Ryder Cup forecaddie: Running analysis from Day 1 at Bethpage

Stay tuned throughout the day as theScore keeps you updated with insights and analysis from the opening sessions of the Ryder Cup.

1:50 p.m. - Rory's putter has gone ice cold early in the afternoon session at Bethpage. McIlroy - who is an outrageous 6-1-0 in his last seven matches at the event - is hitting the ball as strong as ever, giving himself three birdie looks through the opening three holes. However, he was unable to convert with a 7-foot miss on No. 1 and lipped out a 4-footer on No. 3. That has his match tied early, but he will certainly feel as though he and Lowry are down early given the missed opportunities.

1:25 p.m. - The final match of the day is on course and it's an early roar for the Americans. Both Burns and Cantlay hit their approach shots inside the European duo of Lowry and McIlroy, with Burns doing the honors first with a birdie. This one will be the most watched match of the afternoon with Lowry known to run a bit hot and the past history between McIlroy and Cantlay's caddie.

12:57 p.m. - They might put a plaque on the first hole at Bethpage if DeChambeau keeps this form up. After pounding a drive just short of the green in the morning session that led to an opening birdie, DeChambeau once again tamed the first hole - this time, under the admiring eye of President Donald Trump. The afternoon birdie tied the hole after Fleetwood also made three, but it was a crucial putt to keep the early afternoon momentum on the hosts' side.

12:41 p.m. - Ryder Cup nerves do not bother Spaun. It took him exactly three shots to make an impact in his first ever U.S. team appearance - birdieing the opening hole of the afternoon session after hitting his approach to 4 feet. That birdie gave the Americans the early 1-up lead as they look to make a dent in the 3-1 lead the Europeans hold after the morning.

12:05 p.m. - Afternoon pairings are set with the anchor match pitting Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry against Patrick Cantlay and Sam Burns. It will be McIlroy and Cantlay's first meeting in the Ryder Cup since the infamous confrontation on the 18th green in Italy between the Masters champion and the American's caddie, Joe LaCava. The first match of the session is also a banger as Rahm and Scheffler will square off for the second time Friday. This time, Rahm will be alongside Sepp Straka and Scheffler will partner with U.S. Open winner J.J. Spaun.

11:45 am. - Cantlay and Schauffele prevail thanks to a gift from the Europeans on the final two holes. MacIntyre's tee shot on the par-3 17th went way left, leaving a fried egg lie in the bunker for Hovland. While the Norwegian hit a brilliant shot to 12 feet, MacIntyre was unable to save par and the Americans took a 1-up lead. More poor play from the visitors on the 18th saw them make bogey and concede the match to give the hosts a vital first point and a shred of momentum. However, the Europeans are still in the driver's seat after one session.

11:17 a.m. - The possibility of a sweep is still on the table thanks to an incredible European comeback in the anchor match. Hovland and MacIntyre were 3-down heading to the 12th tee but charged with three wins in a four-hole stretch to get the match versus Cantlay and Schauffele tied with three to play. Hovland's putter has been the catalyst with some clutch makes.

10:46 a.m. - More Ryder Cup misery for the best golfer on the planet. Scheffler has spent the last few years looking anything but human on the golf course - except in team play. He entered Friday with a 2-2-3 record in previous Ryder Cups and the red-hot duo of Aberg and Fitzpatrick handed him another loss by a 5&3 margin. While Scheffler didn't have his best form, he was weighed down by the poor play of his partner Henley. However, Scheffler is now 0-3-0 in his career in foursomes play at this event. While that may sound unbelievable, he's not the first dominant player to struggle in the alternate shot format: Tiger Woods' career record in foursomes action is a dreadful 4-9-1.

10:35 a.m. - The Fleetwood Mac sequel is just as strong as the original. McIlroy and Fleetwood thumped the duo of English and Morikawa with an emphatic 5&4 win. McIlroy and Fleetwood are now a perfect 3-0-0 in foursomes play at the Ryder Cup and are sure to partner again Saturday morning in the same format. The American pairing of Morikawa and English was a massive mistake from captain Bradley - one that was entirely predictable.

