The United States’ effort to end a three-decade drought in Europe met a nearly impenetrable wall on Day 1 as the Europeans took an historic 6.5 to 1.5 lead through two sessions at the 2023 Ryder Cup in Rome. Europe swept the morning foursomes session 4 to 0 and then erased three U.S. leads in afternoon four-ball, turning what might have been a 5 to 3 edge into the more commanding 5-point lead at day’s end.
While the Americans have hoisted plenty of international trophies on their home soil, they have failed to win a Ryder Cup hosted in Europe since 1993. In order to do so while facing such a deficit, the U.S. will need to win 65% of the remaining matches to claim victory or 62.5% to retain the trophy in a tie. Given the atmosphere, the incredible play of Euro golfers like Jon Rahm and Viktor Hovland and the Americans’ seeming inability to make big shots, that is going to prove a difficult task.
There was a radical shift in the American roster this year given the play of certain golfers this season creating unexpected automatic qualifiers on the team. Ultimately, the United States appeared to enter deeper from top to bottom, but Europe brought the three hottest players into the event: Rahm, Hovland and world No. 2 Rory McIlroy. It will be up to some U.S. stalwarts like Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth to pick up the red, white and blue after it failed to win a single match Friday.
Whether the Americans can claw back into this Ryder Cup remains to be seen. They will need to win at least two matches outright in morning foursomes to even have a shot, and after being swept in the first session Friday, that seems wholly unlikely.
No matter how it shakes out, though, this Ryder Cup should continue to be exciting over the final two days. Ryder Cup crowds are notoriously rowdy, and this group in Rome has been no different through two sessions of eight matches.
Here’s a look at the complete Ryder Cup schedule of events along with viewing information so you can watch all the action from through the weekend.
Need a refresher? Our 2023 Ryder Cup format, rules and scoring breakdown has everything you need to know so you can follow along with this truly special sporting event.
All times Eastern
2023 Ryder Cup TV schedule
Day 2 — Saturday, Sept. 30
Session 3 (foursomes): 1:35 a.m.
Session 4 (four-ball): 6:25 a.m.
Live TV coverage: 1:30-3 a.m. on USA Network | 3 a.m. to noon on NBC
Live stream online: 1:30 a.m. to noon on fubo (Try for free) and RyderCup.com
Day 3 — Sunday, Oct. 1
Session 5 (singles): 5:35 a.m.
Live TV coverage: 5:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on NBC
Live stream online: 5:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on fubo (Try for free) and RyderCup.com