Ryder Cup live blog: Updates, scores, highlights and more from Saturday at Whistling Straits
The U.S. grabbed a big lead after Day 1 at the Ryder Cup, but what will happen on Saturday?
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Day 1 of the Ryder Cup is in the books, and what did we learn? The U.S. and its rookies are in fine form, Europe has work to do, Bryson DeChambeau has been taking some crazy lines and Rory McIlroy is shockingly sitting out a session come Saturday morning. The U.S. leads 6-2 heading into the second day, but there’s no predicting what will happen next. Follow along with our live blog as the action unfolds.
Ryder Cup 2021 quick links
— Team USA roster
— Team Europe roster
— How to watch the Ryder Cup
— Get to know Whistling Straits
— Inside the Captains’ Agreement
Ryder Cup 2021 Saturday afternoon fourball matchups (ET)
Match 1 (1:26 p.m.) — Tony Finau/Harris English (USA) vs. Shane Lowry/Tyrrell Hatton (EUR)
Match 2 (1:42 p.m.) — Brooks Koepka/Jordan Spieth (USA) vs. Sergio Garcia/Jon Rahm (EUR)
Match 3 (1:58 p.m.) — Scottie Scheffler/Bryson DeChambeau (USA) vs. Tommy Fleetwood/Viktor Hovland (EUR)
Match 4 (2:14 p.m.) — Dustin Johnson/Collin Morikawa (USA) vs. Ian Poulter/Rory McIlroy (EUR)
Ryder Cup 2021 Saturday live blog: Updates, scores, highlights
All times ET. Refresh for updates.
7:22 p.m. ET: And there you have it. Hovland missed his birdie attempt to extend the match, so that makes it a 3&1 victory for DeChambeau and Scheffler, making the score heading into Sunday singles 11-5 USA — a tough mountain to climb for Europe. The Americans are 3.5 points away from victory. On to Sunday!
7:09 p.m. ET: DeChambeau and Scheffler have now won the last three holes, and are dormie, guaranteed a half point, 2 up with two to play. Now the only question is: Will it be a half or a full point?
7:06 p.m. ET: Brooks Koepka had a chance to hole a birdie putt to extend the match, but when the putt rolled by, Rahm and Garcia extended their win streak to claim the second point of the afternoon for Europe. Meanwhile, DJ and Morikawa closed out McIlroy and Poulter with a birdie on 15. That match ended 4&3. The score is now 10-5 USA, with one match remaining.
7:03 p.m. ET: Shane Lowry holed a clutch 10-footer to put the first full point on the board for Europe in the afternoon fourball. With three matches remaining, the score is now 9-4 USA.
6:50 p.m. ET: Whoa, Rahm just drained a killer 25-foot slider for birdie to win the 16th hole. Team Europe is now dormie, 2 up with two to play. Spieth and Koepka in danger of being closed out on 17.
6:46 p.m. ET: BOOM! Scottie Scheffler!!! Scheffler drains a solid birdie putt on 15 to pull 1 up on Fleetwood and Hovland with three to play.
6:40 p.m. ET: The first match of the day is heading to the 18th hole, and Team Europe (Lowry/Hatton, 1 up) is guaranteed at least a half point. Finau and English need to win the hole to salvage a half point.
6:30 p.m. ET: A DeChambeau birdie on the par-4 14th brings that match back to even with four holes to play.
6:23 p.m. ET: Rahm drains a six-footer and Spieth misses a similar-length putt ON No. 15. Rahm/Garcia are now 1 up with three to play, and Europe holds a 1 up lead in three of the four matches.
6:10 p.m. ET: We’re getting down to the nitty-gritty folks. Finau/English are 1 down with three to play. DeChambeau and Scheffler are 1 down with five to play. Koepka and Spieth are tied with four to play, and DJ/Morikawa remain 3 up with six to play.
5:44 p.m. ET: Hatton drains a HUGE 33-footer to avoid losing the 14th hole. He and Lowry remain 1 up with four to play. Meanwhile, Koepka sank a clutch birdie putt to bring that match all the way from 3 down to a tie heading into No. 14.
5:25 p.m. ET: A DeChambeau birdie on 10 brings that match back to tied. Meanwhile, Finau and Harris finally won their first hole of the day with a birdie on 13, cutting their deficit to 1 down.
5:03 p.m. ET: A Brooks Koepka birdie on No. 10 cuts the Rahm/Garcia lead to 1 up. Meanwhile, Finau/Harris is now 2 down to Lowry/Hatton after a Hatton birdie on 11. Meanwhile, Scheffler and DeChambeau lost two straight to go 1 down to Fleetwood/Hovland, and DJ/Morikawa has now won three straight to go 3 up through 8.
4:32 p.m. ET: Another birdie on the par-3 7th puts DJ/Morikawa 2 up.
