Ryder Cup 2025 Friday Results – Detailed Match Recaps

 The Ryder Cup is never anything less than the most thrilling fixture on the golfing calendar, and it was so once more this year at Bethpage Black. The crowd was abuzz from the early light of daybreak, as chant after chant of "U-S-A! " echoed round the course to set up a closely fought battle. But as so frequently in this great competition, momentum shifted quickly.

Team Europe, calm and unflappable, delivered a virtuoso morning Foursomes, reminding everyone why they have been so much of a force to be reckoned with in the newer incarnations of the competition. By the end of the morning session, Europe had done something they had never done before on American ground—capturing the first three Foursomes matches.

It was a firm declaration on the part of captain Luke Donald, as they push to become the first European team to win the Ryder Cup on American soil since 2012. In contrast, American skipper Keegan Bradley had no option but to urge his team to move on from the latest setback soon, reminding them that this tournament is always a matter of "ebbs and flows."

Friday Morning Foursomes

Foursomes, or alternate shot, is the conventional pressure-laden session. Each player takes turns hitting shots. Chemisty and accuracy are more important than solo flashes of inspiration. Europe demonstrated quite how potent their combinations could be.

Match 1: Jon Rahm & Tyrrell Hatton beat Bryson DeChambeau & Justin Thomas, 4 & 3

The Americans got underway in style. DeChambeau holed his drive from the first green and sank the birdie, and there was a natural euphoria. Thomas and DeChambeau even draped themselves with the American flag on their walk to the tee, and their theatrics seemed to get the home crowd going.

But Rahm and Hatton were not intimidated. Consistent game and clutch putting swung the tide in their favor on the 7th and 8th holes, and as soon as Hatton's putter gained momentum on the back nine, the outcome looked like a foregone conclusion. Their 4 & 3 victory gave Europe the first point on the board, silencing the rowdy atmosphere and lifting the confidence of the visitors.

Match 2: Ludvig Åberg & Matt Fitzpatrick beat Scottie Scheffler & Russell Henley, 5 & 3

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler was supposed to provide the stability on the American team, but the continent's pairing of Åberg and Fitzpatrick was too strong. As new as they were as a unit, they seemed to instantly mesh, taking three in a row early on to take control.

Scheffler and Henley did win two holes, but by this point the match was away from them. Fitzpatrick sealed the win with a relaxed par on the 15th, claiming Europe their second full point. This was an especially significant result: not only did it show Åberg to be a young star in the making, it also helped to show Europe's depth beyond their marquee players.

Match 3: Rory McIlroy & Tommy Fleetwood defeated Collin Morikawa & Harris English, 5 & 4

This was the most one-sided match of the morning. McIlroy and Fleetwood, one of Europe's more experienced twosomes, made short work of it. McIlroy sank a birdie on the opening hole, and the floodgates were wide open. Europe was 4 up after the 6th hole, and at the turn the Americans were staring up at a mountain too steep to climb.

Morikawa, usually a reliable Foursomes companion, could not get his timing with English, playing in his first foray into this form of play. The Europeans romped to the conclusion, winning 5 & 4, and leaving their teammates in a thrilled dither. For Europe, this was exactly the type of leadership show one would have come to anticipate from McIlroy, the pulse of their Ryder Cup team.

Match 4: Xander Schauffele & Patrick Cantlay beat Viktor Hovland & Robert MacIntyre, 2 UP

Just when it appeared that Europe would take control of the morning session, Schauffele and Cantlay stepped up for the Americans. Their friendship, built through years of competing together in both Presidents and Ryder Cups, came in handy. They established a 3-up lead through 11 holes, but Hovland and MacIntyre fought back, squared the match by the 15th.

Under humongous pressure on their shoulders, the American pair came through. A see-saving par at 17 gained them the lead again, and Cantlay buried a pivotal birdie at 18 to take a key point. Even if the U.S. was still trailing 3–1, this victory prevented a total European sweep and gave the home team something to play for.

Morning Session Score: Europe 3, USA 1

This was history to Team Europe. Achieving the opening three Foursomes wins on American soil was unprecedented, and it demonstrated just how dangerous they can be when the pairings fit.

Friday Afternoon Four-Ball Preview:

The Four-ball in the afternoon session offered the potential for a very different mood. In this, each of the four players plays his own ball, with only the best score of each team counting. This is a format that invites boldness, audacity, and individual brilliance—qualities the American team prides itself on.

The combinations were:

Match 5 (12:25 p.m.) – Scottie Scheffler / J.J. Spaun (USA) vs. Jon Rahm / Sepp Straka (Europe)

Match 6 (12:41 p.m.) – Ben Griffin / Bryson DeChambeau (USA) vs. Tommy Fleetwood / Justin Rose (Europe)

Match 7 (12:57 p.m.) – Cameron Young / Justin Thomas (USA) vs. Ludvig Åberg / Rasmus Højgaard (Europe)

Match 8 (1:13 p.m.) – Sam Burns / Patrick Cantlay (USA) vs. Rory McIlroy / Shane Lowry (Europe)

For America, this session was a golden chance. Four-ball allows their biggest hitters and best putters to be at liberty to shine without alternate shot pressure. Guys like DeChambeau, who like to shine in the spotlight, and Thomas, their go-to player, were poised to make a statement.

For Europe, the challenge was how to sustain momentum. Captain Luke Donald opted to rotate and experiment with his lineup, opening up a chance for new faces like Rasmus Højgaard and Sepp Straka to contribute. With McIlroy and Rose as consistent anchors during the afternoon foursomes, Europe's task was to build on their lead and prevent America from making a comeback.

Atmosphere and Captain's Perspective:

Bethpage Black is considered to be one of the toughest, most challenging courses on the U.S. mainland. The partisan and sometimes hostile audience was always going to be a factor. For much of the morning, however, the European players were able to quiet the cacophony by sinking pressure clutch shots.

Captain Luke Donald praised the calmness of his team, noting the rapport in his combinations. "We knew it would be difficult out here, but the lads embraced the challenge," he said.

Keegan Bradley, on the other hand, embraced the anger of being behind early. However, he remained upbeat. "The Ryder Cup is never won on Friday morning," Bradley stated. "We've got heaps of golf remaining, and I have faith in our guys.".

Key Takeaways from Day One (So Far)

Pressure on U.S. Stars: Scheffler and Thomas, among others, will be under tremendous pressure following morning losses.

Momentum vs. Crowd: Europe's resilience against the daunting environment might prove to be the turning point in the long term.

Four-ball Is Key: The afternoon contests quite possibly will determine if this Ryder Cup remains tight or gets away from the Americans in a hurry.

Conclusion:

Day one of the Ryder Cup started on a positive note for America, but soon it was Europe who captured the headlines. Taking three of the first four encounters, the visitors not only gained an early advantage but also created history in the land of their hosts. Yet, with the afternoon Four-ball session pending, the drama was yet to be over. If the Americans could stage a turnaround, the match would still be level-pegging heading into the weekend. One thing is certain: the Ryder Cup again brought drama, emotion, and lifetime memories from the opening tee shot.