Saturday’s pairings for session three brought both excitement and scrutiny as Europe maintained their momentum against the United States at Bethpage. Captain Luke Donald chose consistency, sticking with the same foursomes pairings as Friday, while Keegan Bradley opted for minimal adjustments, keeping faith with three of his four duos.
The only American change came when Cameron Young replaced Justin Thomas, pairing with Bryson DeChambeau. Despite that adjustment, Bradley kept Harris English and Collin Morikawa together, even though they suffered a heavy 5&4 defeat to Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood. Critics highlighted their poor statistical ranking, but Bradley insisted: “We’re not going to panic. We have a plan.”
Europe thrived on Friday, claiming 1½ points in late matches and finishing three points ahead overall. Rory McIlroy described it as a great day, while Bradley tried to draw positives from a half point, emphasizing that only a quarter of the points had been played.
The atmosphere at Bethpage was anticipated to be hostile, but many European players embraced it. Jon Rahm, selected as a wildcard due to his LIV Golf commitments, led from the front with two points. Meanwhile, top-ranked Scottie Scheffler and DeChambeau both ended the day with two defeats, frustrating the home crowd. Fans even heckled Scheffler, urging him to show his world number one quality.
There were flashes of controversy: Robert MacIntyre had to back off due to heckling, and McIlroy appeared to react to the crowd at one point. Still, Donald praised his team’s composure. “It’s a tough environment,” he noted, adding that afternoon sessions became rowdier as fans enjoyed themselves.
The much-hyped first tee atmosphere failed to live up to expectations compared to Rome in 2023. Though 5,000 fans filled the grandstand, the noise drifted rather than thundered down. Despite the US trying to ignite energy with DeChambeau and Thomas draped in the American flag, Europe struck back quickly by winning early holes and securing the upper hand.
Even the arrival of President Donald Trump could not shift momentum. Europe’s dominance marked their strongest position on American soil in a generation, leaving the US team and supporters with tough questions heading into Saturday.
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