Ryder Cup live blog: Updates, scores, highlights and more from Friday at Whistling Straits
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Welcome, finally, to the opening day of the Ryder Cup. The 43rd playing of the event begins at 8:05 a.m. ET on Friday with the first of four foursomes matchups, followed by four fourballs in the afternoon. We’ll track all of the action at Whistling Straits right here, so follow along and don’t miss a shot.
Ryder Cup 2021 quick links
β Team USA roster
β Team Europe roster
β How to watch the Ryder Cup
β Get to know Whistling Straits
β Inside the Captains’ Agreement
β Staff picks to win
Ryder Cup 2021 Friday morning foursomes matchups (ET)
Match 1 (8:05 a.m.) β Jordan Spieth/Justin Thomas (USA) vs. Jon Rahm/Sergio Garcia (EUR)
Match 2 (8:21 a.m.) β Dustin Johnson/Collin Morikawa (USA) vs. Paul Casey/Viktor Hovland (EUR)
Match 3 (8:37 a.m.) β Brooks Koepka/Daniel Berger (USA) vs. Matthew Fitzpatrick/Lee Westwood (EUR)
Match 4 (8:53 a.m.) β Patrick Cantlay/Xander Schauffele (USA) vs. Rory McIlroy/Ian Poulter (EUR)
Ryder Cup 2021 Friday afternoon fourball matchups (ET)
Match 1 (1:10 p.m.) β Dustin Johnson/Xander Schauffele (USA) vs. Paul Casey/Bernd Weisberger (EUR)
Match 2 (1:26 p.m.) β Bryson DeChambeau/Scottie Scheffler (USA) vs. Jon Rahm/Tyrrell Hatton (EUR)
Match 3 (1:42 p.m.) β Tony Finau/Harris English (USA) vs. Rory McIlroy/Shane Lowry (EUR)
Match 4 (1:58 p.m.) β Justin Thomas/Patrick Cantlay (USA) vs. Tommy Fleetwood, Viktor Hovland (EUR)
Ryder Cup 2021 Friday live blog: Updates, scores, highlights
All times ET. Refresh for updates.
The Friday afternoon fourball session is set, and it’s a doozy. Neither team is repeating a single pairing from the morning session, and all 12 players on each team will have been utilized by the end of Friday.
Below, check out each of the matches:
Match 1 (1:10 p.m.) β Dustin Johnson/Xander Schauffele (USA) vs. Paul Casey/Bernd Weisberger (EUR)
Match 2 (1:26 p.m.) β Bryson DeChambeau/Scottie Scheffler (USA) vs. Jon Rahm/Tyrrell Hatton (EUR)
Match 3 (1:42 p.m.) β Tony Finau/Harris English (USA) vs. Rory McIlroy/Shane Lowry (EUR)
Match 4 (1:58 p.m.) β Justin Thomas/Patrick Cantlay (USA) vs. Tommy Fleetwood, Viktor Hovland (EUR)
7:31 p.m. ET: No one’s par putt was conceded, so Fleetwood makes his, and JT drains his right after. Another tied match! USA leads 6-2. On to Saturday!
7:29 p.m. ET: Cantlay and Fleetwood hit masterful bunker shots to leave themselves shorties for par. Hovland putts next and misses his birdie attempt, setting up JT with a chance to win the match with his putt. Unfortunately, he leaves it a couple of feet short.
7:22 p.m. ET: Cantlay misses the green on the right, and will likely face a difficult lie from the bunker or fescue. Fleetwood then lost his approach in an almost identical spot. Hovland played next, and found the back fringe of the green. Finally, it’s JT’s turn. He hits the best shot of the bunch, center of the green and below the hole, and will have 20-25 feet left for birdie.
7:16 p.m. ET: The final match of the day is on the 18th hole β only the second of the day’s matches to go the distance. This will be a meaningful one when it comes to gathering momentum for Saturday’s play.
7:04 p.m.: Tyrrell Hatton drains a clutch eight-footer for birdie to scratch out a half point from Bryson DeChambeau and Scottie Sheffler. Current score: 5.5-1.5 USA.
6:54 p.m.: Justin Thomas and Patrick Cantlay climb all the way back from a 3-down-after-eight-hole deficit after Thomas eagles the 15th on a 15-foot putt.
6:42 p.m.: Tyrrell Hatton misses a 30-footer for birdie on the 17th hole, and the team of Bryson DeChambeau and Scottie Scheffler head to 18 with a 1-up lead, guaranteeing the U.S. at least a half-point.
6:19 p.m.: The U.S. wins the second point of the afternoon, as Xander Schauffele and Dustin Johnson defeat Bernd Wiesberger and Paul Casey 2 and 1.
6:15 p.m.: The U.S. wins the first point of the afternoon, as Tony Finau and Harris English defeat Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry 4 and 3.
