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Ryder Cup Recap: Day One

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7 years ago

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It seems obvious that team USA has elected to return to the original spirit of the Ryder Cup team matches; that of an exhibition. How else to explain the generosity it showed in tossing four matches away in Friday’s afternoon session, after jumping out to a 3-1 lead over Europe? After all, seizing a 6-2 or 7-1 advantage would have meant that the Yanks actually cared to win this competition. How do I know all this? Well for starters, look at the margin of defeat in each of those foursomes (alternate shot) matches: 16th green, 16th green, 14th green, 14th green. Those are not razor-thin margins, readers. As always, there is more to the story, so let’s have a look at our day one Ryder Cup Recap.

Morning Four-balls

Things looked quite nice for the western hemisphere after 54 holes of golf in the better-ball competition. The teams of Finau-Koepka and Thomas-Spieth eeked out 1-up wins over Rose-Rahm and Casey-Hatton, respectively. The side of Johnson-Fowler was strong in a 4 & 2 win over McIlroy and Olesen. Unfortunately for the visitors, the tide began to turn as the Tiger Curse continued. With what seemed like his 400th losing partner, Tiger and Patrick Reed went down to defeat, at the hands of the Frank-and-Tommy Show. Molinari and Fleetwood dusted the heavily-favored Americans by a 3 & 1 margin.

The Ryder Cup rarely sees team play catch legitimate fire. Typical rounds are a back-and-forth affair, and this was the case with all four morning matches. Each time that Rose and Rahm appeared poised to leaver Finau-Koepka in their wake, the Americans found a way to bounce back. Buoyed by this tenacity, the Americans won three of the final six holes to escape with a win. Their success included the epitome of “hand of fate” for Finau. Have a look below:

In the day’s second match, little happened until the turn, when Europe won its only hole of the McIlroy-Olesen era. Anticipate this being the beginning and the end of said partnership. Johnson and Fowler won five of the next eight holes, rendering the final two fairways inconsequential. Fowler’s putter was hot in the morning session, as evidenced by this long-range effort:

Match three offered the return of Paul Casey to RC competition. Casey and countryman Tyrrell Hatton battled back with zeal after falling behind by three holes on the outward half. The English duo snatch holes 11 through 13 from Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth to square the match. Only one of the final five holes would be won outright, and it would be enough to give the American pair the winner’s point. It’s not yet Sunday, so the fist pumps and chest thumps aren’t quite measuring on the Richter Scale. Still, putts like this one from Spieth will be necessary if the USA is to retain the Cup for the first time in what seems like forever:

The fourth match of the AM assembly featured Woods and Reed being McIlroy and Olesen. The pair took a 2-up lead with birdies at nine and 10. That’s it. No more. Molinari and Fleetwood stormed back with wins on five of the next seven holes. No idea where the Red, White and Blue retired, they just simply … went … away. That can’t happen again for Team USA to win. Reed is Captain America, while Woods is Captain Irony. While Reed revels in Ryder Cup atmospheres, Woods cannot master the method that a GOAT should have  in team competition. Maybe the secret Fleetwood squat need be adopted by the American pair, to fire up their putters.

Afternoon Foursomes

These are either palatable (winning 1.5 points) or atrocious (getting skunked) for Team USA. The reality is, it’s more of a cultural way than it is a skill. Europeans have always understood that golf A) need not be played the same way all the time; and B) can be played quickly if you take half as many shots. Foursomes is a way of life at club and courses in Europe, allowing camaraderie AND a 2-hour 18 holes of golf. Lesson that should be learned in the USA, in order to make the game more enduring and endearing. Today? 4-0 whitewashing in the afternoon hours. Welcome back to the competition, Team Europe. You can stop now and go to the European Ryder Cup Twitter feed for highlights, but we’d prefer that you read what we have to say. Let’s start with this: Rory was two different golfers on day one. In the AM, he was AWOL; in the afternoon, he was this:

Here are the afternoon numbers: 54 holes played, 27 holes won by the men in blue, 10 holes claimed by the guests in red. That’s so lopsided, it’s not worth debating. Four matches were played over the holes required for three rounds of golf. Early dinner reservations, Team Furyk? Miss your nap time? What we know is this: Bubba Watson and Webb Simpson went meekly into that good night, losing on the 16th hole to Poulter and McIlroy. Phil Mickelson and Bryson Dechambeau saw their first action and ghosted after 14 holes, at the hands of Sergio Garcia and Alex Noren. This won was particularly bad: the Euros won seven of the first nine holes. They won 1/4 of the European holes this afternoon, in a nine-hole stretch. Uggh. Yuck. Bleck. Phil was always going to be a suspicious Captain’s pick; he’s on the verge of being this year’s Lee Westwood, unless Tiger beats him to it.

