After an excellent first day for Europe, Ben Coley looks at a crucial Saturday foursomes session as they look to press home their Ryder Cup advantage.
Golf betting tips: Ryder Cup day two
1pt double McIlroy/Fleetwood & Scheffler/Henley at 15/8 (General)
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It was close to a dream first day for Europe, who dominated the opening foursomes and still edged to a fourballs session win despite Rory McIlroy missing a golden opportunity to win the final match on Friday. In fairness to McIlroy, he was due a missed putt, and before him Sam Burns had spurned a similar chance, so a halved match was probably the right outcome.
It's no surprise then that Luke Donald sticks to the plan, picking the same foursomes pairings only shuffling the order. Keegan Bradley has made just one change, and a good one. But he'd better hope that sticking with a pairing which was widely questioned before a ball was struck pays off. Let's take a look.
DeChambeau/Young vs Aberg/Fitzpatrick (1210 BST)
Bradley's one change is to bring in Cam Young to partner with Bryson DeChambeau in a powerhouse top pairing. We know it'll be DeChambeau hitting off the first and based on some generally strong play throughout a winless day one, his drive will come to rest somewhere very close to the green, likely in the fairway, giving Young the chance to set up an opening birdie.
Young was excellent on Friday afternoon, starring in a pairing with Justin Thomas, but there are two questions for him now: can he transfer that to foursomes, and how will he fare with a more single-minded partner? Thomas played the role of hype man for Young, the sole New Yorker in the US side. What DeChambeau brings to the pairing is much more tangible, but will it make for something as effective?
Donald's most controversial decision so far wasn't particularly controversial, as he kept to the plan and benched Matt Fitzpatrick yesterday afternoon, despite the former US Open winner having been by far the best player. Had he played with Ludvig Aberg, against Young, it likely wouldn't have affected the result as the Swede didn't play well. His putter in particular was an issue and Rasmus Hojgaard outperformed him.
We do know these two work as a pairing because they were electric in downing Scottie Scheffler in the first session. If they take out DeChambeau, Fitzpatrick will have doubled his individual points tally in what's his fourth Ryder Cup, answered every question levelled at him and Donald, and struck a massive blow in Europe's quest for 14.5 points. I don't know what to expect.
Verdict: USA 2&1
Morikawa/English vs McIlroy/Fleetwood (1226 BST)
Match three in the first session is now the second match of this one and, to be frank, this is where criticism of Bradley's captaincy could get pretty serious. We knew on Thursday that this US pairing was ranked 132nd of 132 by DataGolf, yet Bradley has his own numbers men and evidently they felt differently. He has backed them, despite Collin Morikawa and Harris English suffering a thumping defeat.
Now, it should be said that any US pairing, even the most efficient, would've struggled to contain Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood, who produced an outward 30. Yes, Bethpage was a timid version of itself, but that's still phenomenal golf. They're now 3-0-0 as a pairing and while McIlroy will have been disappointed not to win his second match, when separated they both still delivered.
On that form, there's no other outcome here than a European win and a heavy one, too. We have to allow for the fact that golf is inherently volatile and that these remain two world-class US golfers. We have to accept too that McIlroy and/or Fleetwood could drop off considerably from the irresistible stuff they produced at times on Friday.
Even doing so, that leads to the idea of a potentially tighter match, but how exactly are we meant to escape the conclusion that this so far flawless European duo will find a way to win regardless?
Verdict: Europe 4&2
Europe win the first two sessions of an away match for the first time since 2004 🇪🇺 |
— Ryder Cup Europe (@RyderCupEurope)
Schauffele/Cantlay vs Rahm/Hatton (1242 BST)
Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay got back to winning ways together to help USA avoid a whitewash on Friday morning, but they had some help. Robert MacIntyre blamed himself for not reacting better to having to stop mid-swing when someone yelled out on the 17th tee, going on to miss the green as Europe made bogey to go one down. Viktor Hovland then sprayed a wild drive as they bogeyed 18, too.
In other words, the US duo were in the end handed the match after Europe had fought back from three down to draw level. Still, Schauffele played reasonably well on his first start in six or seven weeks and Cantlay went on to match McIlroy shot-for-shot in the afternoon, so with improvement to come from the former they won't be easy to beat.
Much depends then on which version of this likeable Jon Rahm/Tyrrell Hatton pairing turns up. Over the first six holes of Friday morning they were both poor, Rahm especially, but two fortunate breaks and the discovery of their swings turned the match around and by the end of it, they were electric. Rahm went on to take out Scheffler almost on his own in the fourballs, too.
Based on that you'd have to make them marginal favourites, but I have a lot of respect for Cantlay's ability to make putts he's been missing all year long when he dons USA colours. He and Schauffele may need to drive the ball better but if they do, this could go the distance.
Verdict: Match halved
Henley/Scheffler vs MacIntyre/Hovland (1258 BST)
What to make of Scottie Scheffler's performance so far. He was undeniably hamstrung by Russell Henley and his lack of firepower on Friday morning, to the extent that I'm surprised Bradley trots them out again. In a purely numbers sense, Scheffler ranked third of eight US players in that session, then fourth in the afternoon, so it was not a disastrous performance. But it wasn't exactly the Scheffler we know, either.
One thing I would say is that by the end of the fourballs, his putter had come to life. It was too little, too late, but it raises hope that the best player in the world might have woken up and given that he's landed probably the best draw possible, hopes of him rescuing my outright preview are not lost given that he's only one point behind in the top USA charts.
MacIntyre was upset not to finish stronger as he and Hovland were the only two Europeans to lose on Friday morning but it was Hovland's performance that was most disappointing. Most troublingly, neither of them hit the ball well (both inferior to Henley and Scheffler), and so while Henley's presence makes the US vulnerable, it will require an improved European display to beat them.
Surely, Scheffler gets off the mark at the third time of asking. If he doesn't, the US may have a mountain to climb.
Verdict: USA 3&2
Posted at 0735 BST on 27/09/25
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