What happened on Day 1, and what it means for the rest of the Ryder Cup - ESPN

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. — The opening day of the 45th Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black sure seemed like the one in Rome two years ago.

The Europeans blitzed the Americans in the first two sessions at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club in 2023, and they did it again Friday in grabbing a 5.5-2.5 lead.

Riding the hot hands of Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood, the Europeans are in position to capture the Ryder Cup for the 11th time in the past 15 matches — and they'll be looking to end the home team's five-match winning streak as well.

The Europeans haven't won on U.S. soil since their 14.5-13.5 victory at Medinah Country Club in Illinois in 2012.

They need to take only 8.5 of the final 20 points available over the next two days to do it again.

Paolo Uggetti: Beyond the fact that the best players on the American side struggled, the expected home-crowd advantage that Bethpage Black was supposed to give the U.S. was not quite as impactful as expected.

Though most of the first-tee grandstand was packed as early as 5:30 a.m. and the energy for Bryson DeChambeau's opening shot was present, it took until the afternoon for the crowd to show its teeth. By then, the Europeans were up 3-1 and riding the momentum, and they were able to transition from quiet confidence into a kind of fire of their own every time they made a crucial putt in front of them.

«It gets louder as it goes,» Europe captain Luke Donald said. «You cross the road, and there's a lot of grandstands. There's a lot of hospitality. In the afternoon, maybe guys have had a couple more beverages. You know, it gets loud, and the guys handled it with absolute class and poise.»

No one did that more than McIlroy, who made several long putts in his afternoon four-ball match