Team Europe leads 6.5-1.5 after day one of the 2023 Ryder Cup thanks to a plethora of stunning performances by players in blue.
Ludvig Aberg, Matt Fitzpatrick, Shane Lowry, Sepp Straka, and Tommy Fleetwood claimed victory from their solitary outings while Rory McIlroy went one better with two wins from two.
But Jon Rahm was arguably the stand-out player of the day courtesy of 1.5 points from his two matches - including an extraordinary fightback in his fourballs clash on Friday afternoon that featured two eagles in his final three holes.
Viktor Hovland and Tyrrell Hatton also contributed 1.5 points from a pair of sessions to put Europe in full control overall, while valuable half-points were recorded by Robert MacIntyre, Nicolai Hojgaard, and Justin Rose - the latter of whom ensured Team USA failed to record a victory all day.
RYDER CUP 2023 PLAYER POINTS - TEAM EUROPE
McIlroy was the only player to win two points on day one at Marco Simone
- Rory McIlroy: 2/2
- Jon Rahm: 1.5/2
- Viktor Hovland: 1.5/2
- Tyrrell Hatton: 1.5/2
- Ludvig Aberg: 1/1
- Matt Fitzpatrick: 1/1
- Shane Lowry: 1/1
- Sepp Straka: 1/1
- Tommy Fleetwood: 1/1
- Robert MacIntyre: 0.5/1
- Justin Rose: 0.5/1
- Nicolai Hojgaard: 0.5/1
While Europe enjoyed a seemingly endless supply of good fortune in the Eternal City on day one, Team USA may have felt like they were fighting lions in the colosseum at times.
Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas combined to put the Americans ahead late on in the top match, only to end with a half against Hovland and Hatton. Brooks Koepka and Scottie Scheffler were unable to put Rahm and Hojgaard away - thanks in the main to the Spaniard’s brilliance - while Max Homa and Wyndham Clark were unable to seal the deal against Rose and MacIntyre.
RYDER CUP 2023 PLAYER POINTS - TEAM USA
Collin Morikawa was one of two players to lose both their matches for Team USA
- Jordan Spieth: 0.5/1
- Justin Thomas: 0.5/1
- Brooks Koepka: 0.5/1
- Wyndham Clark: 0.5/1
- Scottie Scheffler: 0.5/2
- Max Homa: 0.5/2
- Rickie Fowler: 0/1
- Brian Harman: 0/1
- Patrick Cantlay: 0/1
- Sam Burns: 0/1
- Collin Morikawa: 0/2
- Xander Schauffele: 0/2
The Ryder Cup day two pairings are out so we will have to wait and see who picks up more points on Saturday.
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