2023 Ryder Cup schedule: US, Europe teams set Friday first-day matches, pairings, tee times

The 2023 Ryder Cup is nearing its start, and the Day 1 pairings and tee times are officially (finally) out about 12 hours before play begins. It’s worth noting that while Luke Donald went with some heavyweight pairings for the European side, Zach Johnson mixed it up a bit for the American team.

The surprise of the opening foursome session — which begins Friday at 1:35 a.m. ET — is that the longtime pairing of Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas did not play. The American super team of past Ryder Cups will sit back early as their teammates try to score some points at the start of the 44th Ryder Cup.

On the European side, everyone of note is playing; Europe is throwing everything it has at the Americans in the opening session. John Rahm and Tyrell Hutton will lead things off with Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood rounding out the session. Somehow, between those two groups, we get the dream pairing of Victor Hovland and Ludwig Aberg, which is legitimately terrifying.

Check out the foursomes for the first session on Friday morning. Watch the whole thing 2023 Ryder Cup TV Schedule and Viewer Guide So you can follow along all week and be sure to follow the 2023 Ryder Cup live scores and results from Friday through the day.

East at all times

2023 Ryder Cup Schedule

Day 1

Session 1 (four people): 1:35 am
Session 2 (Fourball): 6:25 am

Live TV coverage: 1:30 a.m. to noon on USA Network
Live Stream Online: 1:30 a.m. to noon Fubo (try it for free) and RyderCup.com

Four

Match 1 — Scheffler & Burns vs. Rahm & Hutton: The Americans were expected to play together at last year’s Presidents Cup, however, including a 0-2 foursomes record, mostly failed. Still, Scheffler remains the No. 1 player in the world and finished the last Ryder Cup the way he expected. Start This: By defeating Rahm. The juxtaposition of the volatile Rahm and the even more volatile Hutton is a joy to watch, but not without precedent. Those two played together at Whistle Straits, halving the four-ball tournament on Friday afternoon. Rahm is a perfect image for Scheffler and the guy you love when Marco Simone starts pitching on Friday morning. Prediction: Europe

Match 2 — Homa & Harman Vs. Hovland & Aberg: The American pair is not shocking, but a bit surprising. Still, it can work. Harman’s short game is magical, and both players are incredibly consistent from tee to green. It’s not hard to see them putting together a bogey-free round, but the question is whether it will be enough against the nuclear European duo. The two Scandinavians are the most interesting and funniest pair to come out of the quartet. Two of the four best drivers in the world over the last six months — useful in Marco Simone — it’s hard to overstate how good they are off the tee. This matchup, for me, is the most interesting on Day 1 because almost anything can happen. Prediction: USA (Dissatisfied)

Match 3 — Fowler & Morikawa vs. Straga & Lowry: These are surprising pairings for each side. Fowler & Morikawa both have similar games, they are both huge iron players who don’t get many strokes off the tee. For some reason, I didn’t even see the pair play together in the practice rounds this coming Tuesday and Thursday. However, they represent only one option on the American side because of who they are up against. Most believed that Justin Rose and Matt Fitzpatrick were paired with the four, which made sense on paper. However, Straga was also believed to play with the quartet, and Lowry is a natural fit. I didn’t know what to expect. Straga is a boom or bust but comfortable in design. Lowry has slowed down a bit this year but has played well of late. He played just four balls at Whistling Straits, so this will be his first foray into this format. Both guys are flushers with their irons, though, and this is the best quartet of iron players across the board. Prediction: USA (Closer)

Match 4 — Cantley & Schaffel Vs. McIlroy & Fleetwood: To no one’s surprise, Kantley & Schaffel will wrap things up for Americans. They won both quads at Whistling Straits and are an absolute lock to play this first session. Their story is a high floor but (relatively) low ceiling, which couldn’t be more perfect for four people, with a few birdies sprinkled in there. McIlroy & Fleetwood are a fascinating pair. Both were looking for new partners after Fleetwood didn’t work with Howland and Ian Poulter (Rory’s old partner) didn’t make this Ryder Cup team. The combination can be terrifying. McIlroy is obviously elite off the tee, but Fleetwood often returns to his form there. Both are very solid iron players and will play the four ball together with the amount of birdies they can make as a pair. Prediction: Europe

Big surprise: As for why Spieth and Thomas sit out, you can point to their 2-2 four-ball record against their 2-0 four-ball record at Ryder Cups. However, it was shocking for the American side not to see those two names early on.

“Well, the bottom line is we have 12 guys,” U.S. captain Zach Johnson said. “Unfortunately, I can’t play all 12 every session. So, at some point, someone has to sit out. It’s a golf course that demands a lot from you physically.

“It’s an ideal situation, you don’t want to play everybody in all five sessions. I’m not saying we’re going to do that, but you take everything into account. Not only that, but I put it down on paper that we feel we’re in a good position to obviously get eight guys off to a good start.”

It could be a data-heavy decision as the numbers pushed the pair to within four balls of the afternoon. It makes sense, and considering how much we’ve all complained about the lack of it in the last few Ryder Cups for America in Europe, it’s good to see some real foresight and planning going on. It’s amazing, absolutely, but Americans are trying to win the week, not the session. This is important, and should be borne in mind when the Ryder Cup starts on Friday morning.

Kyle Porter, Greg Ducharme and Patrick McDonald break the 2023 Ryder Cup. It’s the storylines and the best bets before the showdown at Marco Simone Golf Club. Follow First Cut On and listen Apple Podcasts And Spotify.