You would have to go back to 2006 for the last time Europe took the lead after the first session of a Ryder Cup. For all the talk of the Americans being hopeless at foursomes the stats paint a different picture.
For the last four home matches the Americans have gone off first with foursomes and it’s worked out very nicely for them.
In 2021, they opened up with the alternate-shot format and raced into a 3-1 lead at Whistling Straits. In 2016, under David Love III, they swept the board 4-0, while at Medinah in 2012 it finished 2-2.
When we look back to Valhalla and Paul Azinger’s stewardship in 2008 that also gave the hosts a two-point advantage.
In between at Celtic Manor (2010) and Gleneagles (2014), the Americans led after the opening session and, in Paris, it’s often forgotten how Tommy Fleetwood and Francesco Molinari averted a second successive Friday morning whitewash in the fourballs.
So, if you are a European fan, take note that the Americans will come out hot. Then throw in the ridiculous backdrop of Bethpage Black on Long Island and a (non-playing) captain in Keegan Bradley who lives and breathes the competition and you have the beginning of a good recipe to win back the Ryder Cup.
There will be a lot of this finger-in-the-air guessing games of who’s going to play when and where so, now we know the American line-up, let’s have a go at their opening Friday foursomes pairings.
1) Bryson DeChambeau and Cam Young
The ball rules for foursomes are slightly different these days as a pair doesn’t have to stick to one ball for a match.
Player 1 can use his ball on one hole and then Player 2 can use theirs on the next but obviously they then have to play alternate shot from there.
DeChambeau has been vocal about his ball preferences in recent times and his need for a ball that spins less and flies straighter and he’s recently put the Pro V1x Double Dot into play, which just happens to be the same ball that Young won the Wyndham Championship with.
Young is a rookie but that shouldn’t matter any more; he’s played in 18 Majors and is a recent winner on Tour.
He’s also the former course-record holder at Bethpage Black, shooting a 64 to win the New York Open in 2017 and there won’t be a more popular player on site all week.
And if you want some first-pairing energy then Bryson is definitely your man.
2) Scottie Scheffler and Russell Henley
Scheffler is likely to play with Henley or Sam Burns and we’ll go with the former. The pair are good friends, their wives are pals and they teamed up at the Presidents Cup last year.
There Henley was more than happy to get used to Scheffler’s ProV1 ball in Montreal – Henley uses an X – and the pair spent all week taking on others in practice.
Given how strong Henley’s game is at the moment, he is in fifth spot on the Data Golf rankings, and on paper they should be dynamite.
We don’t need stats to understand that anyone with Scheffler is going to be quality but, if things do play out, then Henley barely misses a fairway and Scheffler’s iron game is obviously off the charts. All of which is a good start and ideal for the middle order.
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3) Sam Burns and Collin Morikawa
Burns has spent much of his time with Scheffler but he has twice teamed up with Morikawa, once in the Presidents Cup and also in the Saturday foursomes in Rome.
Both times they ended up winning; in Italy they got the better of Viktor Hovland and Ludvig Aberg which helped give the Americans the faintest bit of hope ahead of the singles.
To state the obvious, Burns putts the lights out and Morikawa’s iron game is still a key strength so, if they can make that work in New York, and give Burns the birdie putts then it seems an obvious pairing again.
4) Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele
Speaking of which these two are the most tried-and-tested pairing. Rome rather spoilt their unblemished foursomes record but they’ll likely be lining up as the anchor pairing in September.
On both foursomes occasions at Whistling Straits they were the last ones out (insert joke about Cantlay’s pace of play) and it gives Bradley lots of options for the fourballs to have a pair who won’t need a lot of guidance for the opening session.
You can almost hear the team talk now, Captain Bradley won’t even need to finish the sentence.
‘Number four, Xander and Patti… (high five and straight into game mode)’
Not playing
Which leaves Ben Griffin and his Maxfli ball to not be a hindrance and make his debut on his own terms. Likewise JJ Spaun. Then we have Harris English, who seems to favour the fourballs and preferably with a big-hitting partner, and then Justin Thomas.
You would imagine Bradley will lean on Thomas, now the most experienced player on the American side, and he’ll be down on the 1st tee on Friday morning and then out early in the fourballs to rev the crowds up even more.
Read next: Which 127 PGA Tour-win duo was the worst USA Ryder Cup pairing ever?
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Article Link: Ryder Cup predictions: Is this how Team USA will line up on Day 1?