put on a putting exhibition during Friday’s afternoon fourball alongside teammate Rory McIlroy. Fitzpatrick had yet to play a fourball match in his previous two Cup appearances; he made the most of his chance.
“You build it up to be this amazing thing that you wanted to be part of thinking that you’ll get a real good go at it, and obviously I never did, really,” he said. “So that’s obviously always something that’s sort of disappointing.”
Fitzpatrick and McIlroy dominated the team of Xander Schauffele and Collin Morikawa, winning 5 and 3. It was a dream start for European Captain Luke Donald.
“Historic day, but we want it to be an historic week, so the job is certainly not done,” he said. “We will all celebrate an amazing day, but we’ll be back tomorrow morning with the goal of trying to win tomorrow morning’s session. We’ll be getting our guys focused to be back in the saddle, so to speak. But what a day.”
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Match 1: Jordan Spieth-Justin Thomas tie Tyrrell Hatton-Viktor Hovland
After sitting out the morning foursomes session, Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas teamed to get the U.S. side its first point of any kind. Unfortunately, they squandered a 2-up lead with five holes to play and had to settle for a half point from a hard-fought tie in an afternoon fourball match against Europe’s Viktor Hovland and Tyrrell Hatton.
Thomas was a controversial captain’s pick but he and Spieth went out and worked hard for a half point when they were desperate to get the Americans on the board.
The Euros won the first hole, but Spieth pulled the flag at the fourth and chipped in for birdie to tie the match early. It was a shot of momentum for the American side and Thomas capitalized with a birdie of his own at No. 6 to give the U.S. its first lead in 79 holes on the day. It was a short-lived lead as Hovland planted his tee shot four feet from the hole at the par-3 7th and made the birdie. The next five holes were tied until the Americans made birdies at Nos. 12 and 13 to build a 2-up lead.
But Hatton made birdie at 14 to trim the deficit in half. Thomas showed his grittiness when he canned a clutch par putt to tie the 15th hole and shouted, “Did you see that?” as he pumped his right fist.
JT is delivering. 📬@justinthomas34 | #RyderCup | #GoUSA pic.twitter.com/63EU0vHgbE
— Ryder Cup USA (@RyderCupUSA) September 29, 2023
But at the ensuing hole, Spieth drove into the water and Thomas missed a 7-foot birdie putt to give the hole to the Euros and tie the match again. The match became the first of the day to reach the 18th hole and Viktor Hovland snuck in a 26-foot par putt to steal a half point.
“It was about time the ball went in,” Hovland said.
It was a tie that had to feel like a win for the Euros and a loss for the Americans.
Match 2: Brooks Koepka-Scottie Scheffler tie Jon Rahm-Nicolai Hojgaard
Jon Rahm was a magician down the stretch, pulling a half point out of his hat with a pair of late eagles.
First, Rahm chipped in for eagle at 16 from just off the green to tie the match. Then after the U.S. regained the lead at 17, Rahm drained a 33-foot eagle putt at the last to steal another half point from the Americans, who birdied the last five holes but it was all for naught.
Rahm’s teammate Nicolai Hojgaard had a debut to remember – at least on the front nine. The 22-year-old Dane is the youngest player on either Ryder Cup team but he didn’t play like it on Friday afternoon. Hojgaard canned a 30-foot birdie at the first hole, the first of six birdies in 12 holes. He carried the reigning Masters champion, winning three holes on the front nine – Nos. 1, 7 and 8 – to stake Europe to a 2-up lead before cooling off and turning things over to Rahm down the stretch.
But world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and reigning PGA Championship winner Brooks Koepka would not go quietly and Scheffler won Nos. 9 and 10 to tie the match up. Koepka didn’t make a birdie until 15, but it was good enough to win the hole and take the first lead of the day.
JON RAHM, WOW! 🤯#TeamEurope | #RyderCup pic.twitter.com/CqUUwBjtGX
— Ryder Cup Europe (@RyderCupEurope) September 29, 2023
The lead wouldn’t last long because one hole later, Rahm chipped in for eagle and lost his mind. The match was tied once more. Scheffler nearly flew his tee shot into the cup at 17 and showed about as much emotion as you’ll ever see from the cool, calm and collected Texan. Just when it appeared the U.S. was in good shape to win its first full point, Rahm robbed them of a half point with his dramatic eagle putt.
“I want to hit a board and pout just like Jon Rahm did,” Koepka said. “But, you know, it is what it is. Act like a child. But we’re adults. We move on.”
Match 3: Max Homa-Wyndham Clark tie Robert MacIntyre-Justin Rose
The reigning U.S. Open champion made his Ryder Cup debut a successful one.
Teaming with Max Homa, Clark made three birdies on the front nine to give the Americans a 2-up lead at the turn.
Rose cut the Euro team’s deficit in half with a birdie at 10, but Clark drilled a 26-foot birdie putt at No. 13 to stretch the lead to 2 up.
But the Euros, who hadn’t held the lead since the fourth hole, rallied behind a win by Rose at 15. Clark and Homa both made birdie at 16 to stretch the lead to 2 up, but the Euros won the final two holes for another painful tie and half point, meaning the U.S. side failed to win a single full point on the first day of the 44th Ryder Cup. Rose delivered the t0-foot birdie putt to secure the tie.
“I told my caddie, ‘C’mon, I don’t want to be the only bit of red on that board,’ ” Rose said.
Match 4: Matt Fitzpatrick-Rory McIlroy win 5 and 3 over Collin Morikawa-Xander Schauffele
Fitzpatrick earned his first point in the Ryder Cup with an incredible performance.
He made a 12-foot par putt at the first to tie the hole and pretty soon a theme emerged. He drained a 21-foot birdie at the second, a 15-foot birdie at the third, another 15-footer at the fourth and a 13-foot eagle putt at the fifth. At six, he stuffed his approach inside five feet for another birdie to go 6 under through six holes. The hole looked as big as a clown’s mouth. McIlroy joined the party with a birdie at seven and the beat down was on.
“For the first nine holes I was just trying to hang on to his coattails,” McIlroy said. “At least I contributed twice.”
Morikawa and Schauffele didn’t know what hit them. They didn’t win a hole until No. 11 but by then the damage had been done and the Euros cruised to a 5-and-3 win.
