Ryder Cup 2025 live updates: European players come up big in building surprising edge after Day 1
Justin Rose celebrates winning his afternoon fourball match alongside Tommy Fleetwood against Bryson DeChambeau and J.J. Spaun.
Carl Recine
The U.S. team is fighting European confidence and statistical reality after falling behind by three points on the first day of the 45th Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black.
Europe put 2½ more points on the board in afternoon fourball on Friday after earning three of four points in the morning foursomes session to take a 5½-2½ advantage, and the odds are now very much on the visitors’ side in their attempt to retain the Cup and win on American soil for the first time in 13 years.
As noted by the Elias Sports Bureau, the Europeans have won each of the last six Ryder Cups in which they had a lead at the end of Day 1. The last time they didn’t close it out was in 1999 in the big American comeback at The Country Club.
On that occasion, Europe led 6-2 after the opening sessions, and it nearly achieved that this time, only for Rory McIlroy to miss a birdie putt at the 18th (after Sam Burns also missed) for the day’s final match to be halved.
Another concerning fact: Since the Ryder Cup went to a 28-point format in 1977, only one team has overcome a 5½-2½ deficit (or worse), and that is the ’99 U.S. squad.
“We’ve only played for 28 percent of the points,” U.S. captain Keegan Bradley reasoned when play was done. “It’s the first quarter. We’ve still got three quarters to go. I got a lot of faith in my boys.”
Said European captain Luke Donald, who is seeking his second straight win at the helm: “To win this morning was huge for us. We all know how important it is to get off to a good start. We knew how strong the U.S. were in foursomes, so 3-1 was a great start.”
The biggest winners on the day were Tommy Fleetwood and Jon Rahm, who each went 2-0 for Europe, while McIlroy was 1-0-1. The disappointing results on the American side were headlined by World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and Bryson DeChambeau each suffering two losses with different partners.
The U.S. got its two full points from Cantlay and Xander Schauffele in foursomes, and from Justin Thomas and Ryder Cup rookie Cameron Young blowing out Ludvig Aberg and Rasmus Hojgaard 6 and 5.
(Scroll down for the latest Ryder Cup 2025 live updates from our crew. Newest items at the top.)
6:14 p.m.: Thouands of fans surrounding the 18th hole at Bethpage Black. The sun setting on a long, long hike. An incredible stage was set for American Sam Burns or European star Rory McIlroy to put an exclamation point—one way or another—on a tense day. They both had birdie putts to deliver a critical full point for their team. But a potential explosion of cheers became loud groans when both players missed, ensuring a half-point for each side. McIlroy seemed the most disappointed, flipping his putter in the air after missing the chance to close the match with three straight birdies to carry Shane Lowry to a win over Burns and Patrick Cantlay.
5:51 p.m.: Tommy Fleetwood is in rare company. After Justin Rose made a birdie putt at 17 to close out the Americans 2 and 1, his partner and fellow Englishman pushed his record to 8-2-1 in partner play. Fleetwood joined only one man—Tom Watson!—with the highest percentage of wins (77 percent) with at least 10 matches played. With one more point, Europe has a 5-2 lead with the final match heading to the 18th hole all tied.
5:10 p.m: Scheffler's rough day came to an end when Rahm answered the World No. 1's birdie at 16 for a 3-and-2 win for Europe. That made it official, per Elias: Scottie joined only Tiger Woods (1999, 2002) and Ian Woosnam (1991) as the only then-No. 1 players to lose twice on the first day of the Cup.
5:07 p.m.: Just as anchor Dan Hicks was positively gushing about how great Cantlay was playing (three holes won in a four-hole stretch), the American missed a 3 1/2-foot birdie putt—after a brilliant iron shot into the par-3 14th—to blow a chance for the Americans to take their first lead since the opening hole. It was basically a give-back from McIlroy's short missed putt at 13.
4:44 p.m.: And the first official point on the board in the afternoon session is a red number. Cameron Young's birdie putt on the par-5 13th is conceded and the Young/Thomas team puts away Aberg/Hojgaard, 6 and 5.
