It’s nearly go-time at the 43rd Ryder Cup as pairings for the first foursomes session have been announced.
After much pomp and circumstance at Whistling Straits early week, Team Europe and Team USA have finally revealed their opening lineups for the first session of the 43rd Ryder Cup.
The first ball goes in the air plenty early on Friday morning with the start of the first session of foursomes matches (a format in which the Europeans traditionally have had an advantage). It kicks off a three-day weekend of head-to-head golf that will decide who claims the Cup by Sunday evening.
The foursome pairings were revealed on Thursday afternoon at an Opening Ceremony. Take a look at who U.S. captain Steve Stricker and European captain Padraig Harrington put out first.
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Foursomes pairings
Friday, Sept. 24
8:05 a.m.: Jon Rahm and Sergio Garcia (EUR) vs. Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth (USA)
8:21 a.m.: Dustin Johnson and Collin Morikawa (USA) vs. Paul Casey vs. Viktor Hovland (EUR)
8:37 a.m.: Lee Westwood and Matt Fitzpatrick (EUR) vs. Brooks Koepka and Daniel Berger (USA)
8:53 a.m.: Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele (USA) vs. Rory McIlroy and Ian Poulter
All times listed are ET.
US is sitting DeChambeau, English, Finau & Scheffler; Euros sitting Fleetwood, Hatton, Lowry & Weisberger.
The Friday afternoon four-ball matches will be announced after the foursomes matches conclude. Saturday will once again feature morning foursomes and afternoon fourballs as well. Sunday will be the 12 singles matches.
TV, streaming info
You can watch Golf Channel for free on fuboTV. All times ET.
Friday, Sept. 24
TV
Golf Central – Live From the Ryder Cup: 6 to 8 a.m., Golf Channel
Golf Central – Live From the Ryder Cup: 7 to 9 p.m., Golf Channel
Streaming
Featured Groups, Day 2: 8 a.m. and 7 p.m., Peacock, RyderCup.com, the Ryder Cup app, NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app.
Sunday, Sept. 26
TV
Golf Central – Live From the Ryder Cup: 9 a.m. to noon, Golf Channel
Ryder Cup, Day 3: noon to 6 p.m., NBC
The 12 singles matches start 12:04 p.m. and golfers will go off at 11-minute intervals. Play will conclude around 5 p.m. The Trophy Presentation will then take place on the 18th green.
Golf Central – Live From the Ryder Cup: 7 to 9 p.m., Golf Channel
Streaming
Featured Group, Day 3: noon to 6 p.m., Peacock, RyderCup.com, the Ryder Cup app, NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app.
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The actor, who just turned 34 years old Wednesday, was conscious.
Celebrity golfer Tom Felton was carted off the Whistling Straits course Thursday in Haven after suffering an apparent medical event. The actor, who just turned 34 years old Wednesday, was conscious.
Felton, born in Surrey, England, is best known for portraying the villainous Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter movie series and was competing with the Europe team in the celebrity showcase one day before the start of the Ryder Cup. His other screen credits include the TV series “The Flash” and movie “Rise of the Planet of the Apes.”
Spectators gave Felton applause as he headed away for treatment. There is no immediate word on his condition.
Harry Potter actor Tom Felton uses his golf club to mimic riding a broom during the Celebrity Matches at the 43rd Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits in Haven, Wisconsin. Photo by Samantha Madar/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
For the U.S. Junior Ryder Cup team, Wednesday at Whistling Straits was certainly memorable.
Traditionally, the co-ed Junior Ryder Cup teams are a pretty good indicator of which up-and-coming players are going to make the Ryder Cup and Solheim Cup teams down the road. Past rosters have included everyone from Lexi Thompson to Justin Thomas.
The early-week matches between the teenage U.S. and European teams were a victim of the pandemic this year, however. The PGA of America selected a 12-player U.S. team but that squad only played an exhibition at Whistling Straits early week given that the European team could not travel because of ongoing issues related to COVID-19.
For those American players, however, Wednesday at Whistling Straits was certainly still memorable.
In a bit of a twist, the team was divided into three groups of four, and each group was joined by a sports icon appropriate for the Wisconsin-specific names the three squads adopted.
