Europe’s top golfers are hoping to make amends after a disappointing first day of action at the 2021 Ryder Cup.
On home soil at the Whistling Straits Golf Course, the Americans deservedly won the first two sessions 3-1.
Team United States stormed through the course on Friday to build up their biggest opening day lead in a Ryder Cup since 1975.
Only Spain’s Jon Rahm — the world’s highest-ranked golfer — offered noticeable resistance, scoring 1.5 points on Friday.
His compatriot, Sergio Garcia, needs one more match victory at the Ryder Cup to overtake Nick Faldo for the overall record.
Rahm and Garcia will be paired together for Saturday’s first alternate-shot foursome match up. They face Brooks Koepka and Daniel Berger, who also won their foursomes match on Friday.
Dustin Johnson, who won both his first-day matches, was paired again with Collin Morikawa for the second foursomes match against Englishmen Paul Casey and Tyrell Hatton
Two of Europe’s Ryder Cup rookies — Norway’s Victor Hovland and Austria’s Bernd Wiesberger — will then play Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth.
The final pairing pits the two more English golfers in Lee Westwood and Matthew Fitzpatrick against Team United States’ Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay.
European captain Padraig Harrington has remained optimistic that his side can turn around the scoring.
“No doubt it was a tough day,” he told reporters, “it isn’t a good start but there’s still a lot to play for.”
However, Europe has never won after scoring less than three points on the first day of a Ryder Cup, so it will take a historic comeback to salvage this year’s competition.
