2023 Ryder Cup Day 2 Preview: U.S. Will Try to Close Deficit in Foursomes

The U.S. trails 6.5-1.5 after the first day of the 2023 Ryder Cup. Here are the matchups for the Saturday foursomes session, which the U.S. needs to win convincingly.

ROME — The U.S. Ryder Cup team can’t waste any time on Saturday, as any big rally will start with the morning foursomes session at Marco Simone Golf Club. U.S. captain Zach Johnson is putting out his best to try and get some momentum.

After a record-tying 6½ to 1½ lead after the first day of the Ryder Cup, Europe is firmly in control.

And it gets to play a format it dominated on Friday morning, going 4–0 to build momentum and stun the Americans, who were never in it. They never led a match, and were never even tied after any hole following the fourth.

The afternoon was a bit better for the U.S., as it was tied or held leads in three matches going to the 18th hole, only to come away with just a tie in all of them. The U.S. so far has not earned a single victory.

Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas will play in the first match on Saturday for the U.S / USA Today

So Johnson has put out veterans Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth against Europe’s Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood, who won their foursomes match Friday. Thomas and Spieth sat out the morning and earned a tie against Viktor Hovland and Tyrrell Hatton in fourballs.

Scottie Scheffler and Brooks Koepka, who also played to a tie Friday afternoon, will get Hovland and Ludvig Aberg—who also won their foursomes match on Friday.

Next is Max Homa and Brian Harman, who lost while playing together Friday morning. They will face Shane Lowry and Sepp Straka.

And the U.S.'s historically best foursomes team of Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele will take on Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton in the last match of the session.

Cantlay and Schauffele lost at foursomes for the first time Friday after going 5-0 in the format in previous Ryder Cups and Presidents Cups.

"I think they have every right to be frustrated, number one," Johnson said of his team. "Number two, what I've seen so far, I mean, granted, I've been doing some other work, but I've seen some guys, and basically what we've come up with is, once we leave here, it's done. And they are essentially leaving right now, so it's done.

"Today's done, and there's more opportunity out there. 28 percent-ish of a tournament is done, so we've got 72 percent left. That is a lot of opportunity, which makes for I would say just an ability to go out and show off and show the true character of this team, which I've been very proud of since the very beginning."

Europe now just needs eight points to win the Ryder Cup. The U.S. team will need 12½ points to retain.

After Saturday’s foursomes, there will be four afternoon four-ball matches, with 12 singles matches on Sunday.

Foursomes matches:

7:35 a.m. (1:35 a.m. ET): Rory McIlroy/Tommy Fleetwood (Europe) vs. Justin Thomas/Jordan Spieth (USA)

7:50 a.m. (1:50 a.m. ET): Viktor Hovland/Ludvig Aberg (Europe) vs. Scottie Scheffler/Brooks Koepka (USA)

8:05 a.m. (2:05 a.m. ET): Shane Lowry/Sepp Straka (Europe) vs. Max Homa/Brian Harman (USA)

8:20 a.m. (2:20 a.m. ET): Jon Rahm/Tyrrell Hatton (Europe) vs. Patrick Cantlay/Xander Schauffele (USA)