2018 Ryder Cup: Friday morning session results
The Ryder Cup is underway, with Team USA and Team Europe trading blows at every hole. Here’s how the morning fourball session ended out, setting the stage for the rest of the week’s drama.
Fowler & Johnson def. McIlroy & Olesen, 4 & 2
Rickie Fowler and Dustin Johnson drew first blood in a match that started slow and turned into a rout. On the European side, Thorbjorn Olesen ended up carrying Rory McIlroy, who turned in an unexpected terrible effort. McIlroy didn’t have a single birdie all day and didn’t claim a single hole for Europe; meanwhile, Fowler and Johnson, after giving up one hole, won five of the next eight to put the first flag on the board for the United States.
Total current score: USA 1, Europe 0
Koepka & Finau def. Rose & Rahm, 1up
This was a straight-up robbery. Tony Finau and Brooks Koepka didn’t lead at any point until the final hole, and vultured away this win from one of Europe’s top teams even going down two points. Key moment: Finau’s miracle bounce on 16, which kicked from a piling onto the green:
THAT was a heck of a bounce, Mr. Finau.#GoUSA pic.twitter.com/LHG56SjLn0
— Ryder Cup USA (@RyderCupUSA) September 28, 2018
Total current score: USA 2, Europe 0
Jordan Spieth & Justin Thomas def. Paul Casey & Tyrrell Hatton, 1up
This match looked like it was going to be a rout coming out of the gate, with Spieth putting like a fiend to put the Americans up 3 holes. But Casey and Hatton flipped the match with three straight hole wins from 11 to 13. Thomas won the 15th hole, and that lead stood up as the match wrapped on the 18th green.
Total current score: USA 3, Europe 0
Francesco Molinari & Tommy Fleetwood def. Tiger Woods & Patrick Reed, 3&1
Well. This one wasn’t quite expected to go this badly. Molinari and Fleetwood traded punches with Woods and Reed but absolutely took control on the back nine, winning five of the final seven holes to take the match on the 17th green and give Europe its lone point of the morning.
Total current score: USA 3, Europe 1
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Jay Busbee is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at jay.busbee@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter or on Facebook.
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