4:20 p.m. ET: Here comes some U.S. momentum! Both Koepka and Spieth had makeable birdie looks on No. 8, and Koepka drained his to shave one off the European lead. They’re now 2 down heading to No. 9. And Scheffler sank a clutch par on the par-3 7th to pull 1 up on the Europeans. Finally, Morikawa dropped an eagle 2 on the par-4 6th to go 1 up on McIlroy/Poulter. Meanwhile, all quiet on the Finau/Harris front. They’re 1 down and have yet to win a hole through 9.Let’s go!
3:55 p.m. ET: Poulter and McIlroy just got one back on DJ and Morikawa with a birdie on 5, so Europe now leads two and two matches are tied. And Spieth and Kopeka are in trouble, now 3 down through 7.
3:45 p.m. ET: A DeChambeau birdie on the par-5 5th brings that match back to a tie. Quick leaderboard update is below:
3:25 p.m. ET: Tensions running a little hot in the Rahm match on No. 5. There was some disagreement about where Rahm was going to take a drop after hitting it in the water and some heated words were spoken between Rahm’s caddie and Spieth. All since defused, the hole was tied. Europe still leads that one 2 up. Meanwhile, Lowry and Hatton are still 1 up through 6, Fleetwood and Hovland are 1 up through 4, and DJ and Morikawa are holding down Team USA’s only lead, 1 up through 3.
2:59 p.m. ET: Rahm drops a bomb for birdie on No. 4 to go 2 up on Koepka/Spieth.
2:51 p.m.: Fleetwood and Hovland go 1 up through 3 on Scheffler and DeChambeau. Rahm and Garcia win with a par on No. 3 to go 1 up, and Lowry and Hatton remain 1 up through four. That’s three early European leads thus far. Johnson and Morikawa won the 2nd to go 1 up on Poulter and McIlroy.
2:28 p.m. ET: Three of the four matches are currently tied, after Spieth eagled No. 2 to get one back on the Europeans. Menawhile, Lowry birdied the par-3 2nd to go 1 up — the lone European lead at this point.
1:57 p.m. ET: Europe takes the first lead of the afternoon, with Garcia and Rahm going 1 up on Koepka and Spieth with a Rahm birdie on No. 1. The Finau/Harris match remains tied through 2.
1:45 p.m. ET: Here we go! Team USA is 5.5 points from claiming the Ryder Cup, so Europe needs to have a HUGE showing this afternoon in order to get back in the game. Match 1, featuring Finau and Harris versus Lowry and Hatton, tied the opening hole with birdies.
1:13 p.m.: Afternoon fourball tee times have been announced, and they are as follows:
12:48 p.m.: And that’s it! A third consecutive 3-1 session win for the Americans after Spieth/Thomas and Schauffele/Cantlay close out simultaneously on the 17th and 18th holes. The U.S. leads 9-3 after three sessions at the Ryder Cup, needing only 5.5 points to claim its third Ryder Cup this millennium. Afternoon fourball pairings should be released shortly.
12:41 p.m.: Speith and Thomas appear to be closing in on a 1-up win, lying 2 on the apron just shy of the 18th green while Wiesberger/Hovland attempt to navigate a recovery from the water. Meanwhile, Schauffele and Cantlay lead by 2 with 2 to play approaching the par-3 17th.
12:22 p.m.: The U.S. is officially surging. Morikawa/Johnson closed out the second match of the day, 2-and-1. A HUGE eagle on 16 for Thomas/Spieth puts them 2-up with two to play, while Schauffele/Cantlay poured in a birdie on 15 to put their match at 3-up with three to play.
12:11 p.m.: In the remaining three matches in the field, the Americans are trending. Cantlay/Schauffele and Johnson/Morikawa are each 2-up with only a handful to play, while Spieth/Thomas are 1-up and surging in a red-hot back-nine.
12:07 p.m.: The Euros are officially on the board! Jon Rahm and Sergio Garcia come back from 3-down after five holes to win 3-and-1 over Brooks Koepka and Daniel Berger.
11:54 a.m.: A HUGE swing in the DJ/Morikawa vs. Casey/Hatton match. After winning three of four holes to cut the match to 1-down heading into the 15th, Hatton pulls his six-footer for par. DJ drains his, sending the Americans back into the driver’s seat at 2-up with three to go.
11:43 a.m.: A scoreboard update as the morning foursomes groups turn toward the home stretch. Huge drama set to unfold in the next hour.
11:30 a.m.: A rules situation developing in the Koepka/Berger match, which is back to 1-down. Koepka held an EXTENDED conversation with rules officials seeking relief for a ball trapped in a patch of grass with a drain nearby. Eventually, a handful of officials agreed the lie didn’t justify a drop — news that came much to Koepka’s chagrin, as he continues to rehab from a wrist injury suffered at the Tour Championship earlier this month. Eventually, Koepka got his team out of the area unscathed, and halved the hole.