Here’s how they split up:
Team name
Celebrity
Girls
Boys
Bucks
Mike Budenholzer (Milwaukee Bucks Head Coach)
Anna Davis, Julia Misemer
Caleb Surratt, Bryan Lee
Badgers
Mark Tauscher (former Packers and Badgers offensive lineman)
Sophie Linder, Alexa Pano
Ben James, Wells Williams
Packers
Mark Murphy (Packers president and CEO)
Avery Zweig, Megha Ganne
Luke Clanton, Nicholas Dunlap
All three teams played 11 holes (Nos. 1-9 and No. 18) with the two best scores on each hole counting as the team score. The matches were paid plenty of attention, with players going off the first tee to the backdrop of a group of fans known as the “American Marshals” (the ones dressed in viking horns and red, white and blue gear) singing and cheering.
The Junior Ryder Cup was reduced to a one-day exhibition at Whistling Straits this year. (Golfweek photo/Adam Schupak)
Interestingly, for their victory, the Packers team received – in keeping with the local theme – a wheel of Wisconsin cheese.
“These kids are amazing,” said Tauscher, who lumped in with the Badgers team. “I just hope not to embarrass anyone, and if I can contribute on one or two holes, I’ll be happy.”
Bryson ‘The Entertainer’ DeChambeau is fully embracing his long ball persona at Whistling Straits. On Thursday, he was paired with Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth and Scottie Scheffler for the final practice round before the Ryder Cup officially gets under way Friday morning.
It’s still unclear who will be paired with DeChambeau this week, but speculation is it will be Scheffler, who’s making his Ryder Cup debut. Regardless of who it is, it’ll be interesting to see how their able to adjust to DeChambeau’s length off the tee.
God, would it be nice to drive it 350 yards through the air.
The first hole at Whistling Straits is a par 4 measuring 364 yards.Take a look at where DeChambeau’s drive landed. You may not believe it if you don’t watch the video.
Sheboygan. Kohler. Mosel. Haven. They’ve all be credited as the location of the Whistling Straits golf courses.
So just where is Whistling Straits?
Well, it depends on who you ask.
The Straits Course at Whistling Straits hosts the 43rd Ryder Cup this week and the venue previously staged the 2015 PGA Championship. Some say the course is in the Town of Mosel, a rural/farm community with a population of 839, according to the 2000 census.
The Gannett-owned Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (editor’s note: Gannett also owns Golfweek) is the nearby big-city newspaper and always uses Haven as the dateline in stories covering the course. That decision was made because County Road FF, which ends at the main entrance to Whistling Straits, passes through unincorporated Haven about a quarter mile west of the course.
The Associated Press is using Sheboygan in its datelines, but the Wisconsin golf course is actually several miles north of the Sheboygan city limits.
If you go to the official website for the Ryder Cup, which is run by the PGA of America, Whistling Straits is in Kohler, but Kohler, listed as a village in Sheboygan County, is 10 miles to the south.
“We call it a ‘rural hamlet,’ ” Dirk Zylman, the Town of Mosel chair, told the Journal Sentinel in 2015. “My predecessor came up with that, and it kind of stuck.”
How many people live in Haven?
“You could almost go out and count them,” he said.
The population of Mosel in 1860 was 977. In 2018, it was 792. But the population isn’t the only thing that’s shrinking. The town has gotten smaller in size because land on the eastern end keeps sloughing off into Lake Michigan.
Some residents grumbled 20 years ago when Kohler Co. and Wisconsin Electric Power Co. agreed to a land swap, with Kohler getting the two-mile stretch along Lake Michigan that became Whistling Straits.
But they had to admit that a world-class golf course beat the alternative. At one point, there were plans to build a nuclear power plant on the land.
The two Whistling Straits golf courses were built on the site of Camp Haven, an anti-aircraft test range from 1949-59.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel contributed to this report.
Team Europe continues to score points for taking a lighthearted approach to the Ryder Cup.
There’s plenty to get serious about with the Ryder Cup fast approaching, but Team Europe continues to score points for taking a lighthearted approach to the competition, which starts Friday at Whistling Straits.
A released animation called “Out of context,” which mashes up a number of audio clips, has been getting rave reviews and even some of the players have commented.
Funny moments include a “ripper” from Bernd Wiesberger and Jon Rahm dancing shirtless atop a table while his chums cheer him on.
Golfweek’s Adam Schupak asked Rahm if the hilarious depiction was an accurate portrayal of his actions after the team’s win in 2018.
“No, but that’s what they want me to do this year if that were to happen. I mean, it’s not what I did, I can tell you the environment is not too far from that, OK,” Rahm said. “Now, nobody was on tables, shirt off; I certainly wasn’t. But the environment is somewhat similar. Some people were going just as hard that night celebrating, which I don’t blame them. It’s a stressful long year.
