While Team USA had home advantage at Bethpage Black, it always appeared likely that the performances of Scottie Scheffler and Bryson DeChambeau would have a big say on Keegan Bradley’s side’s hopes of winning back the Ryder Cup.
Scottie Scheffler is the best player on the planet, while Bryson DeChambeau was arguably the most talked-about name on both sides. So it was no surprise that Keegan Bradley put the pair in the first two matches on Friday morning.
However, Scheffler’s Ryder Cup woes continued. He was comfortably beaten alongside Russell Henley at the hands of Matthew Fitzpatrick and Ludvig Aberg in foursomes.
And things did not get a lot better in the afternoon, with the 29-year-old and J.J. Spaun beaten by Jon Rahm and Sepp Straka.
Tommy Fleetwood reacts as Scottie Scheffler and Bryson DeChambeau lose four matches on Friday at the Ryder Cup
DeChambeau meanwhile, made a bright start to the foursomes along with Justin Thomas. However, they were beaten by Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton in the top match.
Like Scheffler, he had a new partner for the afternoon. But DeChambeau and Ben Griffin lost to Justin Rose and Tommy Fleetwood on the final hole.
No one would have believed that Scheffler and DeChambeau would emerge from day one without contributing anything to the score at all.
But when asked about the pair’s losses, Fleetwood insisted that Europe’s 5.5-2.5 lead is much more significant.
“The scoreboard is what counts, and I think just our team as a collective, I think we obviously feel very prepared, and we’ve been looking forward to this day for a long time now. So to have got off to a good start feels great,” he said.
“Yeah, of course, I mean, their team is stacked with amazing players. So whoever it is, the match going to be difficult, and the points mean so much.
“You know, just to be out there today with Justin, I wanted to do that for a very, very long time, play with Justin in a Ryder Cup. It was a great match, it really, really was. So yeah, just happy to have contributed another point to overall score we want to get to.”
Keegan Bradley may need to make some ruthless decision with Scottie Scheffler and Bryson DeChambeau
Bradley has got a lot of thinking to do. Certainly, the decision to pair Collin Morikawa and Harris English was baffling. But many expected that pairing to struggle against Fleetwood and Rory McIlroy.
Scheffler seemed to make so many unforced errors, particularly with his irons. And if one or two of the Americans were playing better, there would be a case for Bradley to leave Scheffler out of the lineup on Saturday morning.
DeChambeau was a lot more impressive than the world number one. But finding him the right partner in the foursomes is proving a challenge for his captain.
Team USA simply cannot afford for DeChambeau and Scheffler to lose four matches between them again on Saturday.
Receive exclusive golf news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
