The very first tee shot of the Ryder Cup is one of the most iconic moments in golf, with some of the greatest players to have ever lived admitting that they can struggle to contain their nerves.
While nothing is decided on Friday morning at the Ryder Cup, there is certainly an opportunity to set the tone. If Bryson DeChambeau hits the first green at Bethpage, the electric atmosphere is going to go to new heights.
But it must also be the worst place to be if you manage to make a mistake, particularly as it is the away side who kick off proceedings.
The pressure must be so intense when tasked with hitting the very first tee shot of the week, especially if you are a player who only made the team after a last-ditch call to the captain to plead for a pick.
The player who pleaded with the Ryder Cup captain for a pick and then skied the very first tee shot
The 2014 Ryder Cup proved to be a nightmare for the American team. The PGA of America turned to Tom Watson to captain the side in the hope of replicating the success of their last victory in Europe.
The problem was that win was more than two decades earlier, in 1993. Watson became the oldest captain in Ryder Cup history. While his age was not the issue – Watson had nearly won The Open Championship five years earlier – the fact was that he had not been around the top players on a consistent basis for a long time leading into Gleneagles.
And that is perhaps why Watson was persuaded to change his mind on the eve of selecting his captain’s picks for the event.
As reported by Golfweek, Watson had decided to pick Bill Haas alongside Keegan Bradley and Hunter Mahan. In fact, some of the players on the team were under the impression that Haas was going to be included after speaking with their captain.
The news was being discussed on the range ahead of that year’s BMW Championship. But at a similar time, Webb Simpson was on the phone to Watson and making his case for why he would love to have the opportunity to play in Scotland.
Simpson had missed three cuts in his previous six starts. Nevertheless, Watson was convinced by the 2012 US Open champion and ended up leaving Haas out.
That proved to be one of several baffling decisions Watson made that week.
Simpson ended up being named in the first match out. He was paired with Bubba Watson, with the American pair taking on Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson in fourballs.
Simpson took a fairway wood on the first hole – and he did manage to find the short grass. However, it turned out that he had skied his shot and barely made it to the fairway.
There was respectful applause from the crowd, but it was a sign of what was to come for Simpson. Europe won the opening match 5&4, and Simpson was not picked again until the singles. He managed to secure half a point in his match with Ian Poulter.
Tiger Woods narrowly avoided hitting potentially the worst opening tee shot at the Ryder Cup in 2006
There have certainly been plenty of poor tee shots to kick off the Ryder Cup over the last few decades. Tony Finau was told by Brooks Koepka he would lead the side off in Paris in 2018, and nearly put his ball into the water with the adrenaline clearly flowing. He left himself with no shot into the green.
Meanwhile, Tiger Woods would have taken the title for the worst first tee shot off Simpson had him and Jim Furyk opted for a different order in 2006.
Furyk hit a perfect drive down the middle of the fairway at The K Club before Woods managed to hook his fairway wood into the water.
Woods still finished the week as Team USA’s leading points scorer, with himself and Furyk actually going to win that opening match against Colin Montgomerie and Pádraig Harrington 1 up.
Europe ended up having the last laugh with an 18.5-9.5 victory.
Receive exclusive golf news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
