{"id":86666,"date":"2025-09-26T11:57:07","date_gmt":"2025-09-26T11:57:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/86666\/"},"modified":"2025-09-26T11:57:07","modified_gmt":"2025-09-26T11:57:07","slug":"rory-mcilroy-in-action-as-donald-trump-is-expected-on-site-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/86666\/","title":{"rendered":"Rory McIlroy in action as Donald Trump is expected on-site \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

On the first, Morikawa is out by no more than three feet, skittering through into the greenside fringe. It\u2019s stilla good chance for the US team. But what a shot from Tommy Fleetwood! Buried in the rough short of the green, he chunked out a stunning bump and run. Great chance for McIlroy from three feet. And he makes it! Europe go one up.<\/p>\n

DeChambeau\/Thomas 1Up v Rahm\/Hatton (3)<\/b><\/p>\n

Scheffler\/Henley AS v Fitzpatrick\/Aberg AS (2)<\/b><\/p>\n

English\/Morikawa v McIlroy\/Fleetwood 1Up (1)<\/b><\/p>\n

In the second match, Henley has redeemed himself with a stylish approach to 10 feet. Aberg has left his partner a good bit further away, finding the middle of the green around 30 feet from the hole. Fitzpatrick cosies it up to a foot but now Scheffler has this to draw level… And he does!<\/p>\n

DeChambeau\/Thomas 1Up v Rahm\/Hatton (3)<\/b><\/p>\n

Scheffler\/Henley AS v Fitzpatrick\/Aberg AS (2)<\/b><\/p>\n

Up on the third, DeChambeau tidies up from eight feet to halve the hole after Hatton left his second stone dead.<\/p>\n

DeChambeau\/Thomas 1Up v Rahm\/Hatton (3)<\/b><\/p>\n

Scheffler\/Henley v Fitzpatrick\/Aberg 1Up (1)<\/b><\/p>\n

Rory time. He stands up to the first tee, with boos raining down from the stands. And his drive is pretty good – in the rough just short of the green. If Tommy Fleetwood has good lie, that should be no problem. Harris English steps up and doesn\u2019t try to cut the corner, leaving Collin Morikawa a straightforward iron shot for his second.<\/p>\n

In the top match, both Rahm and DeChambeau have pulled their teee shots into the bunker on the left of the green. Down to Hatton and JT to fight it out from the sand. Thomas splashes out to eight feet.<\/p>\n

DeChambeau\/Thomas 1Up v Rahm\/Hatton (2)<\/b><\/p>\n

Scheffler\/Henley v Fitzpatrick\/Aberg 1Up (1)<\/b><\/p>\n

This is the face of a man who was up at 3am…<\/p>\n

\n

1st tee Bethpage….an attempted chorus of Rory, Rory breaks out. NY crowd not having it. USA USA. (and some not so polite) ..long day ahead for McIlroy. pic.twitter.com\/27jLZn0lQI<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Philip Reid (@philreidgolf) September 26, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Henley leaves his attempt three feet short on the first and so now Aberg can put Europe ahead if he holes his five-footer. And he does! Perfect start for Europe there.<\/p>\n

DeChambeau\/Thomas 1Up v Rahm\/Hatton (2)<\/b><\/p>\n

Scheffler\/Henley v Fitzpatrick\/Aberg 1Up (1)<\/b><\/p>\n

On the second, Justin Thomas doesn\u2019t capitalise on Bryson\u2019s brilliant approach, his 10-footer sliding by. Hatton got his putt to gimme range for Europe and the hole is tied.<\/p>\n

DeChambeau\/Thomas 1Up on Rahm\/Hatton (2)<\/b><\/p>\n

USA up in 1<\/b><\/p>\n

Scheffler has 148 yards to the pin out of the left rough – and he finds the middle of the green, a good 40 yards away. Matt Fitzpatrick has a much easier shot from the middle of the fairway and stitches it to four feet. Big chance for Europe in the second match.<\/p>\n

DeChambeau\/Thomas 1Up on Rahm\/Hatton (1)<\/b><\/p>\n

USA up in 1<\/b><\/p>\n

Up on the second, DeChambeau has is playing beautifully. He\u2019s hit a gorgeous second shot to 10 feet, whereas Rahm\u2019s appraoch has spun back to 27 feet. Europe with work to do.<\/p>\n

DeChambeau\/Thomas 1Up on Rahm\/Hatton (1)<\/b><\/p>\n

USA up in 1<\/b><\/p>\n

Perfect start for Team USA. They\u2019ve made a slightly weird choice with the second match though, leaving Russell Henley to take the tee shot ahead of Scottie Scheffler. He pulls one left into the rough. For Europe, Ludvig Aberg has hit a brilliant drive down to the area where Bryson his his. Possible dvantage Europe here.<\/p>\n

DeChambeau\/Thomas 1Up on Rahm\/Hatton (1)<\/b><\/p>\n

USA up in 1<\/b><\/p>\n

Rahm leaves his a foot short. Chance for DeChambeau. If he holes this, the place will go ballistic. It\u2019s around 18 feet, more or less on the line that Rahm just hit his… And he drains it!<\/p>\n

DeChambeau\/Thomas 1Up on Rahm\/Hatton (1)<\/b><\/p>\n

USA up in 1<\/b><\/p>\n

Hatton will actually have a decent line to the pin from over on the right, it just depends on what the lie is like. If the ball sits up for him, he can get this close.<\/p>\n