6 p.m.: In a bizarre hole, Bryson DeChambeau rolls in a 5-footer for par, and he and Scottie Scheffler take a 1-up lead after 15 holes over Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton. Among the oddness, Rahm punched out after his drive left, only to hit Hatton on the leg. In other matches, Dustin Johnson and Xander Schauffele lead 2-up; Harris English and Tony Finau lead 4-up; and Tommy Fleetwood and Viktor Hovland lead 1-up.
5:30 p.m.: Patrick Cantlay stuffs it to 11 inches on 12, and Viktor Hovland can’t match the birdie after missing a 9-foot putt, and the European lead in this match is 1-up. In other matches, Dustin Johnson and Xander Schauffele lead Bernd Wiesberger and Paul Casey 3-up after 14 holes; Scottie Scheffler and Bryson DeChambeau are all square with Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton after 14 holes; and Harris English and Tony Finau lead Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry 4-up after 13 holes.
5 p.m.: Did you like Bryson DeChambeau’s drive on 5? After seeing partner Scottie Scheffler safely in the fairway on 13, DeChambeau opts to try to drive the 394-yard hole β and finishes in the left green side bunker, pin-high. DeChambeau and partner Scottie Scheffler would have the hole with a par.
4:55 p.m. ET: Justin Thomas provides Friday’s biggest emotional outburst. JT rolls in a 32-footer for birdie on 9, then tugs at his ear and yells to the crowd, “I can’t hear you” β with an obscenity mixed in between “can’t” and “hear.” Thomas and Patrick Cantlay are 2-down against Tommy Fleetwood and Viktor Hovland.
4:30 p.m. ET: An American birdie binge. DJ drops a 16-footer β in front of Michael Jordan β as he Xander Schauffele take a 3-up lead. Scottie Scheffler sinks a 16-footer, too, as he and Bryson DeChambeau grab a 1-up lead. And Tony Finau rolls in a 29-footer as he and Harris English take a 2-up lead. In the fourth match, Tommy Fleetwood and Viktor Hovland lead 3-up.
4:15 p.m. ET: Harris English records his first-ever Ryder Cup birdie, and he and partner Tony Finau take a 1-up lead after eight holes over Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry. In other matches, Dustin Johnson and Xander Schauffele lead 2-up over Bernd Wiesberger and Paul Casey; Scottie Scheffler and Bryson Dechambeau are all squared with Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton; and Tommy Fleetwood and Viktor Hovland lead 2-up over Justin Thomas and Patrick Cantlay.
3:55 p.m. ET: Halfway through the afternoon session and the Americans have maintained momentum. They narrowly lead in two matches with a single European flag on the board opposite them. The fourth match remains tied.
2:49 p.m. ET: Absolutely monstrous drive by Bryson DeChambeau on No. 5. He cuts the corner on the par-5 leaving himself with 72(!!) yards into the green. What an advantage his length is on this hole.
2:28 p.m. ET: Strong start to the afternoon session for the Americans. DJ and Xander hold an early 2-up lead, while JT and Cantlay hold a 1-up lead behind them. The other two matches remain tied.
2:06 p.m. ET: Xander keeps the momentum rolling for the U.S. He rolls in a long birdie at the 3rd and American red is on the board for the first time this afternoon.
1:59 p.m. ET: And they’re off! All of the fourball matches are on the course and the second session of the Ryder Cup is underway.
12:24 p.m. ET: And the Americans hang on! Brooks Koepka drains a three-footer to halve the 17th hole, closing out the morning session with a 2-and-1 win. The Americans lead 3-1 heading into afternoon fourball.
12:18 p.m. ET: Another American point is on the board! Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele close out Rory McIlroy and Ian Poulter, 5-and-3. This one was never terribly close, but Poulter/McIlroy made things interesting (as they so typically do) down the back-nine. The only difference? The iron play of Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay, which only seemed to elevate as the pressure rose. The Americans lead 2-1.
12:15 p.m. ET: Scary sequence in the Koepka/Berger vs. Fitzpatrick/Westwood pairing, as both tee shots on the Par-3 17th carry into the thick stuff right of the green. The Americans are clinging to a 2-up lead there and will face a chipping competition in an effort to close things out.
12:03 p.m. ET: Cantlay and Schauffele are now 4 up with four to play, guaranteeing at least a half point for Team USA in Match 4.
12:01 p.m. ET: A two-putt birdie for Team USA on No. 16 putts the first point on the board for the Americans, as DJ and Morikawa defeat Paul Casey and Viktor Hovland 3 and 2.
11:53 a.m. ET: JT misses, and that’s a wrap on Match 1. Europe wins the first point.
11:51 a.m. ET: Rahm is the first to putt on 17, and leaves a four-footer for par. Meanwhile, Cantlay/Schauffele tie the 13th to remain 3 up with five to play. Spieth hits an INCREDIBLE recovery to give JT a chance! If he makes and Garcia misses, it’s still game on!
11:45 a.m. ET: JT spending a long time assessing the tee shot on the par-3 17th, playing 213 yards. He and Spieth need to win the next two holes to win the match. He opts for a 5-iron, and caroms off a mound right of the green. The ball bounces into the long fescue on the left side of the green. Garcia’s shot lands safely on the green, though the putt is long. This could be the end of the first match.
