McIlroy, Fleetwood to lead out unchanged Europe in Saturday foursomes

Rory McIlroy partners Tommy Fleetwood again but this time leads out an unchanged European foursomes line-up; Watch day two live on Saturday from 6am on Sky Sports Golf ahead of first tee shot at 6.35am

By Ali Stafford in Rome

Last Updated: 30/09/23 7:41am

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Andrew Coltart questions Team USA’s preparation ahead of the Ryder Cup, as David Howell says they have been humbled following a dominant European display on Friday.

Rory McIlroy will lead out Team Europe in the Saturday foursomes as Luke Donald’s side look to build on their historic start to the Ryder Cup in Rome.

Donald has elected to stick with the same pairings who won all four matches in Friday’s foursomes at Marco Simone GC, the first time in Ryder Cup history Europe have swept the opening session, which helped the hosts move into a commanding 6.5-1.5 advantage.

McIlroy, who won both his matches on Friday, will once again partner Tommy Fleetwood – having claimed a 2&1 victory on the opening morning – as they face Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas at 6.35am BST on Saturday morning.

Europe extend Ryder Cup lead after Hovland and Rahm heroicsLatest Ryder Cup scores and tee times | Opening day as it happenedStream Ryder Cup and more with NOW for £21 a month for six months

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Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood reflect on their 2&1 win over Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay at the Ryder Cup in Rome which gave Team Europe a Friday foursomes whitewash over Team USA.

Brooks Koepka replaces Sam Burns as Scottie Scheffler’s foursomes partner, with the major-winning duo taking on the all-Scandinavian pairing of Ludvig Åberg and Viktor Hovland, with Shane Lowry and Sepp Straka reunited against Max Homa and Brian Harman.

Jon Rahm switches from the top match to the bottom having won 1.5 points on Friday, with Tyrrell Hatton reuniting as his foursomes partner to face Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay.

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Jon Rahm was on brilliant form for Team Europe as he partnered Tyrrell Hatton to beat Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns 4&3 during the Friday foursomes at the Ryder Cup in Rome.

It means that Matt Fitzpatrick sits out for Europe, having claimed the first Ryder Cup point of his career alongside McIlroy in the fourballs, with Justin Rose, Robert MacIntyre and Nicolai Hojgaard also left out of the morning session for the second day running.

Burns is joined on the sidelines for Team USA by Wyndham Clark, Collin Morikawa and Rickie Fowler, with Zach Johnson’s side failing to win a single match on the opening day for the first time in the tournament’s history.

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Viktor Hovland produced some stunning shots on the way to partnering Ludvig Aberg to a 4&3 victory over Max Homa and Brian Harman.

Friday foursomes matches (all BST)

0635 Rory McIlroy (NIrl) and Tommy Fleetwood (Eng) vs Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth

0650 Viktor Hovland (Nor) and Ludvig Åberg (Swe) vs Scottie Scheffler and Brooks Koepka

0705 Shane Lowry (Irl) and Sepp Straka (Aut) vs Max Homa and Brian Harman

0720 Jon Rahm (Esp) and Tyrell Hatton (Eng) vs Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay

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A Jon Rahm putt gave Team Europe a 1-0 lead at the Ryder Cup as he partnered Tyrrell Hatton in a 4&3 victory against Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns in Rome.

Donald: We’ll never underestimate the USA

Europe’s five-point lead after the opening day equals the largest in Ryder Cup history, leaving Donald’s side eight points away from regaining the trophy and leaving Team USA with an uphill task if they’re to end their 30-year drought on away soil.

Team Europe captain Luke Donald: “I’m incredibly proud. What they did, getting us off to a 4-0 start, is unheard of against this strong American team.

“It was tough this afternoon, really hard going… we showed so much grit and determination to turn it around. We’ll never do that [underestimate the US]. They’re too strong. We saw that two years ago [at Whistling Straits]. Each day it’s about trying to win the next session.”

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Luke Donald praised his team’s performance on the first day of the Ryder Cup as they notched five match victories across foursomes and fourballs.

Team USA captain Zach Johnson: “Today’s done and there’s more opportunity out there. 28 per cent-ish of a tournament is done, so we’ve got 72 per cent left.

“That is a lot of opportunity, which makes for, I would say just an ability to go out and show off and show the true character of this team, which I’ve been very proud of since the very beginning.”

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What happens next?

The Saturday fourballs action is then set to begin at 12.25pm (11.25am BST), although it could be pushed back slightly, with 15 minutes between each match and the final game beginning at 1.10pm (12.10pm BST). All 24 players will then be involved in the Sunday singles, with the opening match starting at 11.35am in Italy (10.35am BST).

Ryder Cup 2023 tee times

Day 2 (Saturday) – 4 Fourballs

12.25pm Fourball (Match 13)12.40pm Fourball (Match 14)12.55pm Fourball (Match 15)1.10pm Fourball (Match 16)

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A look at the best of Matt Fitzpatrick in the Friday fourballs, including three consecutive birdies and a brilliant eagle on route to a dominant win with partner Rory McIlroy.

Day 3 (Sunday) – 12 Singles

Match 17 tees off at 10.35am with players teeing off every 12 minutes.

Who will win the 2023 Ryder Cup? Watch exclusively live this week on Sky Sports! Live coverage from day two begins on Saturday from 6am, ahead of the first tee time at 6.35am. Stream the Ryder Cup and more for £21 a month for six months with NOW.