FARMINGDALE, N.Y. — And now, a brief Ryder Cup history lesson.
At the 2021 event at Whistling Straits, Jon Rahm played in the opening match of the opening session. His partner was Sergio Garcia. Rahm and Garcia won their match, and the first point for Europe.
At the 2023 event in Rome, Jon Rahm played in the opening match of the opening session. His partner was Tyrrell Hatton. Rahm and Hatton won their match, and the first point for Europe.
That brings us to the present, where Friday morning the 2025 event at Bethpage Black will begin with a morning foursomes session. As of this writing the pairings have not been released—that’s still to come Thursday afternoon. But as showers pelt the course, players pop in and out of the interview room, and speculation swirls about how captains Keegan Bradley and Luke Donald might set the U.S. and European lineups, one piece of the puzzle seems straightforward, and that’s Jon Rahm in the opening match of the opening session, hitting the first tee shot for Europe. The question is, will he try to go for the green on the 397-yard par 4?
“Depends on the wind,” he said less than 24 hours before this Ryder Cup kicks off. “If it’s into the wind, it’s a driver regardless, and downwind, it will most likely be a driver. I don’t think I’ve thought of a different club to be fair. I don’t know if I can get to the green, though.”
Rahm’s first shot may not carry the pyrotechnics of some of his competitors (Bryson DeChambeau has been out here riling up fans while trying to drive that green during his practice sessions), but make no mistake: he’s the guy U.S. players least want to see on Friday morning, which is why he’ll absolutely be on that first tee waiting for them.
He’ll be paired with his friend Tyrrell Hatton, where in Rome they teamed up to go 2–0 in foursomes (a.k.a. alternate shot) which will be used first on Friday. Rahm is in fact 4–0 in foursomes across his three Ryder Cup appearances, but his bond with Hatton is particularly special. They started out as teammates on the 2018 Ryder Cup team in Paris, where they were essentially strangers before a friendship evolved.
“I don’t think Tyrrell and I said a word to each other in Paris ’til Sunday night. We both together might have said 10 words all week,” Rahm said. “And obviously in Whistling Straits, that changed a little bit. We got paired together. We have similar interests. We both at the time were playing Call of Duty; I think we were the only two on the team that had ever played. We had some shared interests in that sense and played golf with the same intensity.
“And then going into Rome that week is when I think our friendship really started. He’s a heck of a guy. He is one of the funniest people you’ll ever meet off the golf course who is not afraid to make fun of himself.”
Rahm and Hatton carried that bond to their respective moves to LIV Golf. They celebrated together when Hatton learned that he’d made this European team, a night that Hatton previously detailed and Rahm confirmed but claimed wasn’t as tough for himself: “Luckily I have a bigger tank to put it in,” he said of the array of cocktails he shared with his friend.
But as inevitable as Rahm and Hatton may seem today, Europeans may want to enjoy them this week—Bethpage could well be their last Ryder Cup ride together. Because they jumped to LIV Golf, Europe’s home DP World Tour has fined them for skipping its events. Rahm and Hatton have appealed those fines, and while it lies tangled up in court it has effectively kicked the can beyond this week’s event. Over the next two years, it’s possible those appeals are denied, and Rahm and his wingman are off the squad.
All of that is for another time. On this day, Rahm is full speed ahead as a team stalwart who’s ready to face the U.S.—and a New York crowd—Friday morning.
“It’s a joy to play in front of them, and no matter what, I’m looking forward to it. It’s going to be special,” he said of the fans. “You can mentally get ready for it if you’ve been a part of an away Ryder Cup. If not, you’re going to find out on the first tee how you react.”
