Farmingdale (United States) (AFP) – United States captain Keegan Bradley said his team will not panic after falling three points behind Europe on day one of the Ryder Cup. Europe seized a 5.5-2.5 lead after the first foursomes and four-ball matches at Bethpage Black, with top-ranked Scottie Scheffler and Bryson DeChambeau each losing twice.
“We’ve got a long way to go and our boys are still in great spirits and excited to get back out there,” Bradley said. “We feel really confident about this lineup. We’re sticking to our plan. We’re not going to panic and make those sort of mistakes. We’ve got to just go out there tomorrow and make a few more putts and it’ll be a whole different story.”
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Europe won the first three matches on US soil for the first time in Cup history and humbled an American side that has not lost at home since the 2012 “Miracle at Medinah.” “We’ve got to come out and fight hard,” American Sam Burns said. “They’re all great players and they’re going out throwing punches and we’ve got to do the same tomorrow.”
Bradley told his golfers after a disappointing day to remember the event is only 25 percent complete. “The message to the team is things just got started. We still have a long way to go,” Bradley said. “We can just turn this thing around in one quick session. You go out and you try to win one session, then you try to win the next one. You don’t need to get all four points in one session.”
Bradley praised Europe, which had two wins by Jon Rahm and Tommy Fleetwood and a win and a tie from second-ranked Rory McIlroy. “The Europeans played great,” said Bradley. “It was really incredible to see the Europeans come into a hostile environment and go out there and perform the way they did. We have to go out and match what they do and make a few more putts.”
Bradley has no worries about Scheffler despite a day of struggles. “When you’re the number one player in the world, you have a day that maybe it wasn’t his best, normally you bounce back,” Bradley said. “We’re not worried about Scottie Scheffler. He has been in great spirits in the team room. He’s eager to get back out there tomorrow.”
DeChambeau said the “experience was great” but his results left him “pretty disappointed.” “I played good golf, just not good enough, and they made everything,” DeChambeau said. “Luck is on their side right now.” DeChambeau’s goals are simply to make more putts and improve his iron play. “I felt like I was clutch when I needed to be,” he said. “But there were so many putts that just didn’t go in for us that went in for them.”
After eight more pairs matches Saturday, the event concludes with 12 singles matches on Sunday. “We’re going to have to step on the gas tomorrow,” American Ben Griffin said.
© 2024 AFP
