The 2023 Ryder Cup is nearing its start, and approximately 12 hours before play begins, day one pairings and tee times are officially (and finally) released. Most notable is that Zach Johnson mixed things up a bit for Team USA, while Luke Donald opted for heavyweight pairs on the European side.
The surprise of the opening four-player session — which begins at 1:35 a.m. ET Friday — is that the longtime duo of Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas will not play. The American super-team from previous Ryder Cups will sit early as their teammates try to secure some points early in the 44th Ryder Cup.
On the European side, almost all the notables play; Europe throws everything it has at the Americans in the opening session. Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton will open the session while Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood will close the session. And somehow, between these two groups, we also get a dream duo of Viktor Hovland and Ludvig Aberg that is legitimately scary.
Here is a preview of the four-way clashes for the first session on Friday morning. Discover a complete Ryder Cup 2023 TV Schedule and Viewer’s Guide so you can follow along all week, and be sure to follow the 2023 Ryder Cup live scores and results throughout the first day on Friday.
All times Eastern
Ryder Cup 2023 Schedule
Day 1
Session 1 (quartets): 1h35
Session 2 (four balls): 6:25 a.m.
Live TV coverage: from 1:30 a.m. to noon on USA Network
Live Stream Online: 1:30 a.m. to noon on fubo (Try for free) and RyderCup.com
Quartet
|
Match 1 (1h35) |
Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns |
Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton |
|
Match 2 (1h50) |
Max Homa and Brian Harman |
Viktor Hovland and Ludvig Aberg |
|
Match 3 (2h05) |
Rickie Fowler and Collin Morikawa |
Sepp Straka and Shane Lowry |
|
Match 4 (02h20) |
Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele |
Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood |
Match 1 – Scheffler & Burns vs. Rahm & Hatton: These Americans were expected to play together given that they did so several times in last year’s Presidents Cup, but mostly unsuccessfully, including going 0-2 in quartet. Yet Scheffler is the world’s No. 1 player and finished the last Ryder Cup the same way he hopes to. to start this one: by beating Rahm. Pairing the volatile Rahm and even more volatile Hatton is a delight for those watching, but not without precedent. This duo played together at Whistling Straits, halving a four-ball match on Friday afternoon. Rahm is a great foil for Scheffler and the guy you want leading the way Friday morning as Marco Simone starts to make moves. Prediction: Europe
Match 2 – Homa and Harman Vs. Hovland and Aberg: The American duo 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 see them putting together a bogey-free round, but the question is whether it will be enough against the European nuclear duo. The two Scandinavians form the most interesting and amusing duo of the quartets. It would be hard to overstate how good they are at the start – two of the four best drivers in the world over the last six months – which will come in handy for Marco Simone. This confrontation is, for me, the most intriguing of the first day because almost anything can happen. Prediction: USA (upset)
Match 3 – Fowler and Morikawa vs. Straka and 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 win many shots off the tee. For some reason I didn’t see this duo coming, even though they played together Tuesday and Thursday in practice rounds. However, they also represent the only favorite on the American side due to their opponent. Most thought Justin Rose and Matt Fitzpatrick were ready for a four-way duo, and it made sense on paper. However, Straka was also thought to play at four, and Lowry is seemingly a natural fit. I don’t really know what to expect. Straka is boom or bust but comfortable in the format. Lowry is down slightly this year but has been playing better lately. He has only played fourball at Whistling Straits, so this will be his first jump into that format. However, both guys have great command of their irons, and this may be the best quartet of iron players on the entire board. Prediction: USA (close)
Match 4 – Cantlay & Schauffele vs. McIlroy & Fleetwood: Unsurprisingly, Cantlay & Schauffele will complete the picture for the Americans. They won both their foursomes at Whistling Straits and were absolutely sure to play that first session. Their story is high floor but (relatively) low ceiling, which couldn’t be more perfect for foursomes where you need par after par after par with a few birdies sprinkled in. McIlroy & Fleetwood are a fascinating pair. Both were sort of looking for new partners after Fleetwood didn’t work with Hovland and Ian Poulter (Rory’s former partner) didn’t make that Ryder Cup team. The combination could be monstrous. McIlroy is obviously elite off the tee, but Fleetwood has found his form there as well. Both are very solid iron players and will likely play four balls together given the number of birdies they could make as a duo. Prediction: Europe
The big surprise: As for why Spieth and Thomas are out, you could cite their 2-2 record in foursomes versus their 2-0 record in fourballs at Ryder Cups as a possible reason. Still, it was stunning not to see these two names eliminated early on the American side.
“Well, the bottom line is we have 12 guys,” U.S. captain Zach Johnson said. “Unfortunately I can’t play all 12 every session. So at some point someone has to sit down. 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 everyone for all five sessions. I’m not saying that’s what we’re going to do, but you take everything into account. Not only that, but the eight guys I’ve put on paper the ones we think put us in the best position to get off to a good start, obviously.”
This was likely a data-heavy decision, as the numbers likely pushed this pair into four balls on the afternoon. This makes sense, and it’s good to see some real foresight and planning given how much we’ve all complained about the lack of this over the last few Ryder Cups for the US in Europe. It’s completely surprising, but the Americans are trying to win the week and not the session. This is 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. These are 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.