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The 2023 Ryder Cup is about to begin, and with nearly 12 hours to go, Day 1 and tee times are officially (and finally) out. Most importantly, Zach Johnson mixed it up a bit for the US team, while Luke Donald weighed in for the European side. The surprise of the opening four - which starts at 1:35 on Friday - is that there will not be a long match between Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas. The US senior team from the previous Ryder Cup sits early as their teammates try to score points at the start of the 44th Ryder Cup. In Europe, almost all the important people are playing; Europe is throwing everything it has at the US in open negotiations. Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton lead things forward with Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood closing out the event. And somehow in both teams we also got the dream duo of Viktor Hovland and Ludvig Aberg, which is amazing. Here's a look at the first four games on Friday morning. Stay tuned for more updates on every competition. The 2023 Ryder Cup is about to begin, and with nearly 12 hours to go, the two groups and tee times for Day 1 are officially (and finally) out. Most importantly, Zach Johnson mixed it up a bit for the US team, while Luke Donald weighed in for the European side. The surprise of the opening four - which starts at 1:35 on Friday - is that there will not be a long match between Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas. The US senior team from the previous Ryder Cup sits early as their teammates try to score points at the start of the 44th Ryder Cup. In Europe, almost all the important people are playing; Europe is throwing everything it has at the US in open negotiations. Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton lead things forward with Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood closing out the event. And somehow in both teams we also got the dream duo of Viktor Hovland and Ludvig Aberg, which is amazing. Here's a look at the first four games on Friday morning. Stay tuned for more updates on every competition. All Time East 2023 Ryder Cup Time Day 1 - Four TIME USA EUROPE Match 1 (1.35) Scottie Scheffler & Sam Burns Jon Rahm & amp; Tyrrell Hatton Match 2 (01:50) Max Homa & Brian Harman Viktor Hovland & Ludvig Aberg Match 3 (02:05) Rickie Fowler & Collin Morikawa Sepp Straka & Shane Lowry Match 4 (02:20) Patrick Cantlay & Xander Schauffele Rory McIlroy & Tommy Fleetwood Match 1 -- Scheffler & Burns vs. Rahm & Hatton: These Americans are expected to play together because they did so much in last year's President's Cup, although many of them fell short, including 0-2 in four games. However, Scheffler is the No. 1 player in the world and ended the Ryder Cup the way he hoped to start it: beating Rahm. The combination of the volatile Rahm and the volatile Hatton was a crowd pleaser, but not before. The pair played together in the Whistling Straits, half of the four-a-side football tournament on Friday evening. Rahm is a great way for Scheffler and the guy you want to lead on Friday morning when Marco Simone starts to shake. Prediction: Europe Match 2 - Homa & Harman vs. Hovland & Aberg: The American race is not a surprise, but it is a surprise. However, it can work. Harman's short game is magical and both players are very consistent from tee to green. It is not difficult to see them complete the round without a bogey, but the question is whether it will be enough against the two big European countries. The two Scandinavians are the most interesting and funny couple of the four faces. It would be hard to overstate how good they are - two of the top four drivers in the world in the last six months - which benefits Marco Simone. This game was the most interesting on the first day for me because almost everything happened. Prediction: USA (Upset) Match 3 -- Fowler & Morikawa vs. Straka & Lowry: These are mutual benefits for all parties involved. Fowler & Morikawa has a similar game because they are both big players who don't get many shots off the tee. For some reason, I didn't see these two coming even though they played together on Tuesday and Thursday in the playoffs. However, they also only represent the interests of the United States because of who they are against. Most people believe Justin Rose and Matt Fitzpatrick are ready for the fourth round, and that makes sense on paper. However, Straka is also believed to play at the four, and Lowry is seen as a suitable fit. I'm not sure what I'm getting at. Straka is big or jib, but comfortable in space. Lowry has been down a bit this year, but he's been better lately. He only played four games at Whistling Straits, so this was his first appearance in the system. However, both men are in iron and this is probably the best four iron players on the table. Prediction: USA (Close) Match 4 -- Cantlay & Schauffele vs. McIlroy & Fleetwood: Well no one is surprised, Cantlay & Schauffele returned to America. They won all four at Whistling Straits and were a lock to play for the first time. Their story is a high floor but (relatively) low ceiling, which couldn't be better for four places where you want bird after bird. McIlroy & Fleetwood is an interesting pair. Both are looking for new partners after Fleetwood did not work with Hovland and Ian Poulter (Rory's former partner) did not make the Ryder Cup team.
