The first day of the 45th Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black was exciting, with energetic fans, impressive shots, and a European team that was ready to compete. By the end of Friday, Europe had a strong lead of 5½–2½, marking their best start on American ground in over 20 years.

Morning Foursomes: Europe Takes Charge

The first round of foursomes set a strong mood for the day. The European pairs looked focused and worked well together, winning three out of four matches.

Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood easily beat Collin Morikawa and Harris English with a score of 5&4, showing great teamwork and skill.

Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton won a close match against Bryson DeChambeau and Justin Thomas.

Ludvig Åberg and Matt Fitzpatrick played fearlessly in their first Ryder Cup, overcoming Scottie Scheffler and Russell Henley.

The American team only earned one point in the morning, leaving their fans in New York feeling restless and unexpectedly quiet.

Afternoon Four-Balls: Europe Grows Their Lead

The U. S. was hoping for a strong comeback in the afternoon, but Europe wouldn’t let them gain any confidence.

Rahm and Sepp Straka secured an important victory over Scheffler and J. J. Spaun, giving the world number 1 his second loss of the day.

Thomas and Cameron Young provided the sole bright moment for the Americans, winning decisively against Åberg and Nicolai Højgaard with a score of 6&5.

McIlroy and Shane Lowry fought hard against Patrick Cantlay and Sam Burns, reaching the 18th hole where they managed to grab a tough half-point.

By the end of the day, the score was Europe 5.5 – USA 2.5, giving Luke Donald’s team an advantage going into Saturday.

Why Europe Worked Well Together

Good teamwork: Donald’s team pairings looked smooth, with experienced players like McIlroy and confident newcomers like Åberg.

Keeping the energy: Europe started strong and maintained the pressure, not allowing the American fans to change the vibe.

Staying calm: Even the new players kept their cool, especially in matches that went to the end.

American Struggles

For Keegan Bradley’s U. S. team, Day One was very frustrating:

Scottie Scheffler struggled: Even though he is number 1 in the world, he finished the day without any wins after two matches.

Pairings didn’t work well: Some teams didn’t connect, especially DeChambeau/Thomas and Morikawa/English.

Pressure from home: With fans hoping for an early victory, the expectations seemed to make American players tense rather than relaxed.

What’s Next

With 14.5 points needed to win and Europe only needing 14 to keep the Cup, the U. S. is already feeling the heat. Saturday will be crucial with another round of foursomes and four-balls. If the U. S. can’t change the flow, Sunday’s singles matches might be a tough challenge.

For now, Europe has made their mark on American soil, proving that confidence, teamwork, and skill can quiet even the loudest crowds.