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U.S. takes 6-2 lead after Day 1 at Ryder Cup

Ryder Cup Golf
Posted 4:51 PM, Sep 24, 2021
and last updated 3:26 AM, Sep 25, 2021

SHEBOYGAN, Wis. (AP) — The Latest on the Ryder Cup (all times CDT):

6:40 p.m.

The United States took a 6-2 lead for its largest opening-day advantage at the Ryder Cup since 1975.

Teaming with Patrick Cantlay, Justin Thomas led a U.S. comeback from 3 down in Friday's final fourball match to salvage a tie for a half point against Tommy Fleetwood and Viktor Hovland.

Top-ranked Jon Rahm was responsible for 1 1/2 of Europe's two points on opening day. He teamed with Sergio Garcia in the morning for Europe's only win, then with Tyrell Hatton in the afternoon for a draw with Bryson DeChambeau and Scottie Scheffler.

In the two other afternoon fourball matches, Tony Finau and Harris English defeated Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry 4 and 3, and Dustin Johnson and Xander Schauffele topped Paul Casey and Bernd Wiesberger 2 and 1.

Johnson and Schauffele each won twice, while McIlroy lost two matches in the same day for the first time in his Ryder Cup career.

This marks the biggest lead for the U.S. since it took a 6 1/2-1 1/2 lead in 1975, four years before the rest of Europe joined Great Britain and Ireland in an attempt to make the Ryder Cup more competitive.

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6:10 p.m.

Tyrell Hatton made a 7-foot putt on the 18th green to make birdie and salvage a half-point for the struggling European team late on opening day at the Ryder Cup.

Hatton's birdie gave himself and Jon Rahm a tie in their fourballs match against Bryson DeChambeau and Scottie Scheffler, but the U.S. still led 5 1/2-1 1/2 with one match left on the course.

Justin Thomas sank an 18-footer from just off the green to make eagle on No. 16 and pull himself and Patrick Cantlay into a tie with Tommy Fleetwood and Viktor Hovland with two holes left.

Earlier, Dustin Johnson and Xander Schauffele defeated Paul Casey and Bernd Wiesberger 2 and 1 and Tony Finau and Harris English beat Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry 4 and 3.

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5:20 p.m.

The United States expanded its lead to 5-1 at the Ryder Cup when the fourball teams of Dustin Johnson and Xander Schauffele along with Tony Finau and Harris English closed out victories within two minutes of each other Friday.

Johnson and Schauffele defeated Paul Casey and Bernd Wiesberger 2 and 1, while Finau and English beat Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry 4 and 3.

Johnson and Schauffele each went 2-0 on the opening day, while McIlroy lost both of his matches.

Bryson DeChambeau and Scottie Scheffler were 1 up over Jon Rahm and Tyrell Hatton after 15, while Tommy Fleetwood and Viktor Hovland had Europe's only lead, 1-up over Justin Thomas and Patrick Cantlay through 14.

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4 p.m.

Michael Jordan is not the go-to guy for golf tips. He made his name winning NBA championships.

But as a hardcore Ryder Cup fan who has traveled the globe to attend matches for at least 25 years, he’s known mostly disappointment. The U.S. team has gone 3-8 over that stretch

That didn’t stop the former Chicago Bulls great and current Charlotte Hornets owner from dropping by Whistling Straits to take in Friday’s matches and so far, he’s backing a winner. The duo of Dustin Johnson and Xander Schauffle were 3 up by mid-afternoon with Jordan — pumping his fist with every birdie — in the gallery.

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2:30 p.m.

Golf galleries dig the long ball, and Bryson DeChambeau did not disappoint.

The game's longest hitter made his debut in the afternoon's fourball matches alongside Scottie Scheffler and almost immediately made an impact. At the 581-yard, par-5 5th, DeChambeau crushed a 417-yard tee shot to the elbow of the dogleg-right hole. That left him just 72 yards to the pin.

From there, DeChambeau dialed down the power and turned on the finesse. He lobbed a wedge to 4 feet and made that for eagle and a tie with Europeans Jon Rahm and Tyrell Hatton early on in their match.

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12:47 p.m.

Ryder Cup captains Padraig Harrington and Steve Stricker did some unprecedented shuffling of their lineups for the afternoon fourball matches on Day One.

After the U.S. notched a 3-1 rout in the morning alternate-shot competition, both captains broke up all four of their pairings. It gave each side a chance to get all dozen players on the squad onto the course for opening day. It also marked the first time since the format was put into place in 1961 that not even one team on either side played together in the afternoon.

Captains generally put players who sat for the first session into the mix, but have always left at least one or two pairings intact.

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11:50 a.m.

Bryson DeChambeau will make his debut at this Ryder Cup in the afternoon fourball matches, paired with Scottie Scheffler. The two will take on Jon Rahm, coming off a win in his morning match, and Tyrell Hatton.

Dustin Johnson will pair with Xander Schauffele against Europe's Paul Casey and Bernd Wiesberger, while Tony Finau and Harris English take on Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry.

The final fourball match features Justin Thomas and Patrick Cantlay against Tommy Fleetwood and Viktor Hovland.

The U.S. took a 3-1 lead after the morning foursomes matches.

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11:30 a.m.

The U.S. has raced out to a 3-1 lead after the opening matches in the Ryder Cup.

The Americans dropped their first match of the day, then took the next three to open an early lead after the foursome matches. Another four best-ball matches lie just ahead on the first day of competition.

Brooks Koepka and Daniel Berger finished the morning off for the U.S. team by taking a 2-and-1 win over Lee Westwood and Matt Fitzpatrick.

