Scottie Scheffler and Russell Henley endured a nightmare start to the Ryder Cup, losing their foursomes match against Ludvig Aberg and Matt Fitzpatrick.
The putts ‘didn’t fall’ for Scheffler in his Friday foursomes match in New York, where he and Henley were heavily beaten.
Aberg and Fitzpatrick are close friends, and their chemistry was evident as they thrashed Scheffler and Henley 5&3.
It secured a third Ryder Cup point for Team Europe from the first three matches, handing the USA a horrid start on home soil, ending the session 1-3.
Despite the raucous Bethpage atmosphere, Aberg and Fitzpatrick remained calm and composed to take down their American counterparts.
Why Ludvig Aberg and Matt Fitzpatrick were able to beat Scottie Scheffler and Russell Henley
The victory arrived despite Scheffler and Henley occupying the number one and number three spots in the world rankings respectively.
And when asked by Sky Sports Golf how significant it was to take down the world number one, Aberg responded: “Yeah, I had a great partner. I think that speaks to it. But yeah, we came out of the gates early, birdied number one, which is nice.
“And then we played good golf. We hit a lot of nice shots and yeah, made it hard for them today, which was good.”
Fitzpatrick was then asked what captain Luke Donald saw in their duo, to which he replied: “I’ve played well the last few months. Ludvig has not stopped playing well since he turned pro.
“So yeah, obviously it was a nice mix of tee to green and good putting as well and I felt like we showed that, certainly on those first seven holes.”
PGA Tour winner regrets ‘unbeatable’ Scottie Scheffler and Russell Henley claim
Scheffler and Henley were expected to make a real mark at Bethpage, with plenty of promise for the pairing before they got underway.
One-time PGA Tour winner Wesley Bryan was among their supporters, having written on X: “On paper, Russell Henley & Scottie Scheffler might be the most unbeatable ALT shot team in the history of the Ryder Cup.”
But Bryan, who won the 2017 RBC Heritage title, soon added: “Yes… I have been afraid to open this app. This tweet isn’t ageing well.”
As Bryan alluded to, excitement around the duo quickly evaporated, with Scheffler and Henley beaten convincingly in front of their own fans.
It remains to be seen what USA captain Keegan Bradley now has in mind for Henley over the coming days.
The rookie’s confidence will very likely have taken a beating after day one, which is the last thing the home side needs.
But even with his own struggles, Scheffler is expected to return very shortly for the USA, and more than likely with a bang.
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