The 2023 Ryder Cup is about to start and just under 12 hours before the start of the game, the pairings and start times for Day 1 have been officially (and finally) determined. Most notably, Zach Johnson mixed things up a bit for the United States team, while Luke Donald lined up some heavyweight pairings on the European side.
The surprise of the first four-way session – which begins at 1:35 a.m. ET on Friday – is that longtime duo Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas will not be playing. The US super team from past Ryder Cups will have an early exit as their teammates try to secure some points as the 44th Ryder Cup begins.
Almost all well-known players play on the European side; Europe throws everything it has at the Americans in the opening session. Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton start off, Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood close the session. And somehow between these two groups there is also a dream pairing of Viktor Hovland and Ludvig Aberg, which is rightly frightening.
Here’s a look at the four-way matches for the first session on Friday morning. Check out the full 2023 Ryder Cup TV schedule and viewer’s guide so you can watch it all week long, and follow live 2023 Ryder Cup scores and results on day one on Friday.
Always east
Ryder Cup 2023 schedule
day 1
Session 1 (Foursome): 1:35am
Session 2 (Fourball): 6:25am
Live TV broadcast: 1:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. on USA Network
Live stream online: 1:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. on fubo (try for free) and RyderCup.com
four
Game 1 (1:35 p.m.) | Scottie Scheffler & Sam Burns | Jon Rahm & Tyrrell Hatton |
Game 2 (1:50 p.m.) | Max Homa & Brian Harman | Viktor Hovland and Ludvig Aberg |
Game 3 (2:05 a.m.) | Rickie Fowler and Collin Morikawa | Sepp Straka & Shane Lowry |
Game 4 (2:20 p.m.) | Patrick Cantlay & Xander Schauffele | Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood |
Game 1 – Scheffler & Burns vs. Rahm & Hatton: It was expected that these Americans would play together, as they had shown a lot in last year’s Presidents Cup, albeit mostly unsuccessfully, including an 0-2 foursome record. Still, Scheffler is the No. 1 player in the world and ended the last Ryder Cup the same way he wants to start this one: by beating Rahm. The combination of the volatile Rahm and the even more volatile Hatton is a delight for viewers, but not without precedent. This duo played together in Whistling Straits and halved a four-ball match on Friday afternoon. Rahm is a great addition to Scheffler and the guy you want to be leading on Friday morning when Marco Simone starts rocking. Prediction: Europe
Game 2 – Homa & Harman vs. Hovland & Aberg: The American couple is not shocking, but a little surprising. Still, it could work. Harman’s short game is magical and both players are incredibly stable from tee to green. It’s not hard to imagine a clean round, but the question is whether that will be enough against the nuclear European duo. The two Scandinavians are the most interesting and funniest couple to emerge from the foursome. It’s hard to overstate how good they are off the tee – two of the top four riders in the world over the last six months – which will be of use to Marco Simone. For me, this duel is the most fascinating on the first day because almost anything can happen. Prediction: United States (angry)
Game 3 – Fowler & Morikawa vs. Straka & Lowry: These are surprise pairings for each side. Fowler and Morikawa have fairly similar games in that they are both excellent iron players who don’t get many shots off the tee. For some reason I didn’t see this duo coming, even though they played together in practice rounds on both Tuesday and Thursday. However, due to their opponent, they are also the only favorite on the USA side. Most believed that Justin Rose and Matt Fitzpatrick were primed for a foursome, and that made sense on paper. However, it was also assumed that Straka would play with four, and Lowry appears to fit the bill perfectly. I’m not sure what to expect. Straka is boom or bust, but feels comfortable in the format. Lowry has been slightly behind this year but has been playing better lately. He only played four-ball at Whistling Straits, so this will be his first foray into the format. However, both guys are flushers with their irons, and this is perhaps the best foursome of iron players on the entire board. Forecast: United States (near)
Game 4 – Cantlay & Schauffele vs. McIlroy & Fleetwood: To no one’s surprise, Cantlay & Schauffele will round things out for the Americans. They won both of their foursomes at Whistling Straits and were an absolute showstopper in that first session. Her story is one of a high floor but a (relatively) low ceiling, which couldn’t be more perfect for foursomes where you need to throw in par after par with a few birdies. McIlroy and Fleetwood are a fascinating couple. Both were looking for new partners after Fleetwood didn’t work with Hovland and Ian Poulter (Rory’s old partner) didn’t make that Ryder Cup team. The combination could be outrageous. McIlroy is obviously elite off the tee, but Fleetwood has mostly returned to form there too. Both are very solid iron players and will likely play four-balls together considering how many birdies they could make as a duo. Prediction: Europe
The big surprise: As for why Spieth and Thomas sat out, one possible reason could be their 2-2 four-ball record compared to their 2-0 four-ball Ryder Cup record. Still, it was baffling that these two names weren’t dropped early on for the American team.
“The key thing is that we have 12 players,” said U.S. captain Zach Johnson. “Unfortunately I can’t play all 12 per session. So at some point someone has to sit. It’s a golf course that demands a lot from you physically.”
“It’s an ideal situation where you don’t necessarily want to play against everyone all five sessions. I’m not saying we will, but you take everything into account. Not only that, but the eight guys. “I put it on paper that those are the ones we think obviously put us in the best position to get off to a great start.”
This was likely a data-intensive decision as the numbers were likely pushing this pairing to four-ball in the afternoon. That makes sense, and it’s good to see that there is actual foresight and planning going on, considering how much we complained about the lack of it at the last few Ryder Cups for the USA in Europe. It’s absolutely surprising, but the Americans are trying to win the week, not the session. That’s important, and it’s something to keep in mind as the Ryder Cup begins Friday morning.
Kyle Porter, Greg Ducharme and Patrick McDonald break down the 2023 Ryder Cup. It’s storylines and best bets ahead of the showdown at Marco Simone Golf Club. Follow and listen to The First Cut on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.