That's the good news for the Americans. The bad news is Fleetwood just won the 14th hole with a birdie to turn the third of the remaining three matches blue. The U.S. has to get that blue off the board. And at the 15th, just when Scheffler holes a must-make birdie putt, Rahm drops one in on top of him to tie the hole, and the Europeans will go to the 16th three up with three to play.
4:30 p.m.: It's looking increasingly likely that the difference between this turning into an early blowout and remaining competitive is the result of the Fleetwood/Rose and DeChambeau/Griffin match, which is tied on the par-5 13th. Each side has a commanding lead in one match and the Europeans appear to have taken control of the final match, even if they're only 2 up through 11. If the Americans can get at least a 2-2 split out of the session, it might feel like a win after the debacle that was the morning session.
3:56 p.m.: Another birdie at the 11th hole for the Europeans as Tommy Fleetwood sticks one close and sinks the putt to tie Match 2 with Griffin and DeChambeau. Europe now leads two matches and is tied in one and is in a position to extend its commanding lead. The once-promising afternoon fourballs session has taken a dark turn for the U.S..
But ... just like that, a glimmer of hope emerges for the Americans as Patrick Cantlay makes a birdie on 10 to claw back within one hole of the Irish duo of McIlroy and Lowry. The U.S. desperately needs to keep up that momentum as all four afternoon matches have made the turn.
3:35 p.m.: The Europeans have extended their lead in Match 1 with a Jon Rahm birdie as another putt from Scheffler goes begging. That's 2 up in Match 1 of the afternoon session as Europe looks to take an even stronger hold on Day 1.
3:10 p.m.: Who knew Rory had the Golf Digest live blog fired up on his phone out at Bethpage? Shortly after we took note of his short missed putt at the third, McIlroy drilled mid-range birdie putts at six and seven to put him and Lowry 2 up against Burns and Cantlay. Well, maybe he didn’t need us for extra motivation, but emphatic fist pumps and chest bumps prove McIlroy is playing with his typical Ryder Cup passion.
McIlroy is 6-1-0 over his last seven Ryder Cup matches, dating back to his singles match in 2021. It is the best stretch of his Ryder Cup career.
3:06 p.m.: As the matches begin to make the turn, how important are the next couple of hours? The team that has led at the end of the second session has won each of the last five Ryder Cups. Of course, there is plenty of golf to play this weekend, but recent history favors the front runner.
2:39 p.m.: Sam Burns misses yet another short birdie putt at the fifth. As the PGA Tour leader in strokes gained/putting this season, it was widely expected that Burns would be a formidable on the greens this week, but through five holes, he has missed three makeable putts. Perhaps it’s Bethpage’s subtle greens that are confusing Burns. Earlier this week, our Jamie Kennedy caught up with Brad Faxon and five-time Ryder Cupper Ken Brown about what makes these flat greens so tricky.
2:25 p.m.: Perhaps the biggest surprise midway through the front nine is in the first match, where J.J. Spaun is carrying Scottie Scheffler. The two are just one down through six holes, but Spaun is keeping the U.S. in it. The U.S. Open champion has been steady, making a couple of birdies and nearly a third with a violent lip-out at the fifth. Scheffler has seemed out of sorts a bit, with his ball-striking not nearly as sharp as we’re used to seeing. It's early, but it's worth wondering if Scheffler will follow Tiger Woods as dominant World No. 1s who have struggled at the Ryder Cup.
2:00 p.m.: Pinehurst Black? After stiffing his iron shot into the long par-3 third, Rory McIlroy had about two-and-a-half or three feet for birdie to win the hole and take the lead. It missed, and the crowd erupted in shock. For such an elite putter (McIlroy ranked seventh in strokes gained/putting on the PGA Tour this year), it seems like he is prone to missing very short putts from time to time. Remember those two misses inside four feet on Sunday to lose the 2024 U.S. Open to Bryson DeChambeau.
1:53 p.m.: An interesting point made by NBC analyst Brad Faxon: players are not allowed to practice putting after a hole is finished, per Ryder Cup rules. Often in match play, once a hole is finished, players are allowed to hit extra practice putts. Not so this week at the Ryder Cup, however.
