No repeat pairings on Day 1; Thomas, Spieth in for U.S.
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GUIDONIA MONTCELIO, Italy – After recording its first opening sweep in team history, European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald is making sure that all 12 of his players get on Marco Simone on Friday.
No pairing is the same for the Europeans in the afternoon fourballs, even after going 4-0 in yet another dominant start in the alternate-shot format.
Leading off for the Europeans is Viktor Hovland and Tyrrell Hatton, both of whom notched 4-and-3 victories in the morning, alongside Ludvig Aberg and Jon Rahm, respectively. They’ll face off against the much-heralded American duo of Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth, who sat for the opening session despite a 8-2 mark together in team competition.
Rahm, then, slots in the second pairing, with 22-year-old rookie Nicolai Hojgaard. They’ll face world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and Brooks Koepka, the latter of whom did not play in the morning.
Veteran Justin Rose will guide around Scottish first-timer Robert MacIntyre as they take on Max Homa (fresh off a 4-and-3 loss) and U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark.
Rory McIlroy will once again go off in the final pairing, this time alongside Matt Fitzpatrick, who is 0-5-1 in his Ryder Cup career. They’ll match up against Xander Schauffele and Collin Morikawa, the first time they’ve played together in team competition.
Sitting for the Europeans are Shane Lowry, Sepp Straka, Tommy Fleetwood and Aberg. On the bench for the Americans are Patrick Cantlay, Sam Burns, Brian Harman and Rickie Fowler.
Both teams are playing all 12 of their players on the opening day of matches.