10:59 a.m.: The fun continues back in Match 4, where Cantlay/Schauffele just nabbed a 1-up lead after rolling a long birdie putt. Up ahead, Rahm/Garcia move to 2-up over Koepka/Berger, adding cushion to the Europeans’ only lead of the morning session.
10:52 a.m.: Things are getting SPICY in the Thomas/Spieth Wiesberger/Hovland group, which is all even after Spieth deposited a 25-footer for birdie to win the 10th. Tensions started rising with Thomas’ emphatic celebration after a birdie putt to cut the match to 2-down. Then, on the next green, JT took exception to Hovland/Wiesberger’s lacking concession on a two-footer — contesting it by holding his putter to show his ball was “in the leather” after hitting the putt.
10:47 a.m.: The Spaniards finally break through thanks to a 10-foot make from Garcia on the 12th. Rahm/Garcia grabs a 1-up lead in the first match of the morning. At roughly the halfway point of the morning foursomes sessions, the Euros lead in 2 matches (Rahm/Garcia and Hovland/Wiesberger), are tied in 1 and trail in 1.
10:41 a.m.: After a 6-foot miss from Hovland on the 9th, the Spieth/Thomas comeback is nearly complete. The Americans are only 1-down in that match heading into the back-nine after jumping out to a quick, 3-hole deficit.
10:30 a.m.: Are you kidding me, Xander? Schauffele rolls in a 30-footer for birdie to give the Americans the hole and bring the match back to even. Europeans are up in 1 match, even in two and trailing in one.
10:25 a.m.: Rahm/Garcia have Koepka/Berger on the run, but the Americans aren’t letting up easily. After a Garcia chip left a conceded par, Koepka jarred a 25-footer to halve the hole and keep the match even through 10.
10:10 a.m.: Momentum is shifting. The Europeans now lead in two matches, and are tied in another. Westwood/Fitzpatrick and Wiesberger/Hovland both lead (1-up and 2-up respectively), while Rahm/Garcia have climbed all the way back from 3-down to bring the match back to even at the turn. Look out!
10:03 a.m.: Here come the Spaniards! They were down BIG early to Koepka/Berger, but have clawed back to cut the deficit to one. Elsewhere, Johnson/Morikawa and Hovland/Wiesberger are 3-up each, while Cantlay/Schauffele and Westwood/Fitzpatrick are all square through two.
9:33 a.m.: Rahm and Sergio not going away. After losing the 5th hole they come back and win the 6th and are still 2 down.
9:21 a.m.: Early update:
9:15 a.m.: A little life for Europe. Wiesberger and Hovland 2 up after three and the first two groups off both won the 4th holes to cut the deficits to 2 down.
9:00 a.m.: Morikawa gave Casey/Hatton a break when he missed the green short on the par-3 3rd, but Casey missed left (a much worse miss) and then Dustin Johnson chipped in for birdie. All U.S. right now.
8:58 a.m.: All four groups are on the course now as Patrick Cantlay/Xander Schauffele vs. Lee Westwood/Matthew Fitzpatrick just teed off. And Europe already has lots of work to do 3 down in two matches.
8:50 a.m.: Morikawa makes birdie on 2 after DJ had a nice chip from off the green, and they go 2 up. In the group behind, Europe has its first won hole of the day. Hovland wedged it close and Wiesberger rolled in the putt.
8:45: Berger and Koepka now 3 up (!) after three holes. Sergio misses the par-3 3rd green left — it’s not good down there — and Rahm hits it back on the green but it runs off. Sergio can’t chip in, and then Koepka rolls a birdie putt to tap-in range for an easy par and another hole won.
8:37 a.m.: Match 3 is now off and running too. Jordan Spieth/Justin Thomas vs. Viktor Hovland/Bernd Wiesberger. Wiesberger hits the fairway and Thomas finds the right rough.
8:32 a.m.: Not the start Europe and captain Padraig Harrington needed today. Berger and Koepka two-putt for birdie on the par-5 2nd and win the hole to go 2 up in their match, and back on the first hole, Dustin Johnson wedges it close and Morikawa makes the birdie putt to win that hole. So far, three holes played, three U.S. holes won.
8:23 a.m.: The second match is on the course now too. It’s Dustin Johnson/Collin Morikawa vs. Paul Casey/Tyrrell Hatton. Casey leads it off and finds the right rough (but not too bad) on 1, while Morikawa hits in the first cut bordering the left side of the fairway.
8:17 a.m.: Rahm hits over the green from the bunker, then Sergio chips on and leaves about six feet for par, but it doesn’t matter since Berger rolls in his birdie putt after Koepka wedged it close to about seven feet. Early 1 up lead for the U.S.
8:07 a.m.: And Day 2 is off and running! Sergio Garcia and Jon Rahm kick things off against Brooks Koepka and Daniel Berger in what will be a crucial Saturday. Garcia pulls his drive left, while Berger finds the fairway.
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