1:42 p.m.: Three of the four players in the DeChambeau/Griffin vs. Fleetwood/Rose match have eagle looks at the reachable par-5 fourth after finding the fairway off the tee. In many ways, the fourth hole embodies the strategy and genius of Bethpage Black, with the winding fairway and cavernous bunkers demanding a precise tee shot to be able to attack. As our architecture expert Derek Duncan says, “Every hole on the Black demands that you mash it, but the fourth also demands that you think.” For more on the masterpiece par 5, check out Duncan’s in-depth video.
1:27 p.m.: How much of an uphill battle does the U.S. face after falling behind 3-1 in the morning? Since 1991, teams that won at least three points in the morning session of Day 1 have a record of 7-1. The one loss? Recall 2018 in France, when Europe trailed 3-1 after the first session, only to rally to win all four afternoon matches, eventually winning the Ryder Cup 17 ½ - 10 ½.
12:55 p.m.: Tommy Fleetwood pours in the birdie putt on the first hole, which puts the pressure on Bryson to make his birdie putt from 5 feet above the hole. And Bryson walks it in! That's his second birdie putt of the day on the first hole. Clutch make from Bryson as he pumps up the crowd walking off the green to stay tied heading to the second hole.
12:49 p.m.: What an unreal setting for Ben Griffin to be thrown into the Ryder Cup cauldron. The president is pumping up the crowd right behind you after Bryson DeChambeau hits his tee shot near the green. Griffin and Bryson both hit good tee shots—with Bryson's drive landing about 30 yards short of the green just like the morning. 340 yards off the tee. Not half bad...
Tommy Fleetwood from the left rough plays his approach perfectly to about 10 feet short of the hole. Griffin comes up just short as does Rose. Bryson plays it nicely leaving himself about 4-5 feet above the hole.
12:41 p.m.: BANG! J.J. Spaun delivers an opening birdie on the first hole for the Americans, as he and Scheffler take an early 1-up lead over Rahm/Straka in the first match. That's a dream start for Team USA as they look to right the ship.
It's an electric atmosphere on the first tee now as President Trump accompanies Bryson DeChambeau and Ben Griffin to the first tee in their match against Tommy Fleetwood and Justin Rose. Fleetwood played fantastic alongside Rory McIlroy in the morning, and now he gets another veteran stalwart in Rose.
12:36 p.m.: Welcome to the Ryder Cup, J.J. Spaun! The U.S. Open champion plays his opening approach to perfection, hitting just short of the green and tumbling to about 3 feet. Jon Rahm's approach rolled out about 20-25 feet past the hole, and Scheffler has about 15-20 feet below the hole, and Sepp Straka missing the green just short of it with this front pin position. This could be a huge early momentum boost for the Americans—exactly what they need.
12:30 p.m.: The afternoon fourballs session is underway! Jon Rahm and Sepp Straka both miss the fairway to the left with J.J. Spaun hitting it about 70 yards out on the right side and Scottie Scheffler missing the fairway left the widest of the four.
It really feels like this match is crucial for the Americans. Scheffler needs to avoid dropping two points to start things off and set the tone for a momentum-shifting afternoon session for the Americans, who typically thrive in the better-ball format.
11:58 a.m.: Here are the afternoon pairings for fourballs (best ball):
It's perhaps a bit surprising to see Justin Thomas back out for the Americans after he struggled alongside Bryson DeChambeau in the opening match. But JT has the most experience for Team U.S., and we've seen him play a lot of practice rounds with Cam Young all week at Bethpage Black. So we'll see how they can do against Ludvig Aberg, who played fantastic golf and will certainly be formidable in a better-ball format.
We'll see if Scottie Scheffler can secure a point with a new partner, U.S. Open champion J.J. Spaun, after being weighed down from some very poor play by Russell Henley in the morning.
All four players who sat in the morning for each team will play in the afternoon. It's also a bit surprising to see Tyrrell Hatton sit for the Europeans after he played great alongside Jon Rahm in the morning.
Things will get going around 12:25 p.m. eastern here at Bethpage Black.
11:53 a.m.: The Americans finally have their first full point in the final match of the morning foursomes with Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele winning, 2-up, winning the 17th and 18th holes to secure a crucial point and avoid a devastating 4-0 deficit. It's officially 3-1 in favor of the Europeans after foursomes ... a bit better than Rome but not exactly the start the Americans were looking for.