“When you are in an environment with no judgment, you’re not scared of anybody posting on Instagram, you can let yourself go a little bit and be vulnerable, and that’s the fun part of things like that.”
The European side has played all its cards correctly in the lead-up to the event, as the first foursome of players to take to the first tee Wednesday morning at Whistling Straits – Sergio Garcia, Shane Lowry, Tyrrell Hatton and Jon Rahm – were sporting Cheesehead hats, the calling card for the state known as America’s Dairyland.
As the pro-USA crowd roared its approval, the eight Europeans tossed the Cheesehead hats to assembled fans.
After three years, it’s finally here. It’s finally time for the intercontinental showdown between the United States and Europe. For the Americans, it’s time for revenge.
To put in bluntly, the U.S. team got their butts kicked in Paris, the last host of the Ryder Cup. The 2018 beatdown was led by Francesco Molinari, who became the first European Ryder Cupper to earn the maximum amount of points with a record of 5-0-0. His partner was just as responsible for the win. Tommy Fleetwood was 4-1-0 in his first Ryder Cup appearance, with his only loss coming in Sunday singles.
Europe took back the trophy, which the United States won at Hazeltine in 2016, with a 17½ to 10½ win.
Overall, Europe has won seven of the last nine Cups.
Golf course
Whistling Straits is built directly into the shores of Lake Michigan. Pete Dye perfectly designed this track to play challenging for all golfers, regardless of skill level, including the best players in the world.
Most recently, it was home to the 2015 PGA Championship won by Jason Day, his lone major victory.
It’s a par 71, playing around 7,400 yards, although that number will change day-to-day depending on how captain Stricker wants to set up the golf course. We’ve already seen videos showcasing the lack of rough.
This comes as no surprise, as the United States will want to take advantage of their length.
We’re going to experience major fall vibes in Wisconsin this week, as temperatures should hover in the upper 50s and low 60s. Watch out for USA and Europe beanies on display in the morning fourball sessions.
Key stats
Driving distance: It’s no secret this is a big golf course, and we now know the rough has been cut down to a point it’ll make minimum impact (aside from drives off the map). Because of this, players have to be willing to take off head-covers on almost every par 4 and 5.
Greens in regulation: Hazards lurk around every green at Whistling Straits, some of which you might as well bring a sleeping bag. Prioritizing hitting greens in regulation, sometimes over proximity, will be key.
Birdie or better percentage: In most cases, matches are won by making birdies. These guys can’t play scared, and may need to take some risks to match their opponents.
Data Golf information
Course Fit (compares golf courses based off the degree to which different golfer attributes — such as driving distance — predict who performs well at each course – DataGolf): 1. Torrey Pines, South (home of the Farmers Insurance Open, and the 2021 U.S. Open), 2. Accordia Golf Narashino CC, 3. Corales Golf Club
Trending (players ranked in accordance to recent finishes):
Team USA: 1. Bryson DeChambeau (last 3 starts: T31, 2, 7), 2. Patrick Cantlay (T11, 1, 1), 3. Daniel Berger (T56, T26, T11)
Team Europe: 1. Jon Rahm (3, T9, 2), 2. Rory McIlroy (T43, 4, T14), 3. Paul Casey (T5, T64, T38)
Ranking of important stats at Whistling Straits
DataGolf.com
As you can tell, driving distance matters around this track. Taking a look at the 2015 PGA Championship leaderboard – Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Tony Finau, and of course the winner Jason Day, finished in the top 10. Common denominator of those players: They can move it.
Full 2015 PGA Championship results of those playing in this year’s Ryder Cup*
Finishing position
Player
2
Jordan Spieth
T-5
Brooks Koepka
T-7
Dustin Johnson
T-10
Tony Finau
17
Rory McIlroy
T-18
Justin Thomas
T-25
Tyrrell Hatton
T-30
Paul Casey
T-43
Lee Westwood
T-48
Harris English
T-54
Sergio Garcia
*players who made the cut.
Strokes Gained rankings of all players on Team USA and Team Europe
These are over each player’s last 36 holes on the PGA Tour.
The last time the Ryder Cup was played on home soil, the U.S. hoisted the trophy. The time before, it took an absolute meltdown from the Americans during Sunday singles for them not to win.
I like them state-side.
Xander Schauffele – Top USA points scorer (+650)
It seems as though Schauffele will be paired with his good buddy Patrick Cantlay. At the 2019 Presidents Cup, the pair was 2-2-0. Due to other big names on the U.S. side, they will more than likely play a weaker tandem on the European team. The way Cantlay finished out the 2021 season, along with Schauffele’s ability to flip a switch, I’d look for Schauffele to have a big week.
