- Team Europe established a 5.5-2.5 lead over the U.S. after the first day of the 2025 Ryder Cup.
- President Donald Trump attended the event, and Air Force One dramatically flew over the first tee.
- Despite a slow start, the crowd atmosphere became electric, with a notable and vocal contingent of European fans.
- U.S. captain Keegan Bradley faced scrutiny for his player pairings, particularly the decision to reuse an unsuccessful duo.
FARMINGDALE, NY – Before the sun barely rose above the tree line in the distance, the grandstand behind the first tee at the 2025 Ryder Cup was packed to the brim by 6:30 a.m. local time.
The atmosphere – promised to be electric, a Ryder Cup in New York, after all – was lacking in those wee hours of the morning. That eventually changed once the players headed out in the first foursome matches Friday morning.
From presidents to antics to potentially questionable decision-making by the U.S. captain, here are three takeaways from Day 1 of the Ryder Cup, which ended with the Europeans racing out to a 5.5-2.5 lead.
Welcome to the Ryder Cup, Mr. President
Two flyovers – one before each session – wasn’t enough, apparently. As Donald Trump landed on Long Island via Air Force One, the aircraft passed over the first hole to mark a one-of-a-kind spectacle.
Trump, accompanied by his granddaughter Kai (a high school senior committed to play golf at the University of Miami next year), predominately watched from behind a bullet-proof glass enclosure set up behind the first tee. He also left that area to get an up-close look of Bryson Dechambeau’s driver shot in the afternoon session.
When it came time for Scottie Scheffler and J.J. Spaun to tee off in the afternoon, Scheffler – who was complimentary of the president earlier in the week – pointed to the Commander in Chief and smiled while Spaun did his own rendition of the “Trump dance.”
“That was really a cool experience,” U.S. captain Keegan Bradley said. “Seeing an active President on the grounds of a Ryder Cup or at a golf event, what a cool thing. The flyover with Air Force One, I’ll never forget that the rest of my life. It was really cool.”
Crowd gets going … eventually (and New Yorkers aren’t even the best part)
OK, whoever decided comedian Heather McMahan would be the one to hype up the crowd before Friday’s action got underway missed there. The comedian and the golf fanbase weren’t exactly a mix, especially at that hour of the morning.
Maybe the expectations were too rosy for the effect the crowd would have on Team Europe. But they did not appear fazed at all throughout the day, despite some clever chirps from the crowd (the guy who threatened to cut Tommy Fleetwood’s hair almost took it too far).
But the crowd mix isn’t as in favor of the U.S. as originally thought. The Europeans traveled well for this event (there appeared to be a lot of fans from Sweden, interestingly enough) and their chants and demeanor make for a better atmosphere compared to anything the American crowd threw out there.
Keegan Bradley got – and is still being – too cute with it
Putting Russell Henley with Scheffler was certainly a choice, but the thinking that Henley’s approach game would pair well with Scheffler’s length off the tee was well-founded. But it certainly didn’t play out that way. But even more egregious was the Collin Morikawa-Harris English pairing. According to golf analytics site Data Golf, English and Morikawa ranked 132nd out of 132 possible optimal foursome pairings for a foursome session. They lost five holes on the front nine to Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood and their match ended after the 14th hole.
One would think that would give Bradley a moment of reflection when making his Saturday pairings. Instead, the captain is sending the duo back out – again against McIlroy and Fleetwood.
If at first you don’t succeed, try again, sure. But with only 20 matches left and the U.S. in a hole, the logic feels flawed.