Per Justin Ray and Elias Sports, teams that win at least three points in the opening session of the Ryder Cup are 7-1 since 1991. The lone exception? 2018 ... when the Europeans erased an early 3-1 deficit and swept the afternoon session to take a 5-3 lead. The Americans will be looking to do something similar this afternoon at Bethpage.
We will have the afternoon fourballs pairings announced shortly. Check here for the afternoon squads!
11:47 a.m.: Cantlay steps up and finds the fairway on the 18th hole, putting the pressure on Hovland, who sprays his tee shot way right into a poor lie. MacIntyre will need to chop it out of some thick hay onto the elevated putting surface. Xander can really put the pressure on here with a great angle and the Americans looking to hold onto this 1-up lead. He does just that—spinning his approach to about 9 feet.
Woof! Bobby Mac comes up welllll short of the green, but does find a greenside bunker. Hovland pretty much needs to hole this out to try to square this match with the Americans in close.
11:40 a.m.: Hovland did summon that short-game magic, hitting a beautiful bunker shot to about 6 feet, giving MacIntyre a chance to tie the hole after Cantlay's birdie bid from above the hole comes up just shy. Wow, the Scot fails to convert the putt—giving the Americans a 1-up lead heading to the 18th tee. The U.S. secures at least a half point heading to the 18th hole, but Cantlay/Xander delivering a full point will be the turn in momentum their team needs heading into the afternoon fourballs session.
11:34 a.m.: Advantage to the Americans in the final match as Xander hits the green at the par-3 17th hole after MacIntyre found one of the menacing greenside bunkers surrounding the elevated putting surface on the one-shotter. Hovland will need to summon some short-game magic—not exactly his strength—if the Euros want to avoid falling down once again in the match. This has become a critical point for the Americans to avoid another devastating 4-0 deficit in opening foursomes.
11:27 a.m.: This is the first time we'll see the 16th hole today—a nice downhill tee shot to a pretty flat green. Hovland and Cantlay both find the fairway—and Xander and MacIntyre have each hit approaches to about 10 feet.
Hovland's uphill bid rolls just on the low side—and Cantlay does the same, missing on the low side. That was a big missed opportunity for Patty Ice to regain the lead. It'll remain tied heading to the par-3 17th hole.
11:17 a.m.: Viktor Hovland converts the five-footer for par on the 15th hole to tie the match against Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele—who were in trouble off the tee. Par was always going to be a tough score after Xander's tee shot. But this will be a devastating result for the Americans if Xander/Cantlay can't deliver a point for the Americans. The U.S. are staring another 4-0 deficit in opening foursomes in the face—ala Rome.
11:11 a.m.: The lone bright spot thus far for the Americans has been Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay, and they are holding on for dear life against Robert MacIntyre and Viktor Hovland. The margin was as much as 3-up for the Americans until the Euros won the 12th and 13th holes.
Now Xander has hooked his drive off the 15th hole into oblivion. That is going to make the ultra-difficult uphill approach to the 15th green for Cantlay wherever they end up playing from. MacIntyre's tee shot is in fine position in the left first cut ... setting up Hovland to put the Euros in a position to square this match heading into the final three holes. Whoops ... Hovland has come up short with his approach, which is a huge mistake. Cantlay, right next to the left grandstand, had his work cut out for him, and came up about 30 yards short of the green but avoids the greenside bunker. With a front pin position, that will be tricky for Xander.
10:43 a.m.: Europe grabs its third win when Matt Fitzpatrick and Viktor Hovland close out Scottie Scheffler and Russell Henley, 5 and 3. Gurantees Europe will win the morning session.
10:36 a.m.: The big deal about Europe coming out to a quick start is contextualized well by our Joel Beall here:
10:35 a.m.: Tommy Fleetwood closes out a 5-and-4 win with Rory McIlroy over Colin Morikawa and Harris English, giving Europe a 2-0 lead. Not coincidentally, the first "Ole, Ole, Ole, Ole" cheer is ringing around the 14th green.
10:33 a.m.: Justin Thomas misses a par putt on the 15th green, giving Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton a 4-and-3 victory and the first point for Europe. If you've been watching you Live From the Ryder Cup, you'll have heard Brandel Chamblee explain that 64 percent of the teams that win the first match go on to win the Ryder Cup.
