Ryder Cup 2025: 9 Things to Know About Friday Afternoon Four-Balls

Friday afternoon Foursomes at Bethpage Black provided plenty of theater, with big wins, close matches and incredible play down the stretch.

At the end of the session, Europe is in front 5.5-2.5 over the United States, completing a rare road sweep to be only 8.5 points away from retaining the Ryder Cup. There's still plenty of points up for grabs, however, with two sessions on Saturday and the classic Sunday Singles.

"We've only played 28 percent of the points. This is the first quarter," U.S. Captain Keegan Bradley said. "We've still got three quarters to go. I've got a lot of faith in my boys."

Added European Captain Luke Donald: "The guys grinded to win the session again this afternoon [Friday]. That's another tick in our box, and I'm very happy where we are."

Here's a few interesting facts and tidbits from the Friday Foursomes, courtesey of Elias Sports Bureau, to serve as a primer for Saturday:

• The Europeans have won each of the last six Ryder Cups in which they had a lead at the end of Day 1. The last time they did not win under that scenario was in 1999, when they led 6-2 after the first two sessions.

• Cameron Young, paired with Justin Thomas in Four-Balls, won his Ryder Cup debut today, 6&5. The last American to win his first ever Ryder Cup match by a margin of six or more holes was Phil Mickelson in 1995. Paired with Corey Pavin, Mickelson won his first match, 6&4, in Four-Balls.

  FARMINGDALE, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 26: Cameron Young of the United States celebrates on the 13th green during the Friday afternoon four-ball matches of the 2025 Ryder Cup at Black Course at Bethpage State Park Golf Course on September 26, 2025 in Farmingdale, New York. (Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images)

• Under the current 28-point format, only one team has overcome a 5.5 - 2.5 deficit (or worse) to win a Ryder Cup. That was Ben Crenshaw’s American squad in 1999 at The Country Club which trailed 6-2 at the end of two sessions.

• The only players ranked No. 1 in the world to lose twice on the first day of a Ryder Cup are Ian Woosnam (1991), Tiger Woods (1999, 2002)...and now Scottie Scheffler (2025).

• The team that has led at the end of the second session has won each of the last five Ryder Cups.

• Rory McIlroy is 6-1-1 over his last eight Ryder Cup matches, dating back to his singles match in 2021. It is the best stretch of his Ryder Cup career. Just prior to this spree, McIlroy lost five Ryder Cup matches in a row, spanning parts of 2018 and 2021.

  FARMINGDALE, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 26: Rory McIlroy of Team Europe reacts after making an eagle putt to win the seventh hole during the Friday afternoon four-ball matches of the 2025 Ryder Cup at Black Course at Bethpage State Park Golf Course on September 26, 2025 in Farmingdale, New York. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

• Dating back to his Singles victory over Tiger Woods at the 2018 Ryder Cup and including both of his matches on Friday, Jon Rahm has suffered just one loss over his last 12 Ryder Cup matches (8-1-3). The last player, for either side, to have one or zero losses over a span of 12 Ryder Cup matches was Ian Poulter, who went 11-1-0 from 2008-2012.

• After his two victories Friday morning, Tommy Fleetwood has a career record of 9-3-2 at this event. His 10 points are among the most among European players through their first 14 Ryder Cup matches. The only others with at least 10 points through 14 matches are José María Olazábal (10-2-2, 11 points), Ian Poulter (11-3-0, 11 points), Justin Rose (9-3-2, 10 points), Nick Faldo (10-4–0, 10 points) and Sergio Garcia (9-3-2, 10 points).

• The European side has not won the cumulative Four-Ball competition in any given Ryder Cup since 2010. Since that time, the United States has held an advantage four times and there were two ties. Overall, the Americans are 24-17-7 in Four-Ball play since the start of the 2012 Ryder Cup.