Photo courtesy of Montana Pritchard/PGA of America
Here are notes from Day One of the Ryder Cup where the U.S.A. has jumped out to a 6-2 lead over Europe! Notes are researched by the Elias Sports Bureau!
- Day 1 of the Ryder Cup format has consisted of two sessions since 1961. Over that time, Friday marked the first time that there were no repeat pairings from the morning to afternoon sessions on the first day.
- Xander Schauffele becomes the seventh American rookie in Ryder Cup history to earn two points on Day 1, joining Tom Watson (1977), Lanny Wadkins (1977), Gardner Dickinson (1967), Bobby Nichols (1967), Arnold Palmer (1961) and Billy Casper (1961). The last European rookie to do that was Tommy Fleetwood in 2018.
- Schauffele, through 32 holes played, is yet to trail in a match in his young Ryder Cup career. Over the last 30 years, the only other player to begin his Ryder Cup career with a streak as long as Schauffele’s is Phil Mickelson, who did not fall behind until his 34th hole in 1995.
- Only once previously had Team USA earned at least 3 points in each of the first two sessions on Day 1 of a Ryder Cup. The Americans won 3-1, 3-1 over the first two sessions at Royal Lytham & St. Annes in 1961 enroute to a 14½ – 9½ victory. The last time that either team earned 3 or more points in each of the first two sessions was in 2004, when Team Europe went 3½-½, 3-1 at Oakland Hills on its way to a 18½ -9½ blowout victory on foreign soil.
- This is the seventh time that a team has earned 6 or more points on Day 1. The only time that a team failed to win the Ryder Cup after earning six or more points on Day 1 was in 1999 at The Country Club, when Team Europe led 6-2 after Day 1 and 10-6 after Day 2. The last time the American side had six or more points after Day 1 was in 1975 at Laurel Valley GC, when they won the first two sessions, 4-0 and 2½ – 1½.
- Dustin Johnson, the top-ranked American player in the OWGR (#2) went 2-0-0 on Day 1. The last time the highest-ranked player on the U.S. team earned two points on the first day of the Ryder Cup was in 1995, when Corey Pavin (then #7) won both his matches on the opening day.
- American rookies went 6-0-2 (.875) on Friday. It’s the highest winning percentage by rookies on either side on the first day of a Ryder Cup since 1977, when Team USA rookies went 7-0-1. The players in 1977 were Lanny Wadkins (2-0-0), Tom Watson (2-0-0), Hubert Green (1-0-0), Jerry McGee (1-0-0) and Ed Sneed (1-0-1).
- Eleven American players earned at least half a point on Friday. That matches the single-day record for Team USA (Day 1, 1977). Twice have 12 European players earned at least half a point on the same day (2006, Day 1 and 2010, Day 3 of 4).