The 45th Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black is underway, with Team Europe leading Team USA 3-1 after the first session. It was a disaster for the Americans, as they try to avoid becoming the first road team to lose since 2012. After Team USA opened as the betting favorites, FanDuel Sportsbook quickly flipped the odds in favor of the Europeans.
After the first session concluded, Europe was a -135 favorite on FanDuel. That is after the Americans started as a -145 favorite on the first tee. After Bryson DeChambeau's drive and subsequent birdie on the first hole, not much went right for the Americans in any match.
Team USA did secure the final point of the session, with Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay winning two up. They benefited from poor drives on 17 and 18 from Robert MacIntyre and Viktor Hovland after blowing a lead on the back nine. That gave the Americans some momentum entering the second session.
Team USA opened the Ryder Cup as favorites for two key reasons. One was the home-field advantage, as no road team has lost since 2012. And even when Europe won at Medinah, it was one of the greatest collapses in history. Also, the Americans have some of the top players in the world as their depth pieces, but that did not matter on Friday morning.
History also says that the team that wins the first sessions wins the event. Team USA took the first session in the historic blowout in 2021, while Europe swept the opening session in 2023. The Ryder Cup is never over until Sunday, however, with 12 of the 28 points up for grabs on the final day. But teams with the lead usually close it out, which is where Europe finds themselves after one session.
The Ryder Cup features two more sessions on Saturday with the same format as Friday. Then, Sunday singles closes it out.