He caught it a bit thick so it landed on the fringe of the green and didn\u2019t really roll out. Leaves Rahm with a 20-footer for birdie.<\/p>\n

Thomas has a much easier shot but he makes a bit of a mess of it, leaving it a good 15 feet short of the hole. It\u2019s a putting competition now to see who takes the hole – Rahm v Bryson.<\/p>\n

Jon Rahm will hit the opening tee shot. And it\u2019s a nervy one, carved away into the right hand rough. Greeted by a huge roar from the crowd.<\/p>\n

Now DeChambeau – and he hits a stunner! Finds the fairway about 30 yards shot of the green. Advantage USA.<\/p>\n

Bryson and JT walk out of the tunnel draped in the stars and stripes. Eyeroll, eyeroll, eyeroll…<\/p>\n

Jon Rah and Tyrrell Hatton walk out to the usual chorus of boos. They don\u2019t seem overly perturbed. Nearly there now.<\/p>\n

\n

European crowd: [Here is a clever song we made up serenading our lads and poking cheeky fun at the boys from the U.S. of A, whom we delight in subtly tormenting.]<\/p>\n

American Crowd:
\ud83c\udfb5F— you, Rory! \ud83c\udfb5
\ud83c\udfb5F— you, Rory! \ud83c\udfb5
\ud83c\udfb5F— you, Rory! \ud83c\udfb5<\/p>\n

\u2014 Kevin Van Valkenburg (@KVanValkenburg) September 26, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Rough start to the morning for Philip Reid in New York, who sends us this dispatch…<\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cWell, the day can only get better. The fire alarm in the hotel went off at 3am which meant there was not fear of missing the 4.30am shuttle out to Bethpage Black \u2013 just over an hour away \u2013 for the first session of the Ryder Cup.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe scene is quite surreal in many ways, with the players involved in the opening session of foursomes all preparing under floodlights on the driving range and on the putting green.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlready, the grandstands beside the 1st and which also overlook the 18th green are packed . . . . and a sea of red \u2013 chants of USA, USA already underway \u2013 comes as little surprise for what is expected to be a wild, boisterous opening day.<\/p>\n

\u201cPresident Trump is due here after the foursomes get under way. He is scheduled to arrive shortly after 11am and will be by the first tee for the afternoon session of fourballs.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe USA are favourites but there is a sense within the European team that this is their time to break the duck of home wins. The last European team to win was at Medinah in 2012 and Jon Rahm \u2013 in the first foursomes pairing away with Tyrrell Hatton against Justin Thomas and Bryson DeChambeau \u2013 for one is convinced there is room for a second miracle, as he put it.<\/p>\n

\u201cDeChambeau has proven to a real showman in the build-up and it will come as no surprise that data shows he has hit more balls on the range this week than anyone. Bryson has hit 507 balls with Viktor Hovland \u2013 searching for his swing \u2013 hitting the next highest, some 356. The lowest amount of balls hit? That would be Justin Rose, just 84.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, we\u2019re nearly set to get underway…\u201d<\/p>\n

Opening tee shots are just 15 minutes away.<\/p>\n

And so here we are. The longest week in golf is almost at an end and the Friday of the Ryder Cup is here. <\/p>\n

We\u2019ll be with you all weekend, starting with opening series of foursomes matches. The first balls will be in the air at 12.10 Irish time.<\/p>\n

Key Reads<\/b><\/p>\n

The first tee on the first morning of the Ryder Cup has become a law onto itself over the years. The tension is hilariously off-the-scale at times, with players the most nervous they\u2019ve ever been. This particular first tee shot is one that will tempt players into shots they might not be that comfortable playing – it\u2019s a dog-leg right but if they overcut it, they\u2019ll put their partner in the trees. <\/p>\n

Already, you can feel the atmosphere building.<\/p>\n

Europe won the opening session 4-0 in Rome last time out. It ended a run of four Ryder Cups in a row where the US took the opening session. Both sides would be happy enough to go 2-2 here, I\u2019d imagine. <\/p>\n

Our man on the ground at Bethpage Philip Reid has just been on to say that the word is Donald Trump is going to park himself on the first tee for the afternoon matches later on. They\u2019re due to start at 5.25 Irish time. As if the whole thing wasn\u2019t enough of a circus already.<\/p>\n

Okay, so the first tee shots are about an hour away. It looks almost certain that Bryson DeChambeau will hit the first shot of the 2025 Ryder Cup. He\u2019s paired with Justin Thomas and the way Bethpage plays, the odd-numbered holes favour the bombers off the tee. So it will be a huge surprise if Bryson isn\u2019t the first man up – and possibly even a bigger one if he doesn\u2019t try to cut the corner and drive the green. That\u2019s the Ryder Cup – drama from the first time a peg goes in the ground.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the foursomes line-up for the opening session. All times are Irish.<\/p>\n

Match 1 (12.10):<\/b> Bryson DeChambeau & Justin Thomas (USA) v Jon Rahm & Tyrrell Hatton (Europe)<\/p>\n

Match 2 (12.26):<\/b> Scottie Scheffler & Russell Henley (USA) v Ludvig Aberg & Matt Fitzpatrick (Europe)<\/p>\n

Match 3 (12.42):<\/b> Collin Morikawa & Harris English (USA) v Rory McIlroy<\/b> & Tommy Fleetwood (Europe)<\/p>\n

Match 4 (12.58): <\/b>Xander Schauffele & Patrick Cantlay (USA) v Robert MacIntyre & Viktor Hovland (Europe)<\/p>\n