Can you feel it? Because ready or not, it’s finally here. On Friday morning, the curtain will once again raise on one of golf’s great stages, the Ryder Cup, some 1,088 days after its last iteration.
The hype surrounding this year’s event can’t be overstated, particularly after the pandemic forced it into an unexpected one-year postponement. The Americans enter the event losers of four in their last five Ryder Cups, with an untested group of upstarts looking to unseat the power-broker Europeans, who enter with a bevy of match play experience.
The Americans and Europeans will kick things off from Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wis. shortly after 8 a.m. ET with four foursomes (or alternate shot) matches, and will end the day with four more four-ball matches in the afternoon. Below, find the biggest storyline to watch out for in each of the first four matches before tuning into Golf Channel (or Peacock, for streamers) when the action begins Friday morning.
The Matches
Match 1 (8:05 a.m. ET): Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth vs. Jon Rahm and Sergio Garcia
Match 2 (8:21 a.m. ET): Dustin Johnson and Collin Morikawa vs. Paul Casey and Viktor Hovland
Match 3 (8:37 a.m. ET): Brooks Koepka and Daniel Berger vs. Lee Westwood and Matt Fitzpatrick
Match 4 (8:53 a.m. ET): Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele vs. Rory McIlroy and Ian Poulter
1) Homegrown
It’s hard to think of a better opening match for Ryder Cup action than the one golf fans are going to receive on Friday morning. Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth, who have an established history both as childhood friends and Ryder Cup teammates, look to form a rock-solid tandem for the Americans. In 2018, Thomas and Spieth were American bellcows, two of only three players who competed in all five sessions for the U.S. The two buddies combined for four of the U.S.’s 10.5 points in 2018, with Spieth finishing 3-2-0 to Thomas’ 4-1-0. It’s early to say whether either player will be leaned on in a similar capacity in 2021, but Stricker’s confidence in choosing the pair first is hard to overlook.
On the European side, Rahm and Garcia form a tandem that should give American fans nightmares on Thursday evening. The two Spaniards are a ballstriking force, and should give the shorter-hitting Spieth-Thomas pairing all they can handle off the tee.
2) Rookie/Vet
Hard to fault either Steve Stricker or Padraig Harrington for pairing their high-profile rookies with established veterans. For the Europeans, Viktor Hovland has all the shotmaking talent to make life miserable on his opponents, while Casey’s steady nature and four prior Ryder Cups should go a long way in easing his early nerves.
The Ryder Cup 1st tee is nervy, but the walk there might be even worse
Across the bow, Morikawa and Johnson enter the tournament on down streaks after long seasons, but the Official World Golf Ranking tells us the 24-year-old rookie and 37-year-old vet are the two best players on the American side. From a distance, these two are overwhelming favorites to take their match. But the versions Stricker gets of these two will ultimately decide the match.
3) Gentlemen vs. Floridamen
It’s difficult to think of two more likable players on the European side than Lee Westwood and Matt Fitzpatrick. Fitzpatrick is playing in his second Ryder Cup — but comes into Whistling Straits a very different player from 2018 — while Westwood is in his 11th (!!!), tying Nick Faldo for the most starts all-time.
They’ll pair up against a pair of former Florida State teammates and longtime friends: Brooks Koepka and Daniel Berger. Berger is one of six U.S. rookies in the fold at Whistling Straits, while Koepka is hoping to stave off further injury in his first competitive action since withdrawing from the Tour Championship with injury.
4) Heroes and Villains
Xander Schauffele has the unique distinction of entering his first Ryder Cup a bonafide American hero. Schauffele comes into Kohler riding high — only weeks removed from claiming gold for the U.S. at the Tokyo Olympics, and looking to make a dent in his first-ever Ryder Cup appearance. His partner, Patrick Cantlay, is fresh off his first-ever FedEx Cup after a heroic playoff win at the BMW Championship. Their opponents? Only two of Team Europe’s most-established villains.
Rory McIlroy (11-9-4) and Ian Poulter (14-6-2) have long been thorns in the Americans’ sides, and on Friday morning, they’ll once again have the opportunity to deflate one of the U.S.’s most crucial duos.