USA falters as DeChambeau-Thomas duo stumble in Ryder Cup opener at Bethpage

The United States opened the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black with a setback on Friday morning, as Bryson DeChambeau and Justin Thomas were defeated in the first session by Tyrrell Hatton and Jon Rahm, 4&3.

The loss gave Europe the first point and set a difficult tone for the Americans, who had hoped their early bravado would energize the home crowd. DeChambeau and Thomas started on the first tee, but Hatton and Rahm climbed back into the match, and by the eighth hole they had taken a lead that would hold. Hatton and Rahm turned the match around by going from one down on the 6th to 1 up on the eighth.

Bethpage’s atmosphere was unusually hushed for a bear-pit setting, with a flyover and scattered noise failing to sustain a roar around the first tee. There were isolated moments of heat from the crowd, including a spectator who shouted “Get some cardio” at Bob MacIntyre during his match, and others who mocked or jeered at various moments. Yet the longer the match wore on, the more Europe seemed to control the tempo and the scoreboard. Rahm and Hatton pulled away as the Americans struggled to find a rallying point, with DeChambeau and Thomas never recapturing the early momentum they had hoped to ignite.

Hatton and Rahm turned the momentum decisively by the sixth hole, moving to 1 up by the eighth, and they stretched their lead as the morning progressed. DeChambeau’s game showed flashes—he birdied the 14th and pumped his fist when he believed the energy would swing the crowd—but Rahm answered with a 10-foot putt at the 15th to halve the hole and keep Europe 3 up with three to play. The prematch bravado had given way to a day that European pair looked unruffled and confident in their lead. Thomas, for his part, missed a number of short putts, and the public display of intensity did not translate into a turn in the scoreboard.

Behind the scenes, the atmosphere around the Americans reflected the mounting tension. Captain Keegan Bradley appeared anxious as he surveyed the blue-dominant scoreboards that suggested trouble for the U.S. team early in the day. Bradley was not alone in the gallery: basketball legend Michael Jordan appeared by the seventh or eighth hole, riding in a golf buggy down the hill, while Zak Brown, the McLaren CEO, watched from a nearby vantage point. The presence of high-profile figures underscored the high-stakes nature of the morning and the pressure on the American side to generate a rallying moment.

DeChambeau’s exit from the scene was as symbolic as it was practical. After a mis-hit at the 15th that found the left-side rough, DeChambeau hopped onto a golf buggy and drove away down the steep slope from the 15th green, away from the cheers and jeers, in search of his and the team’s fortune for the rest of the weekend. The moment encapsulated the mood: a mix of bravado fading into urgency as the Americans sought an emotional lift from elsewhere on the course. Thomas apologized to DeChambeau after a missed short putt on the 15th, a quiet acknowledgement that the day’s momentum had gone Europe’s way and that redemption would need to wait for another session.

In the larger context of the Ryder Cup, the opening morning left Europe in command. Hatton and Rahm’s victory was part of a broader pattern in which the U.S. trailed in several early matches and could not convert chances to swing momentum in the team format. The day’s imagery—DeChambeau’s dramatic exit, Bradley’s anxious concession, and the presence of Jordan and Brown—emphasized how the event blends competitive pressure with spectacle. For the Americans, the objective now shifts to regrouping after a challenging start and rallying around the rest of their lineup in the remaining sessions to prevent a deficit from becoming insurmountable.

The Ryder Cup schedule continues with more foursomes and four-ball matches later Friday, as the U.S. seeks to convert the lessons from Bethpage into a deeper, steadier performance. Europe, buoyed by Hatton and Rahm’s early success, will aim to maintain the momentum and extend their lead as the weekend unfolds. The result of the morning session established a clear objective for the Americans: find rhythm, communicate sharply, and convert opportunities with the crowd in mind as the competition resets on the next green.