Although this will be his first Ryder Cup, he’s seen some success in representing the USA – *cough cough*- the gold medal hanging from his neck.
Day 1 Foursomes, USA to win (+100)
Early morning, first Ryder Cup on home soil since 2016, with a crowd made up of nearly all Americans. Everything points to a quick start for the U.S..
At Hazeltine, the Americans swept the morning foursomes, 4-0.
Be on the look-out for more picks as the week goes on, especially when we know all 12 Sunday matches.
The 16th hole at Whistling Straits will prove most pivotal for a few reasons, and maybe none bigger than the order of where it sits on the course, as percentages say that many matches don’t make it to the 17th tee during the Ryder Cup.
There will be plethora of birdies with a few eagles mixed in assuming this hole plays similarly to how it did during the 2015 PGA Championship, where it was the easiest hole on the course, playing to an average of 4.62.
Standing on the tee of this 552-yard par 5, most players know they should be able to reach in two with the forecasted wind direction out of the west (from right to left), which adds a little extra pressure to hit the fairway. Playing well away from Lake Michigan which borders the hole down the entirety of the left side, captain Steve Stricker has opened up the right rough corridor to some 40 feet wide where the players can bail out short of the fairway bunkers.
The more difficult left side is flanked by numerous bunkers just waiting to catch the errant hook off the tee. A layup must be hit to a serpentine fairway where the line and distance must marry to offer the best option for the approach shot.
For those who are able to fire for the green in two, great scores await and players will be greeted by a fairway lie with the ball slightly above their feet which gives the best opportunity for a nice high draw into the green from 220-250 yards or more. To assist here, the green is similarly canted from right to left with two mounds protruding into the green from just right of greenside.
The Puttview yardage book for Whistling Straits’ Straits Course, site of the Ryder Cup (Courtesy of Puttview)
This allows the freedom to aim down the right side and away from trouble and allowing the natural contours to move the ball towards the hole as it bounds onto the putting surface. This avoids taking the risk of hugging the more dangerous left side of the hole, where it only gets more difficult the closer the player gets to the green.
All in all, there should be plenty of fireworks at the scoreable 16th.We just might see a few eagles to close out matches here accompanied with the traditional high-decibel roars we have become accustomed to over the years.
Steve Scott is the Director of Instruction for Golfweek and the author of the book “Hey, Tiger – you need to move your mark back,” released earlier this year (Skyhorse Publishing, $19.99). It’s available at movethatback.com. Aside from leading our lessons, Scott is also the PGA head golf professional at the Outpost Club, founder of the Silver Club Golfing Society and a PGA Tour Live analyst.
Whistling Straits, home of the 43rd Ryder Cup, is one of the most dramatic visual treats in golf.
HAVEN, Wis. – Whistling Straits’ Straits Course, home of the 43rd Ryder Cup on Sept. 24-26, is one of the most dramatic visual treats in golf.
Built by Pete Dye on the shore of Lake Michigan, the formerly flat site once housed a military base before the legendary designer trucked in some 13,000 loads of sand to shape an incredible vista of flowing dunes, fescue grass and incredibly difficult golf shots.
The Straits will play as a par 71 at 7,390 yards for the Ryder Cup. It’s normally a par 72, but the par-5 11th was shortened to a par 4 for the event.
Laura Davies is back in the booth for Sky Sports to cover her second Ryder Cup, this time at Whistling Straits.
Laura Davies, who at age 57 has made the cut in her last three LPGA starts, will be back in the booth this week for Sky Sports to cover her second Ryder Cup, this time at Whistling Straits.
The legendary player represented Europe in 12 Solheim Cups, including the first one in 1990, and served as a vice captain for Catriona Matthew in the last two Cups. The four-time major winner with 87 titles worldwide shows no signs of slowing down.
Golfweek recently caught up with Davies, who lights up the commentary box as well as she has the interview room for decades.
What’s your preparation like to cover a men’s event?
When I do features like I have the last two days, I do a bit of homework and make sure I know the facts on the various bits that I know I’m going to do. Just normally I react to what’s happening on the golf course in the coverage. It’s just a normal event, like a British Open. Obviously the guys hit it a lot farther, so you’ve got to be ready for the clubbing and bits like that. But really and truly golf’s golf, so you just talk about it.
What are your impressions of Whistling Straits?
