2021 Ryder Cup: Five Stories from Friday Afternoon Four-Ball
By Tim Letcher
The 43rd Ryder Cup competition got underway on Friday morning at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin. The Americans won three of the four matches in the four-ball portion of the day, setting an early tone for the match.
There were several key storylines in Friday afternoon’s matches. Here is a look at the top five storylines from the afternoon four-ball session.
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Americans Dominate Day One – Team USA had seen this scenario before – playing well in the morning foursomes only to see the Euros rally in four-ball play. That did not happen on Friday. The Americans took three points in the foursomes, then took three more in the four-ball. It was a very good day for captain Steve Stricker’s squad.
DJ/Xander Stay Hot – Johnson and Schauffele were good in the morning, with other partners, and they were good together on Friday afternoon. The duo went out first for Team USA and set the tone, topping Paul Casey and Bernd Wiesberger 2&1. DJ got the team started well and they had very little trouble in finishing off the Europeans.
JT Comes Through Late – Friday was not the best day that Justin Thomas has had on the golf course. In the morning, he teamed with good friend Jordan Spieth in a loss to Sergio Garcia and Jon Rahm. Then in the afternoon, Thomas did not do much until late, when he eagled 16 then parred the final two holes, allowing JT and partner Patrick Cantlay to halve the match with Tommy Fleetwood and Viktor Hovland.
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English/Finau Shock Irishmen – Harris English and Tony Finau against Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry did not appear to be a great matchup for the Americans. But Finau got hot in the middle of the round and carried the Americans to a 4&3 victory.
DeChambeau, Scheffler Halve in Debut – After sitting out the morning session, Bryson DeChambeau and Scottie Scheffler played in the afternoon, facing the powerful European duo of Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton. The Americans held the lead almost the entire match before Hatton won the last hole to halve the match. Still, a good result for Team USA.