Here are recaps of the four Friday afternoon fourball matches at Bethpage Black:
Jon Rahm/Sepp Straka (Europe) def. Scottie Scheffler/J.J. Spaun, 3 and 2
A nightmare is now playing out for the Americans as their world No. 1, Scheffler, is 0-2 and can’t seem to buy a putt. For the second straight session, the U.S. won the first hole of the first match, with Spaun rolling in a short birdie, but then it was all Europe in this one.
Straka tied the match by chipping in for birdie at the par-4 second, and Rahm did most of the rest. The Spaniard holed a 16-footer for birdie to win No. 3, a 17-footer for birdie to claim No. 8, and a 9-footer for birdie to take No. 11 and give his side a 3-up advantage. Meanwhile, Scheffler didn’t make anything longer than 22 inches until the par-4 15th hole – he went 18 straight holes not holing anything more than that. He didn’t card his first birdie until the par-5 13th. But even when he finally got a 23-footer for birdie to fall at No. 15, Rahm canceled him out with a 20-foot make to tie the hole.
The shot of this match was a 30-foot birdie bomb by Straka at No. 14, though Spaun poured a 9-footer on top to tie that hole. Straka ended the match with a 6-foot birdie make at the par-4 16th, which matched a Scheffler birdie from similar distance.
The European victory moved to Rahm to 2-0 in as many sessions. He’s now 8-3-3 for his career and hasn’t lost in team play since 2018.
Scheffler is now 1-4-2 in team play, and per Justin Ray, he’s the first world No. 1 to go winless in two Friday matches since Tiger Woods in 2002.
Cameron Young/Justin Thomas (U.S.) def. Ludvig Åberg/Rasmus Hojgaard, 6 and 5
If there was a bright spot Friday afternoon, it was Thomas overcoming being the worst statistical player in foursomes to earn a big point alongside Young, who sat the morning session.
After Thomas traded birdies with Hojgaard at No. 1, Young put the Americans ahead with a 21-foot birdie make at the par-4 second. Thomas stuck his approach to 6 feet at the par-4 fifth and rolled in the putt for a 2-up lead. And after Young made a 6-foot birdie of his own, at No. 9, Thomas canned a birdie from 7 feet at the par-4 12th to push his side to 4 up.
Young polished things off by flushing a 3-wood 293 yards to 15 feet and cozying his eagle putt to gimme range. The Americans shot 8 under in 13 holes.
“I really just sat back and watched the show,” Thomas said of Young.
Åberg is now 3-3 in his Ryder Cup career, though all three of his wins have come in foursomes.