I know these guys are so unbelievably good, but it just looks like a huge golf course. I know they were setting it up more for the Americans, lots of birdies, but I think if this wind keeps blowing, I’m not sure if it’s going to be a birdie-fest. Par could end up being pretty good on some of those holes.
I’m not sure you could set it up for either team really because these guys hit it so long now. It’s hard to say one team has an advantage on the actual style of the golf course to another.
Bryson DeChambeau of team United States speaks to the media prior to the 43rd Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits on Sept. 21, 2021 in Haven, Wisconsin. Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images
What do you make of the Bryson/Brooks feud?
To be honest, I don’t know much about it. I just know that they’ve had some sort of argument a year or so ago and it’s just kept bubbling on and bubbling on, I suppose. Certainly when it comes to the Ryder Cup, they should put their differences aside.
In fact, one of the features I did was if I was Steve Stricker what would my Friday morning foursomes be, and I put them together. There was a little bit of devilment in it, see what would happen. I actually think their games would be suited in foursomes. They’re both strong guys who like to hit drivers and try to overpower golf courses.
Only the American room would know if it’s a real rift and there’s no going back from it, or whether they can get out there and try and win a point for the team. … It was like a pure fantasy league thing, who would you put out.
If I knew that they weren’t that bothered about playing with each other, I think they would be a great team. That was the angle I was coming from. It certainly wouldn’t be to let them start punching it out on the golf course.
Seve Ballesteros with members of Team Europe during the 1991 Ryder Cup matches at Kiawah Island. (Photo by Simon Bruty/Getty Images)
Who’s your all-time favorite Ryder Cup player?
Seve, without a doubt. My favorite match ever, he actually lost it, was the one he played against Tom Lehman (in 1995) when Tom Lehman was one of the best players in the world. He led off for the Americans and the European captain put Seve out there knowing full well Seve was really struggling at the time with his game. Seve took him, I think, to 17. (Editor’s note: Lehman won 4 and 3.) He was hitting shots that were ridiculous. Bad shots to get him into to trouble, but the way he kept getting up and down and holing putts just to keep the match going on and on – that’s my most memorable Ryder Cup match.
What’s your early impression of Padraig Harrington as captain?
As you’d expect, quite analytical. He likes all the facts and figures. Obviously they’ve done all that, but then when the guys are here it sounds like he’s just kind of do their own thing. … in many ways like Beany (European Solheim Cup captain Catriona Matthew). Beany wasn’t analytical in any way, shape or form, but it looks like he’s just going to let them do what they do week in and week out, the stuff that got them here in the first place.
Members of Team Europe pose for a photo after winning the 2021 Solheim Cup at Invernes Club in Toledo, Ohio. Photo by Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
What do you think was the key to Europe’s success at the Solheim?
I just think we had the strongest team we’d ever had. From the No. 1 player, obviously you’d put that as (Anna) Nordqvist because she’d just won the Open, right to the rookies. … It was a pretty cohesive team and Beany was happy playing everyone at least twice, obviously before the singles.
I think the fact that she believed in them, they fed off that and I think they realized from the very early outset that we had a good chance of winning. Overall it was just a great team effort.
Who are you most looking forward to watch this week on both teams?
I’m curious about Bryson (DeChambeau). I want to see if he drives the first, because I think it’s definitely on. He just fascinates me the way he goes about it.
And European-wise, (Viktor) Hovland. It would be really nice to see if he’s as good as we all think he’s going to be in a Ryder Cup setting. Because obviously he’s never done it before, but he’s one of the best players in the world. It will be interesting for me to see if the Ryder cup pressure gets to him and he doesn’t perform. I don’t think it will, he plays with these guys week in and week out.
Maybe that first tee might scare him a bit, but these youngsters these days don’t seem to worry about that.
Laura Davies at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at the Atlanta Athletic Club. Photo by Adam Hagy-USA TODAY Sports
What’s your playing schedule for the rest of the year and how are you feeling about your game?
I’m very happy with the way I’m playing. My next two tournaments will be Atlantic City (ShopRite) and Founders, both in New Jersey, and then I’m going to play the Saudi event (Aramco Team Series), and there’s a chance I might go to Dubai the week before.
It’s still the putting that’s letting me down. It’s such a shame because my long game is really as good as it’s been for a very long time. … I made the last three cuts, I’m hoping to make the next two but also have at least one of those be a decent finish. A top 10 would be great.
Who’s your pick to win the Ryder Cup?
I would take a tie because that means we retain. I think the American team is very strong. If we could silence the crowd, we could definitely win it.
I would take a draw but you never know, we might just nick it anyway.