The strong showing by the U.S. team came before massive crowds at Whistling Straits, almost all of them cheering wildly for the home team.

The U.S. is trying to regain the cup after losing in Paris three years ago.

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11:20 a.m.

The morning foursomes are shaping up nicely for a U.S. team trying to regain the Ryder Cup at home.

After dropping the first match to the Spanish duo of Jon Rahm and Sergio Garcia, the Americans quickly rebounded with Dustin Johnson and Collin Morikawa taking a 3-and-2 win over Paul Casey and Viktor Hovland.

Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele also closed out their match early against Rory McIlroy and Ian Poulter, winning 5-up. Cantlay and Schauffele won the first five holes of the match and were never threatened.

In the final alternate shot match still on the course, Brooks Koepka and Daniel Berger were 2-up after 16 holes against Lee Westwood and Matt Fitzpatrick.

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11 a.m.

Europe has captured the first point in the Ryder Cup, but trails in the remaining three matches on the course.

Spaniards Jon Rahm and Sergio Garcia used a series of long putts to take an early lead and close out a 3-and-1 victory over Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas. It was Garcia's 23rd Ryder Cup victory, matching Nick Faldo for the overall record.

Elsewhere, Dustin Johnson and Collin Morikawa had a 2-up lead on Paul Casey and Viktor Hovland through 15 holes, and Brooks Koepka and Daniel Berger had the same advantage over Lee Westwood and Matt Fitzpatrick after 15.

In the final match, Rory McIlroy and Ian Poulter lost the first five holes before pulling within three against Americans Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay through 13 holes.

10 a.m.

The opening Ryder Cup matches have all moved to the back nine, with the U.S. ahead in three and Europe leading in one.

Jon Rahm made more than 100 feet in putts to lift himself and European teammate Sergio Garcia to a 2-up lead over Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas through 13 holes in Friday's first match.

In the last match off on a chilly morning at Whistling Straits, Rory McIlroy and Ian Poulter lost the first five holes and trailed Americans Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele 5 down at the turn. The most lopsided foursome matches in Ryder Cup history finished 7 and 6.

In the middle two matches, Brooks Koepka and Daniel Berger held a 1-up lead over Lee Westwood and Matt Fitzpatrick through 10, and Dustin Johnson and Collin Morikawa were 2 up on Paul Casey and Viktor Hovland through 11.

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9:10 a.m.

Jon Rahm's putter is still hot. Rory McIlroy and Ian Poulter are ice cold.

Rahm has made 99-feet worth of birdie putts to stake himself and Sergio Garcia to a 2-up lead over Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth through the first eight holes of the Ryder Cup.

Further back on a chilly morning at Whistling Straits, McIlory and Poulter have lost their first five holes against Patrick Cantlay and Xander Scauffele. They are 5 down after five.

The other American teams hold 1-up leads in the middle two alternate-shot matches. Those pit Dustin Johnson and Collin Morikawa against Paul Casey and Viktor Hovland, and Brooks Koepka and Daniel Berger versus Lee Westwood and Matt Fitzpatrick.

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8:45 a.m.

The star of the show early on Day 1 at the Ryder Cup is Jon Rahm’s putter.

The top-ranked Spaniard has made 84-feet worth of birdie putts over the first seven holes to stake himself and Sergio Garcia to a 1-up lead over Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth.

Rahm has made putts of 12, 14 and 58-feet over the first seven holes. The 12-footer on the par-3 seventh forced Thomas to make an 8-footer to tie but the American’s putt fell off to the right.

But that’s the only match the Europeans are leading.

Paul Casey and Viktor Hovland are tied with Dustin Johnson and Collin Morikawa after six; Brooks Koepka and Daniel Berger are 2 up over Lee Westwood and Matt Fitzpatrick through five; and Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele have won their first three holes against Rory McIlroy and Ian Poulter.

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8 a.m.

All four matches are on the course on a chilly opening morning at the Ryder Cup.

The European team of Sergio Garcia and Jon Rahm fell behind early in their foursomes match but won back-to-back holes to go 1 up against Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas through four. Rahm made a 60-foot putt for birdie to take the lead.

Dustin Johnson and Collin Morikawa took a 1-up lead after the first against Paul Casey and Viktor Hovland but the Europeans drew even when Casey hit his tee shot on the par-3 third to 5 feet and Hovland converted.

Brooks Koepka and Daniel Berger are even after one hole against Matt Fitzpatrick and Lee Westwood. Westwood missed an 8-foot putt for birdie and the lead.

And Ian Poulter and Patrick Cantlay have each hit their opening tee shots in the morning's final match. Poulter is teaming with Rory McIlroy and Cantlay with Xander Schauffele.

According to a monitor used by NBC, Poulter's heart rate was 133 when he hit his opening shot in the middle of the fairway.

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7:10 a.m.

The Ryder Cup is underway on a chilly morning at Whistling Straits.

Engulfed by horseshoe-shaped stands with thousands of fans chanting “USA, USA” in 50-degree F (10-degree C) weather, Sergio Garcia led off the day's first foursomes match with a tee shot up against the lip of a bunker left of the fairway.

Garcia and Jon Rahm, each from Spain, were facing Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth in the day's first match. Thomas placed his opening tee shot in the middle of the fairway.

The next match off is between Dustin Johnson and Collin Morikawa of the United States and Paul Casey and Viktor Hovland of Europe.

The other matches pit Brooks Koepka and Daniel Berger against Lee Westwood and Matt Fitzpatrick, and Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele against Rory McIlory and Ian Poulter.

The U.S. is trying to recapture the cup after losing in Paris three years ago. Europe has won the Ryder Cup in nine of the last 12 meetings.

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