10:20 a.m.: The chances of Scheffler and Henley coming back to win their match with Ludvig Aberg and Matt Fitzpatrick are the remotest of remote, but Henley just holed a 35-foot birdie putt. It could be an important pyschological boost for a man who has to be pretty bummed with how his first Ryder Cup appearance is going.
10:04 a.m.: Xander Schauffele holes a putt on the 10th and now he and Cantlay have a 2-up lead on Robert MacIntyre and Viktor Hovland. However, it's the only match the Americans are leading in and if form holds, Europe winning the morning session would mark the first time it's done that on the road since 2004 at Oakland Hills.
9:37 a.m.: Back briefly to Scottie Scheffler. For the U.S. to win, you would naturally assume its best player would need to contribute as many points as possible. Granted, Scheffler has been hampered by the fact that Russell Henley seems to be the victim of rookie jitters. But this is starting to become a thing for American World No. 1 struggling in the Ryder Cup. Take a look at this tidbit from Justin Ray:
9:29 a.m.: OK ... some good news finally for the U.S. Morikawa makes a birdie on the ninth hole to win the hole for the U.S. and cut the deficit Morikawa and Harris English have against Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood to 4 down. But this is the first hole the U.S. has won in any match in more than an hour.
9:27 a.m.: Patrick Cantlay misses a putt on the seventh green, giving Europe's Robert MacIntyre and Viktor Hovland a win on the hole and allowing them to tie the match. So for the first time all morning, the U.S. is not ahead in any match.
9:16 a.m.: Our Dave Shedloski explored a touchy topic as we were previewing this week's Ryder Cup when he wrote about Scottie Scheffler and his relationship with this competition. Scheffler's results during the PGA Tour season have been as close to similar to Tiger Woods' as any player since Tiger's heyday. But Tiger struggled in the Ryder Cup, unable to take his super intense approach to the game and make it work in a team competition. Scheffler played well in his Ryder Cup debut at Whistling Straits in 2021, but struggled in Rome when he had taken the mantle of the No. 1 player in the work. And now, in what seemed like an ideal pairing with Russell Henley, Scheffler once again is trailing in a team match and seeming to be off his game after losing the ninth hole to Ludvig Aberg and Matt Fitzpatrick to go 4 down at the turn.
9:10 a.m.: One of the most talked about storylines revolving around foursomes is matching players who can play a golf ball that might not be their everyday pellet but one they can use in conjunction with their partners. But because of the lift, clean and place rule in effect for balls in the fairway during this Friday morning foursomes session, that issue isn't quite as important. Under the Rules of Golf, you're allowed to replace a ball when you lift, clean and place it. So if you're lucky enought to be in that spot, you can now switch to the ball that the person hitting the shot would be playing. Our equipment editor, E. Michael Johnson, explores this more with this post here.
8:54 a.m.: Things are getting dangerous for the U.S. The first three matches are all leaning Europe: 1 up, 3 up and 4 up. McIlroy and Fleetwood, otherwise known as Fleetwood Mac, are flying high, sinking seemingly everything. Morikawa, on the other hand, takes a long look at the green after another dropped hole. Certainly not the start Keegan Bradley envisioned.
8:43 a.m.: JT misses yet another putt to the left, and Bryson/JT lose their early lead on No. 7. The red will go off the board in that opening matchup and Thomas cannot make things work on the green ... at least just yet.
8:31 a.m.: Both European pairs leading are now 2 up with the Americans 1 up each. A glimpse around Bethpage: Rahm hits it into the trees on No. 7, Åberg birdies off of a perfect Fitzy approach, Rory sinks a seven-foot putt and Schauffele/Cantlay head over to No. 3.
8:23 a.m.: Schauffele and Cantlay take an early lead, splitting the matches at the moment 2-2. On No. 6, Jon Rahm hits one of the most impressive shots we've seen in some time, a recovery shot that somehow gets closer than the Americans. It doesn't get much better than that.
8:14 a.m.: Oh, wow. Tyrrell Hatton hits it left and then left some more on No. 6. Even the fans standing over the ball seem to have trouble finding it. Åberg and Fitzy take the lead and Morikawa hits a crucial putt to maintain the 1-up lead through 3. Will be interesting to see if Rahm can save Hatton's brutal tee shot.
