Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up

Europe sweeps U.S., 4-0, in opening foursomes at Ryder Cup

McIlroy stuffs tee shot to set up European sweep
Rory McIlroy puts his tee shot on the hole on No. 17 at Marco Simone to set up the birdie that gave Europe a commanding 4-0 sweep in the opening foursomes at the Ryder Cup.

The sun was shining and the rout was on Friday morning at Marco Simone Golf Club.

Team Europe swept the foursomes session to take a commanding 4-0 lead into the afternoon fourballs, with the Americans never leading a single match. Not for one hole, not in any match.

It’s the first time Europe has blanked the Americans in the opening session of the matches (the U.S. won, 4-0, in opening foursomes in 2016 at Hazeltine).

Last week, the U.S. swept the opening session in the Solheim Cup but Europe clawed back to retain the cup with a tie. This time, however, it’s the visitors who are in a deep hole.

Here’s how the Day 1 foursomes played out in Italy:

Match 1: Jon Rahm/Tyrrell Hatton (EUR) def. Scottie Scheffler/Sam Burns (U.S.), 4 and 3

Rahm and Hatton’s dominant victory was highlighted by the Spaniard’s near-ace at the par-3 seventh.

After the Europeans made the turn, 2 up, it looked as if the Americans would be able to pull within one at the par-4 10th. Rahm had other plans, chipping in for par from short of the green to tie the hole.

Rahm and Hatton proceeded to win the 11th and 12th holes to go 4 up and coast to the finish line to put the first point on the board for Team Europe.


Match 2: Viktor Hovland/Ludvig Aberg (EUR) def. Max Homa/Brian Harman (U.S.), 4 and 3

Hovland brought the fireworks early in this one, chipping in from just off the green at the par-4 first for birdie to take a 1-up lead.

Aberg was solid in his Ryder Cup debut, as the pair took a 3-up lead into the back nine and tacked another one on with a birdie at the par-4 14th.

Hovland ended the match at No. 15 when he splashed a greenside bunker shot to within a foot for a conceded par and another point for the Euros.


Match 3: Shane Lowry/Sepp Straka (EUR) def. Collin Morikawa/Rickie Fowler (U.S.), 2 and 1

This was never as close as the score would indicate.

Lowry and Straka were 4 up through nine holes and the U.S. could get no closer than 2 down on the back nine. The big fellas closed it out with a routine par at the 16th, putting Europe up, 3-0, with one match left in the session.


Match 4: Rory McIlroy/Tommy Fleetwood (EUR) def. Xander Schauffele/Patrick Cantlay, 2 and 1

This was the closest of the early contests, with Europe leading, 1 up, through 14 holes. It appeared the American tandem would draw all square at the 15th, with the Euros out of position, but Fleetwood rolled in a 20-footer for par and Schauffele followed by missing a 5-footer to match.

Staked to a 2-up lead with three to play, Fleetwood hit the team’s tee shot into the bank of the green on the drivable par-4 16th, barely clearing the water. They could not get up and down, while the U.S. made birdie.

Cantlay then hit a solid tee shot on the par-3 17th, inside 20 feet. But McIlroy responded with a dart to 3 feet.

After Schauffele missed, Fleetwood rolled his in to complete the blanking.