DataGolf ranked that duo 132nd out of 132 optimal pairings for the week when combining both teams.

10:33 a.m. - We have our first point on the board at Bethpage, and it's the European duo of Rahm and Hatton doing the honors. The LIV Golf teammates dominated the duo of DeChambeau and Thomas to secure the 4&3 victory. Captain Bradley will certainly be questioned for his decision to put Thomas with DeChambeau - an odd fit given the latter's issues with driving accuracy. Thomas was particularly poor throughout, missing a number of short putts in the loss. It wouldn't be a shock to see him benched for the afternoon session.

10:15 a.m. - The one U.S. team handling its business Friday morning is the old reliable duo of Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay. The longtime friends have yet to trail in the foursomes session, building a 3-up lead through 12 holes on Viktor Hovland and Robert MacIntyre. Cantlay was arguably the best American at the last Ryder Cup and has brought that play to Bethpage - with his hat firmly on.

9:45 a.m. - Captain Keegan Bradley's gamble of putting DeChambeau with Thomas for alternate shot appears to be backfiring. After winning the first hole, the Americans have gone cold, and Rahm and Hatton are taking full advantage. Hatton poured in a birdie on 12 to push the lead to 2-up with three wins over a six-hole stretch.

9:10 a.m. - It's a European runaway in the middle matches of the day. Aberg and Fitzpatrick are on their A game and taking it to Scheffler and Henley, building a massive 4-up lead after 9 holes. It's even worse for the Americans in the third match, with McIlroy and Fleetwood laying a beatdown on Morikawa and English. A birdie putt by the Masters champion at No. 8 gave the visitors an eye-popping 5-up lead.

8:50 a.m. - The opening match has flipped from an early U.S. lead to a European edge thanks to back-to-back escape acts by the visitors. First it was Jon Rahm flagging an outrageous approach from the thick rough to salvage a tie on No. 6, then Tyrrell Hatton avoided a tree root with a brave approach to find the green on No. 7 and eventually win that hole. With Thomas struggling, DeChambeau is in tough against the LIV Golf pair.

8:25 a.m. - There's no question that Scottie Scheffler is the best golfer on the planet - unless he's wearing a U.S. uniform in a team event. Scheffler holds a career 5-7-4 record in Ryder Cups and Presidents Cups and is once again off to a slow start at Bethpage. After a missed 9-footer on the sixth hole, Scheffler and Russell Henley fell 3-down to Aberg and Fitzpatrick.

8:09 a.m. - It's early, but it doesn't appear 2024 Xander Schauffele made the trip to Bethpage. After winning two majors last season, Schauffele's game has fallen off this year; the American's never really recovered from an early-season rib injury. Schauffele was ranked as one of the top putters on the PGA TOUR last year but was 127th in that stat this time out. That showed on the first hole with a missed 7-footer resulting in a tie.

7:48 a.m. - Fleetwood Mac is back and better than ever. The devastating European team of Tommy Fleetwood and Rory McIlroy needed just one hole to announce their presence in New York. After a 345-yard drive at No. 1 by McIlroy, Fleetwood pitched to tap-in range for the early advantage over Collin Morikawa and Harris English.

7:27 a.m. - For all the pomp and circumstance around DeChambeau's bomb off the first, Ludvig Aberg nearly equaled him in the second match of the day. The Swede took virtually the same line, ending up about 15 yards shorter than the American. It also led to a winning birdie after Matt Fitzpatrick came a foot from holing out for eagle.

7:11 a.m. - Bryson DeChambeau was essentially built in a lab to hit opening tee shots at a home Ryder Cup. The electric American ignited the crowd at Whistling Straits in 2021 when he drove the opening green and poured in an eagle putt, and he damn near did the same thing Friday.

The end result was a 344-yard laser just short of the green in a perfect place for Justin Thomas to pitch it close. He left it 15 feet short, but DeChambeau canned the putt to give the U.S. an early 1-up lead.