8:09 a.m.: Schauffele botches a dynamite chance to go 1 up on the first hole. Fourth match stays tied after the opening hole. Everything else remains the same, at this point.
8:01 a.m.: All the foursomes on the course right now as Schauffele/Cantlay and MacIntyre/Hovland tee off at Bethpage. At the moment, the Americans are 1 up in the first group, the Europeans 1 up in the third group. Everything else all square. We're in for quite the day.
Harry How
7:50 a.m.: The Americans get it back to even with a clean putt from the World No. 1 following a perfect approach from Henley. By the way, Collin Morikawa/Harris English have begun their match against Rory McIlroy/Tommy Fleetwood. It's all happening right now.
McIlroy and Fleetwood will take an early lead after Rory finishes off the first hole. Just under four feet and a quick for the Europeans in the third group.
7:49 a.m.: Still room to improve when it comes to fist bumps for the U.S.
7:39 a.m.: Åberg and Fitzpatrick will go 1 up after an incredible approach shot from Fitzy. Concurrently, DeChambeau and Rahm miss the green on No. 3. The Europeans will get a break, too, after an embedded ball just misses the par-3 bunker.
Huge par save for the Americans after a decent chance for Hatton and Rahm to knot things up. Bryson's putt sneaks in, and U.S. holds onto its 1-up lead in the first group. They remain 1 down with Scheffler and Henley.
7:31 a.m.: Rahm pulls his shot a little after a perfect Bryson chip. Although still on the green, the Europeans will need a great putt and a little luck to not go 2 down. JT will have a chance for birdie.
Second group gets started, as well. Scheffler & Henley will take on Åberg and Fitzpatrick. And then, JT pulls an incredible opportunity for birdie and to go 2 up. The Americans at No. 2 ready to roar will have to wait just a little bit more.
7:22 a.m.: What a first hole from Bryson. A 344-yard opening tee shot and a pressure putt to go 1 up early, after the Rahm and Hatton par. We're moving on to the 377-yard No. 2 with JT finding the center of the fairway.
7:12 a.m.: The Americans go crazy as Rahm's opening tee shot finds the rough on the right side of the fairway. Bryson, on the other hand, puts everything behind his and finds himself just short of the green. Great shot for the Americans to take the first hole. Walking around Bethpage yesterday, it was clear that Bryson's a fan favorite; it makes sense to put him in the first group and get the energy as high as possible.
Tyrrell Hatton lucks out with a heavy shot that nearly fell short of the green. Gets a good bounce and 20 feet left for birdie. Then, JT doesn't fully capitalize on the look Bryson gave him. The American fans have already begun chirping, as well.
7:08 a.m.: Jon Rahm has a perfect 4-0 record in foursomes, heading into this morning. But, on the other hand, Bryson and JT just walked out draped in the American flag, so it's anyone's match. We're still unsure who'll be teeing off first, but it feels like a Bryson Bomb would make the most sense ... at least for showmanship.
6:55 a.m.: Well, we're here. Rahm/Hatton vs. Bryson/JT about to kick off and the fans (on both sides) are already showing up in droves for the opening tee shots. Music's blasting, chants have begun and the pros are psyching themselves up for a critical Day 1 at Bethpage.
6:36 a.m.: With 15 minutes remaining until the first match tees off, here are a few posts from this week to get you caught up on everything.
6:25 a.m.: OK … let’s set the scene quickly for the morning foursomes matches. Here’s the four pairings:
Foursomes
7:10 a.m.: Jon Rahm/Tyrrell Hatton (Europe) vs. Bryson DeChambeau/Justin Thomas (USA)
7:26 a.m.: Ludvig Aberg/Matt Fitzpatrick (E) vs. Scottie Scheffler/Russell Henley (USA)
7:42 a.m.: Rory McIlroy/Tommy Fleetwood (E) vs. Collin Morikawa/Harris English (USA)
7:58 a.m.: Robert MacIntyre/Viktor Hovland (E) vs. Xander Schauffele/Patrick Cantlay (USA)
6:18 a.m.: Suffice it to say, the fans have arrived.