Bryson, JT vs. Rahm, Hatton headlines opening Ryder Cup pairings
Team USA and Team Europe announced pairings Thursday afternoon for Friday's opening session at the Ryder Cup.
Morning foursomes begin at 7:10 a.m. ET, while the afternoon four-ball session starts at 12:25 p.m. Here's who will face off in the first opportunity to secure points at Bethpage Black.
Match 1: Bryson DeChambeau and Justin Thomas vs. Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton (7:10 a.m.)
Match 2: Scottie Scheffler and Russell Henley vs. Ludvig Aberg and Matt Fitzpatrick (7:26 a.m.)
Match 3: Collin Morikawa and Harris English vs. Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood (7:42 a.m.)
Match 4: Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay vs. Robert MacIntyre and Viktor Hovland (7:58 a.m.)
Foursome sessions use an alternate shot format.
DeChambeau and Thomas have never been paired at the Ryder Cup. DeChambeau is 0-2-0 in the format while Thomas is 1-2-0. Rahm and Hatton are teammates on LIV Golf's Legion XIII and are 2-0-1 as partners at this event.
Scheffler will look to continue his dominant season on the international stage and avenge an 0-2-2 record at Marco Simone in 2023. Henley is a Ryder Cup rookie but went 3-1-0 for the United States at last year's Presidents Cup.
Aberg and Scheffler have history: The young Swede and Hovland dismantled the World No. 1 and partner Brooks Koepka with a 9&7 result at the Saturday foursomes session in 2023.
Morikawa and English are a surprising choice from captain Keegan Bradley, as the duo ranks 132nd of 132 among Data Golf's optimal pairings, according to Sam Weitzman-Kurker of the Wesleyan Argus. Morikawa was 1-3-0 in 2023 and English was 1-2-0 for the American side that dominated Whistling Straits in 2021.
McIlroy and Fleetwood are the most high-profile European pairing for Friday's first session. The pair are 2-0-0 together and McIlroy had the best showing of his Ryder Cup career in 2023 with a 4-1-0 record.
Schauffele and Cantlay have been a common pairing for the USA, going 2-2-0 together. Hovland and MacIntyre haven't played together at the event, but both were on Europe's most recent winning squad.
Sam Burns, Ben Griffin, J.J. Spaun, and Cameron Young will be on the sidelines for the Americans during the first session, while Rasmus Hojgaard, Justin Rose, Shane Lowry and Sepp Straka will wait their turns for Europe.