A Rough Start for Collin Morikawa and Team USA at Ryder Cup

The Europeans dominate in the morning for a 3-1 lead, then extend the margin in the afternoon

Team USA's Collin Morikawa and Harris English pose with Team Europe's Rory McIlroy Tommy Fleetwood on the first tee. | Peter Casey-Imagn Images

UPDATED

Team USA dug itself an early hole at the 45th Ryder Cup on Friday morning, and Collin Morikawa could not help avert the Europeans’ dominant start at Bethpage Black in Famingdale, NY.

The Europeans added to a 3-1 lead in the afternoon four-ball session, pushing the margin to 5 1/2 to 2 1/2.

Morikawa and teammate Harris English lost 5 and 4 to Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood, part of a 3-0 surge out of the gate by the visitors in the foursomes competition.

The USA duo of Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schueffele salvaged a point by winning the final two holes for a 2 up victory over Robert MacIntyre and Viktor Hovland. Still, Europe took a 3-1 advantage into the afternoon four-ball event.

Morikawa was not part of the USA lineup in the four-ball event.

But he and English will get the chance to avenge their defeat when they face McIlroy and Fleetwood in the Saturday morning foursome session.

A 28-year-old Cal grad and former two-time major winner, Morikawa was chosen to the U.S. team by captain Keegan Bradley in part because of his performances in past international team events.

He was part of USA team triumphs at the 2021 Ryder Cup and the 2022 and ’24 Presidents Cup events.

But he and Harris were overpowered, winning just one hole while McIlroy and Fleetwood took command in the alternate-shot event by winning the first, fourth, fifth, sixth and eighth holes for a 5 up lead.

Collin Morikawa reacts after a missed putt on the second hole | Paul Childs-Reuters via Imagn Images

Even after Morikawa made a birdie to claim the ninth, it was over when McIlroy and Fleetwood pocketed No. 12 and the Americans couldn’t respond on the 13th or 14th holes.

Things went no better for two other American teams starting foursome play.

Justin Thomas and Bryson DeChambeau lost 4 and 3 to Tyrell Hatton and John Rahm, and Russell Henley and Scottie Scheffler fell 5 and 3 to Matt Fitzpatrick and Ludvig Aberg.

For Scheffler, the world’s top-ranked player, this was his latest struggle in foursome play at the Ryder Cup. At Rome two years ago he lost both of his matches in this format, including a 9 and 7 defeat (teammed with Brooks Koepka) to Aberg and Hovland, the most one-sided defeat in Ryder Cup annals.

Neither Scheffler nor DeChambeau scored a point for the Americans. Scheffler became the first world No. 1 since 1986 to lose both of his his first-day matches without reaching the 17th hole.

Four teams will engage in four-ball (best-ball) competition Friday afternoon, and Saturday will feature the same two rounds before all 12 players on each team duel in singles competition on Sunday.

The first team to score 14 1/2 points wins the Ryder Cup.

Europe is hoping to defend the title it captured in 2023 at Rome and become the first visiting team to prevail since it defeated the USA at Medinah Country Club in Illinois in 2012.

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