Remember when Seve and Olazabal won everything in sight, and they were never separated? Same should happen with Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson. They are straight fire when paired, and it should be written in stone that they never part. They were reunited in the afternoon, and they massacred two of the morning USA heroes, Fowler and Johnston. The Olympic pair (gold and silver medalists in Rio) took a 5-up lead before the Americans even attempted a rally; it was feeble, a mere 2 holes won, and the Europeans coasted to yet another afternoon point.

Finally, Molinari and Fleetwood continued their dominant ways. They dispatched Spieth and Thomas by a 5 and 4 tally. The Euros won three out of four holes on the front, two consecutive holes at the turn, then two more in a row, midway through the homeward half and that was that.

No doubt, Europe have the home feel, so Team USA need an extra bit of effort to remain valid. Tiger and Reed MUST win tomorrow morning. Team USA must win at least 2.5 points in the morning, to narrow the two-point gap. Then, they must do no worse than 2-2 in the afternoon foursomes. Anything worse than a 10-6 deficit, heading into Sunday’s 12 singles points, will be too much to overcome for the colonial squad.

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Ronald Montesano writes for GolfWRX.com from western New York. He dabbles in coaching golf and teaching Spanish, in addition to scribbling columns on all aspects of golf, from apparel to architecture, from equipment to travel. Follow Ronald on Twitter at @buffalogolfer.

2 Comments

2 Comments

  1. Expat Golfer

    Sep 29, 2018 at 12:21 am

    Sadly I’m not the least surprised. Team USA just can’t ever seem to rise up for this great event – and honestly, I’m going into these things half cheering for Europe at this point, they’re just more fun to watch.

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  2. Tom

    Sep 28, 2018 at 10:34 pm

    Wow, the guys picked to play alternate shot was made up of several players who just can’t hit it straight on a very tight layout. What was Furyk thinking? After getting pounded will Mickelson finally apologize to Tom Watson, and sit himself out???lol that was horrible golf by the USA Team.

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Tour Rundown: Bend, but don’t break

Published

3 weeks ago

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Aug 4, 2025

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I’m going to gush in this intro paragraph, to get the emo stuff done early. I’ve not pulled harder for a professional to win, than Cameron Young. I coach golf in New York state, and each spring, my best golfers head to a state championship in Poughkeepsie. I first saw Cameron there as a 9th grade student. I saw him three more times after that. I reconnecected with Coach Haas from Wake Forest, an old interview subject from my days on the Old Gold and Black, the Wake newspaper. He was there to watch Cameron. After four years at Wake Forest, Young won on the Korn Ferry Tour, made it to the big tour, almost won two majors, almost won five other events, and finally got the chalice about 25 minutes from the Wake campus. Congratulations, Cameron. You truly are a glass of the finest. #MotherSoDear

OK, let’s move on to the Tour Rundown. The major championship season closed this week in Wales, with the Women’s Open championship. The PGA Tour bounced through Greensboror, N.C., while the PGA Tour Americas hit TO (aka, Toronto) for a long-winded event. The Korn Ferry lads made a stop in Utah, one of just two events for that tour in August. The many-events, golf season is winding down, as we ease from summer toward fall in the northern hemisphere. Let’s bask in the glory of an August sunrise, and run down a quartet of events from the first weekend of the eighth month.

LET/LPGA @ Women’s Open: Miyu bends, but she doesn’t break

Royal Porthcawl was not a known commodity in the major tournament community. The Welsh links had served as host to men’s senior opens, men’s amateurs, and Curtis and Walker Cups in prior years, but never an Open championship for the women or the men. The last-kept secret in UK golf was revealed once again to the world this week, as the best female golfers took to the sandy stage.

Mao Saigo, Grace Kim, Maja Stark, and Minjee Lee hoped to add a second major title to previous wins this season, but only Lee was able to finish inside the top ten. The 2025 playing of the Women’s Open gave us a new-faces gallery from day one. The Kordas and Thitikulls were nowhere to be found, and it was the Mayashitas, Katsus, and Lim Kims that secured the Cymru spotlight. The first round lead was held at 67 by two golfers. One of them battled to the end, while the other posted 81 on day two, and missed the cut. Sitting one shot behind was Miyu Yamashita.

On day two, Yamashita posted the round of the tournament. Her 65 moved her to the front of the aisle, in just her fourth turn around a women’s Open championship. With the pre-event favorites drifting off pace, followers narrowed into two camps: those on the side of an underdog, and others hoping for a weekend charge from back in the pack. In the end, we had a bit of both.

On Saturday, Yamashita bent with 74 on Saturday, offering rays of hope to her pursuing pack. England’s Charley Hull made a run on Sunday closing within one shot before tailing off to a T2 finish with Minami Katsu. Katsu posted the other 65 of the week, on Saturday, but could not overtake her countrywoman, Yamashita. wunderkind Lottie Woad needed one round in the 60s to find her pace, but could only must close-to’s, ending on 284 and a tie with Minjee for eighth.

