Bryson DeChambeau faces Rahm and Hatton in epic first match as Ryder Cup Friday morning foursomes pairings announced

THE 2025 Ryder Cup is virtually upon us – and we now know who will play in the first session at Bethpage Black in New York on Friday morning.

And Bryson DeChambeau has been trusted to fire up the New York crowd by opening the tournament for the US.

American captain Keegan Bradley opted to play foursomes in the morning – where players take alternate shots – and fourballs in the afternoon.

Usually, the Friday morning pairings are announced at the opening ceremony on the Thursday.

But the horrendous weather saw organizers bring the curtain-raiser forwards by 24 hours.

And instead Bradley and European counterpart Luke Donald confirmed their picks live on the Golf Channel on Thursday afternoon before explaining their decisions in a press conference.

The Friday afternoon fourballs will be publicized towards the end of the morning session. 

But who did the captains pick for the Friday foursomes?

Well, Donald won the same opening session 4-0 in Rome two years ago.

And he sticks with two of the same pairs from that memorable morning.

That sees Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton stick together – as well as Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood.

Europe’s other pairs are Ludvig Aberg and Matt Fitzpatrick plus Viktor Hovland and Robert MacIntyre.

As for Bradley, he will send DeChambeau out first in a big statement of intent.

The huge hitter partners Justin Thomas in the opening match.

The remaining pairs are Scottie Scheffler and Russell Henley, Collin Morikawa and Harris English as well as Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay.

Play gets underway at 7.10am ET (12.10pm UK) on Friday – and it is a blockbuster opening match as DeChambeau and Thomas take on Rahm and Hatton.

World No1 Scheffler and Henley play Aberg and Fitzpatrick at 7.26am (12.26pm) then it is McIlroy and Fleetwood vs Morikawa and English at 7.42am (12.42pm).

And the final group to tee off, at 7.58am (12.58pm) will be Schauffele and Cantlay up against MacIntyre and Hovland.

It means Sam Burns, Ben Griffin, Cam Young and J.J. Spaun sit out for the US – while Europeans Justin Rose, Sepp Straka, Shane Lowry and Rasmus Hojgaard will watch the morning session.

Explaining his selections, Bradley said: “Bryson and Justin bring a spark to our team.

“Bryson has been an incredible teammate in the locker room, and we really want him to lead our team out with Justin on the first match.

“Besides the fact that Bryson’s a world-class player and one of our best players on the team, we wanted to send out a fiery group to lead us out with these fans that have been waiting 15 years to see this tournament play.

“Bryson just relishes these opportunities. He wants them. He’s one of these guys where you hear on a basketball team who wants the ball for the last shot. He’s one of those guys and so is Justin.

“Let’s not forget, Justin is the heartbeat of our team. They are to go out and be a really tough team to beat.”

Asked if DeChambeau has the green light to try and drive the green on the opening tee shot, Bradley added: “Yes, sir. Let him get up there.

“We want him to do what he does, and he got up there today and hammered one right in the in front of the green.

“Bryson thrives under this sort of atmosphere. For me when I would go out on these first tees, I would be very nervous and didn’t know what to expect.

“I see Bryson and I can see him walking out there just relishing the moment and relishing the chance to get up there and hit that shot.”

It would take a strike of around 365 to make the first green.

Whether DeChambeau – who wants to face rival McIlroy this week – will attempt to do so depends on the conditions.

The two-time Major winner said: “The first hole is definitely drivable if it’s downwind.

How to watch the 2025 Ryder Cup

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THE 45th Ryder Cup takes place from September 26-28 with the US team desperate to wrestle back the crown from Europe.

Scottie Scheffler and the American side will battle Rory McIlroy’s European team in New York.

The infamous Bethpage Black course will be the venue for the latest edition of the pulsating golf tournament.

NBC will broadcast the competition in it’s entirety in the United States.

Friday’s foursomes and fourballs will be live on USA Network from 7 am ET to 6 pm ET.

Saturday’s action will take place during the same hours live on NBC.

And Sunday’s singles will also be on NBC from 12 pm ET to 6 pm ET.

Fans can sign up to Fubo TV by CLICKING HERE and watch the Ryder Cup through NBC’s channels.

“Crosswind, into the wind, you have to have close to 200mph ball speed to get there.

“But if it’s downwind, I could definitely get the front edge if the conditions aren’t too soft.”

There were fears at Bethpage Black on Thursday when parts of the course were flooded.

SunSport footage showed the waterlogged 18th green after heavy rain which forced the teams to adjust their practice schedule – while the Junior Ryder Cup and opening ceremony were both moved around.

Donald was asked about mixing up his winning combination from the Friday morning at Rome, which also saw Aberg and Hovland plus Lowry and Straka win.

The European skipper said: “Two years is a long time. I have 12 really strong players and those guys match up well.

“I just think it’s our strongest eight to go in foursomes.

You want to get off to a fast start.

“We’ve talked a lot about the four times we have won away and we’ve done it in different fashions. So it’s not always imperative but it’s certainly nice to have.

“I have a hundred per cent faith in all 12 of my guys in terms of how they can handle the situation.

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“I like Jon as a leader going off first with Tyrrell. They have been a very strong partnership. Jon, 4-0 in foursomes over his history and 2-0 with Tyrrell.

“It’s a strong start for us, and we’ll need it.”