European captain Luke Donald has made a bold decision for the Ryder Cup, opting for two heavyweight pairings as he aims for a fast start in Friday's opening session against the United States in New York. Notably, Rory McIlroy from Northern Ireland and England's Tommy Fleetwood will reunite, a duo that proved highly effective during Europe’s victory in Rome two years ago. Together, they won both their foursomes matches, contributing two crucial points to the team’s success.
Additionally, Spain's Jon Rahm and England's Tyrrell Hatton have also been selected to kick off Europe’s quest for its first win on American soil since 2012. This pairing is significant as they, too, emerged victorious in both matches during the last Ryder Cup. Donald emphasized the need for a strong start, stating, “Rahm and Hatton have had a lot of success together. They know how to win, they get along very well, and we're very happy to get them out first.”
On the other side, American captain Keegan Bradley has chosen to send out Bryson DeChambeau, who missed the defeat in Rome but has now emerged as a talisman for the U.S. team. DeChambeau will pair up with Justin Thomas in the first group at Bethpage Black. Bradley noted, “With foursomes, you have to factor in personalities. Golf balls are really important too, and analytical data is super helpful. So much info can help us. Everyone really wanted to play with each other, and we had to narrow these down.”
Continuity has been a cornerstone for the European team as they strive to break the trend of dominant home victories at this biennial event. Donald received a second consecutive term after proving to be a popular and successful captain during the last Ryder Cup in Rome. Remarkably, 11 of the 12 players who contributed to that victory are returning. However, Donald has opted not to replicate the same four pairings that propelled Europe to a 4-0 lead at the Marco Simone Golf and Country Club.
Notably, Sweden's Ludvig Aberg and Norway's Victor Hovland have been split up. Aberg will partner with Matt Fitzpatrick, while Hovland will team up with Scotland's Robert MacIntyre. Meanwhile, Ireland's Shane Lowry and Austria's Sepp Straka will sit out of the opening session. Rookie Rasmus Hojgaard, who replaced his twin brother Nicolai, will also have to wait for his chance.
Donald reflected on the evolving nature of players, saying, “It’s two years ago, Rome, players evolve, players change, their profiles change, and you're looking at personality match-ups. We have so many options that it's really quite fun as a captain. But we know the US are going to be strong. They’re strong in foursomes. They have some amazing partnerships there, and we wanted to bring our best as well, and this is what we feel is our best.”
Both captains understand that success in the foursomes format has historically been a reliable indicator of overall outcomes in recent Ryder Cups. For instance, at Whistling Straits four years ago, the U.S. took the opening foursomes 3-1, leading to a record 19-9 victory. In 2016, they won the Friday foursomes session 4-0 at Hazeltine, a lead from which Europe never truly recovered.
In closing, Donald stated, “I've been preparing for 21 months for this. We understand the task at hand; we understand how difficult it is to win away, but we have done it—winning four times since 1987 compared to the U.S.'s one win away. So it has been done, and we will certainly draw on those experiences as we move forward.”
