The 2023 Ryder Cup is about to begin, and about 12 hours before play begins, Day 1 pairings and tee times are officially (and finally) out. Most remarkable is that Zach Johnson mixed it up a bit for the United States team, while Luke Donald went with some heavyweight pairs on the European side.
The surprise in the opening session of the foursomes — which begins at 1:35 a.m. ET on Friday — is that the longtime pairing of Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas will not be playing. The US superteam of previous Ryder Cups will sit out early as their teammates try to secure some points at the start of the 44th Ryder Cup.
On the European side, almost everyone famous played; Europe threw everything it had at the Americans in the opening session. Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton lead things off with Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood rounding out the session. And somehow, between the two groups, we also get a dream pairing of Viktor Hovland and Ludvig Aberg pairing that is legitimately terrifying.
Here’s a look at the foursomes matchups for Friday morning’s first session. Stay tuned for more takeaways from each matchup.
All time in the East
2023 Ryder Cup schedule
Day 1 — Foursomes
|
Match 1 (1:35 am) |
Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns |
Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton |
|
Match 2 (1:50 am) |
Max Homa and Brian Harman |
Viktor Hovland and Ludvig Aberg |
|
Match 3 (2:05 am) |
Rickie Fowler and Collin Morikawa |
Sepp Straka and Shane Lowry |
|
Match 4 (2:20 am) |
Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele |
Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood |
Match 1 — Scheffler & Burns vs. Rahm & Hatton: It is expected that these Americans will play together because they did so much in last year’s Presidents Cup, although mostly unsuccessfully, including an 0-2 record in foursomes. However, Scheffler is the No. 1 player in the world and ended the last Ryder Cup in the same way he had hoped. GETTING this: by beating Rahm. Pairing the easy-going Rahm and the even-more-easy Hatton together is a treat for those watching but also not without precedent. The duo played at Whistling Straits, splitting a four-ball match on Friday afternoon. Rahm is a great foil for Scheffler and the guy you want to lead on Friday morning as Marco Simone starts to rock. Forecast: Europe
Match 2 — Homa & Harman vs. Hovland & Aberg: The American pairing isn’t shocking but it’s a bit surprising. However, it can work. Harman’s short game is magic, and both players are incredibly consistent from tee to green. It’s not hard to see them putting together a bogey-free round, but the question is whether that will be enough against the nuclear European duo. The two Scandinavians are the most interesting and entertaining pair to come out of the foursomes. It’s hard to overstate how good they are off the tee — two of the four best drivers in the world in the last six months — at Marco Simone’s disposal. This matchup, to me, is the most intriguing of Day 1 because almost anything can happen. Prediction: United States (upset)
Match 3 — Fowler & Morikawa vs. Straka & Lowry: These are surprise pairings for each side. Fowler and Morikawa have very similar games as they are both very good iron players who don’t get many strokes off the tee. For some reason, I didn’t see this duo coming, even though they played on Tuesday and Thursday in the practice rounds. However, they also represent the only favorite US side because of who they are up against. Most believe that Justin Rose and Matt Fitzpatrick are set for a foursomes pairing, and that makes sense on paper. However, it is also believed that Straka will play foursomes, and Lowry is obviously a natural fit. I wasn’t sure what to expect. Straka is boom or bust but comfortable with the format. Lowry has been down a bit this year but has been playing better of late. He has only played four balls at Whistling Straits, so this is his first foray into this format. Both guys are flushers with their irons, though, and these are probably the best four iron players across the board. Forecast: United States (close)
Match 4 — Cantlay & Schauffele vs. McIlroy & Fleetwood: To no one’s surprise, Cantlay & Schauffele were the goods for the Americans. They won both their foursomes at Whistling Straits and are a complete lock to play in this first session. Their story is a high floor but a (relatively) low ceiling, which couldn’t be more perfect for foursomes where you need par after par after par with a few birdies sprinkled in. McIlroy & Fleetwood is an interesting pair. The two are kind of looking around for new partners after Fleetwood didn’t work with Hovland and Ian Poulter (Rory’s old partner) didn’t make this Ryder Cup team. The combination can be terrifying. McIlroy was clearly elite off the tee, but Fleetwood mostly returned to his form there as well. Both are very strong iron players and will probably play four balls together because of the number of birdies they can make as a duo. Forecast: Europe
The big surprise: As for why Spieth and Thomas are sitting out, you can point to their 2-2 foursomes record versus their 2-0 four-ball record in Ryder Cups as a possible reason. However, it is surprising not to see both names early for the American side.
“Well, the gist of it is we have 12 guys,” said US captain Zach Johnson. “Unfortunately, I can’t play all 12 every session. So, at some point, someone has to sit down. This is a golf course that requires a lot from you physically.
“It’s an ideal situation where you don’t want to play everything in all five sessions. I’m not saying that’s what we’re going to do, but you take everything into account. Not only that, but the eight guys are there I on paper is what we feel best puts us in a position to get off to a good start obviously.”
This is likely to be a data-heavy decision as the numbers are likely to drive this pairing to four balls in the afternoon. It makes sense, and it’s good to see some actual foresight and planning going on given how much everyone has complained about the lack of it in the last few Ryder Cups for the US in Europe. It’s weird, absolutely, but the Americans are trying to win the week, not the session. That’s important, and it’s something to keep in mind as the Ryder Cup gets underway on Friday morning.
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