Ryder Cup Day 1 Power Rankings

Day 1 is in the books on Long Island, a day in which Europe threw the first punches in both the morning and afternoon sessions to build an early 5.5 to 2.5 lead over the United States. Still, with a long way to go and 20 total points left up for grabs over the next two days, the U.S. is far from done.

Of course, it’s a team format, but it’s still the individual play that makes or breaks this event. On Day 1, it was a lot of underwhelming performances from the U.S., most notably Scottie Scheffler, the world #1, who went 0–2 and just didn’t look right.

Now true golf fans know he can flip it around in an instant, and chances are high he’ll come back tomorrow with a 2–0 sweep in his matches. But the pressure is mounting, and the team will be turning to its leaders to bring some juice into the morning.

Scheffler also wasn’t alone for the U.S. as Russell Henley, Sam Burns, Ben Griffin, Harris English, and Collin Morikawa all threw up duds. The bug wasn’t immune to Europe either, Robert MacIntyre, Shane Lowry, and Rasmus Højgaard all ghosted or even hurt their partners in their lone sessions, combining for an 0–2–1 record. But what about the guys who stood tall under Ryder Cup pressure? Let’s instead take a look at the cream of the crop from Day 1.

This one’s easy: Jon Rahm & Tommy Fleetwood combined for a 4–0 record and looked in control the whole day. Even in troubled spots, they fought back. Rahm takes the top spot, as he was the leader out of the gates in both sessions. With the crowd at its loudest, first against Bryson DeChambeau, then Scottie Scheffler, he stood tall, showing the golf world he is still one of it's bests.

Next up is Rory McIlroy. After a masterclass morning session, he did miss a couple of chances to secure the full point in the afternoon, but his teammate didn’t give him much help. He’s followed by the first Americans on the list, Xander Schauffele & Cameron Young. Both looked sharp and were part of Team U.S.A.’s only two full-point wins, I'd imagine they will be playing both sessions tomorrow. Then came the biggest surprise performance of Day 1: Matt Fitzpatrick. Coming in with a 1–7 career Ryder Cup record, he went out and helped Ludvig Åberg dominate the world’s #1 and #3.

After that top six, you’ve got guys who had flashes of brilliance, contributed to points, or had one rough session followed by a bounce back. One who probably sticks out is Bryson DeChambeau. He makes this list despite going 0–2 and falling to 2–5–1 all-time in Ryder Cups. Why? He got no help from his partners, plain and simple. He’s still not higher because he brought home no points and had a few loose moments he’ll want to tighten up on Day 2, which he will. Another big name here is Justin Thomas, who had an all-time bad morning, but bounced back in the afternoon and really found his game. He’s someone the U.S. will lean on if they want to cut into or take the lead tomorrow.

Overall was this a banner day for the Europeans on the road? YES. Is it over? Far from it people. As U.S. captain Keegan Bradley said postgame, this was just the first quarter. There’s still so much golf to play over the next two days. With all the talent on both sides, we could just as easily see the U.S. dominate Day 2 in similar fashion.

I’ll finish with this: if you weren’t entertained after this day of golf, I’m not sure you know ball. The shots, the passion, the pressure...it was all there, and I was glued to every tape-delayed shot USA Network gave us in-between their infinite commercial breaks. The Ryder Cup pressure is only going to get tighter, with a potential photo finish ahead of us Sunday.