On Sunday, Yamashita put away the thoughts of Saturday’s struggles, with three-under 33 on the outward half. She closed in plus-one 37, but still won by two, for a first Major and LPGA title.

PGA Tour @ Wyndham: Young gathers first title near home

Cameron Young grew up along the Hudson river, above metro New York, but he also calls Winston-Salem home. He spent four years as a student and athlete at Wake Forest University, then embarked on tour. This week in Greensboro, after a bit of a break, Young opened with 63-62, and revved the engine of Is this the week once more. Runner-up finishes at the Open, the PGA, and a handful of PGA Tour events had followers wonder when the day would come.

On Saturday, Young continued his torrid pace with 65, giving him a five-shot advantage over his closest pursuer. Sunday saw the Scarborough native open with bogey, then reel off five consecutive birdies to remind folks that his time had, at last, arrived. Pars to the 16th, before two harmless bogeys coming home, made Young the 1000th winner of an official PGA Tour event (dating back to before there was a PGA Tour) throughout history. What’s next? I have a suspicion, but I’m not letting on. Mac Meissner closed with 66 to finish solo 2nd, while Mark Hubbard and Alex Noren tied for third.

Korn Ferry Tour @ Utah Championship: Are you Suri it’s Julian?

Who knows exactly when the flower will bloom? Julian Suri played a solid careet at Duke University, then paid his dues on the world’s minor tours for three years. He won twice on two tours in Europe, in 2017. Since then, the grind has continued for the journeyman from New York city. At age 34, Suri broke through in Beehive state, outlasting another grinder (Spencer Levin) and four others, by two shots.

Taylor Montgomery began the week with 62, then posted 64, then 68, and finally, 70. That final round was his undoing. He finished in that second-place tie, two back of the leader. Trace Crowe, Barend Botha, and Kensei Hirata made up the last of the almost quintet. As for Suri, his Sunday play was sublime. His nines were 32 and 31, with his only radar blip a bogey at ten. He closed in style with one final birdie, to double his winning margin. Hogan bloomed late…might Suri?

PGA Tour Americas @ Osprey Valley Open presented by Votorantim Cimentos – CBM Aggregates

Some tournament names run longer than others. This week in Toronto, at the Heathlands course at TPC Toronto, we might have seen the longest tournament title in recorded history. The OVOPBVCCBMA was a splendid affair. It saw three rounds of 62 on Thursday, but of those early risers, only Drew Goodman would stick around until the end. 64 was the low tally on day two, and two of those legionnaires managed to finish inside the top three at week’s end. Saturday brought a 63 from Patrick Newcomb, and he would follow with 64 on Sunday, to finish solo fourth.

Who, then, ended up winning the acronym of the year? It turns out that Carson Bacha had the right stuff in TeeOhhh. Bacha and Jay Card III posted 63 and 64, respectively, on day four, to tie for medalist honors at 23-under 261. Nathan Franks was one shot adrift, despite also closing with 63. If you didn’t go low on Sunday, it was about the check, not the championship.

Bacha and JC3 returned to the 18th hole twice in overtime. Card nearly chipped in from the thick stuff for birdie, while Bacha peeked and shoved a ten-feet attempt at the win. On the second go-round, Card was long with his approach, into the native grasses once more. He was unable to escape, and a routine par from the fairway was enough to earn the former Auburn golfers a first KFT title.

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Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2025 Wyndham Championship

Published

4 weeks ago

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Jul 29, 2025

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GolfWRX is live this week from the final event of the PGA Tour’s regular season, the Wyndham Championship.

Photos are flowing into the forums from Sedgefield Country Club, where we already have a GolfWRX spirit animal Adam Schenk WITB and plenty of putters for your viewing pleasure.

Check out links to all our photos below, which we’ll continue to update as more arrive.

General Albums

WITB Albums

Pullout Albums

See what GolfWRXers are saying and join the discussion in the forums.

 

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BK’s Breakdowns: Kurt Kitayama’s Winning WITB, 3M Open

Published

4 weeks ago

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Jul 28, 2025

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Kurt Kitayama just won his 2nd PGA Tour event at the 3M Open. Kurt is a Bridgestone staffer but with just the ball and bag. Here are the rest of the clubs he used to secure a win at the 2025 3M Open.

Driver: Titleist GT3 (11 degrees, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD VF 7 TX

3-wood: Titleist GT1 3Tour (14.5 degrees, A3 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 8 TX

7-wood: Titleist GT1 (21 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 9 TX

Irons: TaylorMade P7CB (4), TaylorMade P7MB (5-PW)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100

Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (52-12F, 56-14F), Vokey Design WedgeWorks (60-K*)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400

Putter: Scotty Cameron Studio Style Newport 2 Tour Prototype
Grip: SuperStroke Zenergy 1.0PT

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet

Ball: Bridgestone Tour B XS (with Mindset)

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