11:40 a.m. ET: After Kopeka missed a mid-length birdie putt to win the hole on 14, that match remains 2 up with four to play.
11:38 a.m. ET: On 16, Spieth leaves an eagle putt to win the hole about three feet short. Garcia faced a 20-footer from just off the green to win the match, but runs it by a few feet. Thomas rolls in the birdie to keep the match alive. Now 2 down with two to play!
11:35 a.m. ET: Poulter drained his birdie putt on 12 to tie the hole. He and McIlroy are still 3 down, now with six to play.
11:31 a.m. ET: WOW! Schauffele stiffs it to tap-in range on the par-3 12th! Now McIlroy and Poulter will need to make a 6-footer to avoid going back to 4 down.
11:26 a.m. ET: Poulter and McIlroy have won another hole, clawing back to 3 down with seven left to play.
11:16 a.m. ET: And Poulter and McIlroy have won their first hole. McIlroy nearly drives the green on the short par-4 10th, Poulter pitches on and Rory makes the birdie. They are 4 down through 10.
11:06 a.m. ET: Dustin Johnson and Collin Morikawa have now won 12 and 13 to go 3 up over Paul Casey and Viktor Hovland. U.S. now leading three matches 2 up, 3 up and 5 up, and then 2 down in the first.
10:55 a.m. ET: Birdie for JT and Spieth on the par-4 13th and they are 2 down. Thomas found the fairway, Spieth pitched in close and Thomas made the putt, one hole after he barely missed another birdie that would have won a hole. Would be a huge swing for the U.S. if this group could come back.
10:44 a.m. ET: Ian Poulter just rammed a par putt to win the hole a few feet past on 8, making Rory clean it up. They tied with bogeys and are 5 down through 8 to Xander and Cantlay. Nothing going write for Rory/Ian right now.
10:30 a.m. ET: Brooks Koepka misses a 6-footer for par on 9, and his match is all tied at the turn. Meanwhile, Spieth makes a key save to tie on hole on 11, and Spieth and Thomas remain 3 down after 11.
10:10 a.m. ET: Jon Rahm makes a shorty for birdie on 10, and Rahm and Sergio are now 3 up thru 10 over Spieth and Thomas. It’s the only match Europe currently leads, as its 1 down in two others and 5 down in another.
10:03 a.m. ET: The anchor match for Europe is getting absolutely crushed right now. Xander drains a long birdie putt on 5 and Schauffele and Cantlay are now 5 up (!) after 5 holes versus McIlroy and Poulter.
9:45 a.m. ET: The U.S. grabs two wins in a matter of seconds between Johnson/Morikawa and Koepka/Berger. The Americans lead in two matches, are even in one, and trail only 1-down in the Rahm/Garcia match.
9:25 a.m. ET: Lots of early-morning leaderboard jockeying for both teams. Rahm/Garcia are even with Thomas/Spieth after making a mess of the 5th hole and Casey/Hovland have taken an early, 1-up lead over Morikawa/Johnson. Elsewhere, Koepka/Berger and Cantlay/Schauffele are up 2-up early.
9:05 a.m. ET: Rahm/Garcia might be playing the worst golf of any tandem from tee-to-green in the early going … and yet they’re the only European team with a lead, thanks in large part to the World No. 1’s UNCONSCIOUS putting. Another birdie on No. 4 puts them ahead, while Morikawa/Johnson, Koepka/Berger and Schauffele/Cantlay all cling to 1-up U.S. leads.
8:55 a.m. ET: Here comes Jonny … Rahm drains a birdie putt on No. 3 to push the Spaniards’ match back to even. Johnson/Morikawa are threatening for another birdie on No. 2, while Berger/Koepka split the first hole with Westwood/Fitzpatrick.
Score: Thomas/Spieth even with Rahm/Garcia
Johnson/Morikawa 1-up Casey/Hovland
Westwood/Fitzpatrick even with Berger/Koepka
8:35 a.m. ET: We’ve got some MOVEMENT!!! A brilliant DJ flop left Morikawa with 10 feet for birdie, who jarred the putt on his first Ryder Cup hole. On No. 2, Rahm/Garcia made a mess of a bogey, giving Thomas/Spieth an easy par and a win. Both matches have the U.S. 1-up.
8:25 a.m. ET: Match No. 2 is underway! Casey/Hovland find a quick fairway, while Morikawa/Johnson bury themselves in the rough. Back in Match 1, Justin Thomas pushed a four-foot birdie look that would have given Thomas/Spieth an early lead. All square as that match makes its way to the par-5 2nd hole.
8:05 a.m. ET: Annndddddd, we are off! Sergio Garcia finds a bunker left of the fairway and Justin Thomas knocks it down the fairway and our first group (Thomas/Spieth vs. Sergio/Rahm) is off at Whistling Straits.
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