Team USA’s Ryder Cup hopes stumbled early as they fell behind Europe 5.5-2.5 on Friday, with their top player struggling under heavy expectations. Scottie Scheffler not only lost both his foursomes and fourballs matches but also set an unwanted Ryder Cup record.

Scheffler arrived at the 2025 Ryder Cup as one of the most in-form golfers in the world. With six PGA Tour wins this year, including two majors, he is the favorite on the greens of Bethpage. But his performance did not help in retaining this reputation.

Since September 2021, he’s won just 22% of his matches (2 of 9) in the Ryder Cup. At the same time, during the same duration, he again won 22% of the events he played (19 of 116). His last six matches in the Ryder Cup have yielded just one point.

At the 2023 Ryder Cup in Rome, Scheffler’s struggles were already evident. He and Sam Burns lost their opening foursomes match 4 & 3 to Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton, then later halved a fourball with Brooks Koepka against Rahm and Nicolai Højgaard.

Fast forward to 2025 at Bethpage Black, and similar issues have resurfaced. On Friday, Scheffler and Russell Henley opened with a 5 & 3 defeat to Ludvig Åberg and Matt Fitzpatrick, and in the afternoon fourball, he partnered with JJ Spaun but fell 3 & 2 to Rahm and Sepp Straka, marking the worst Friday showing by a world No. 1 since Tiger Woods at The Belfry in 2002.

“We hit a lot of nice shots and made it hard for them today, which was good,” Scheffler said, “but we just didn’t make enough putts early on.”

The afternoon fourball with JJ Spaun could have offered a chance to bounce back, but Scheffler faltered again. Trailing early, he failed to seize the straws of opportunities. The match ended in a 3 & 2 defeat to Rahm and Sepp Straka. And with it, Scheffler tied Tiger Woods‘ Ryder Cup struggles.

Woods ended his Ryder Cup career at 13-21-3, and Scheffler appears headed down a similar path. Despite his dominance on the PGA Tour, Scheffler has struggled to translate that success to the Ryder Cup.

It was the worst Friday showing by a world No. 1 in 23 years, confirming pre-event concerns about Scheffler’s form. Frustrated, he admitted he had chances but failed to capitalize. For the U.S. to mount a comeback, they’ll need a stronger performance from him, especially in foursomes, where his struggles have been most evident.

In 26 holes with various partners, Scheffler is 14 down. This back-to-back inconsistency with records might point towards a bigger question of a solid performance.

American writer Alex Miceli told BBC Radio that Scheffler’s foursome performance was “atrocious.” “His foursome play is just atrocious and there’s really no explanation because you see the guy winning tournament after tournament after tournament.” Two years ago, Scheffler broke down in tears after an overwhelming defeat in Rome. Friday at Bethpage Black offered no such redemption.

On the flip side, if Scheffler is breaking unwanted records, then on the European team, another player might be looking to break a historical one.

Rory McIlroy might be closing in on Ryder Cup history

Rory McIlroy arrived at Bethpage Black with 18 career Ryder Cup points and added one more on Day 1. This total of 19 puts him within striking distance of some major milestones in Europe’s all-time Ryder Cup scoring charts.

If he scores 22 points, he will surpass Jose Maria Olazabal (21.5) and claim seventh place in Europe’s charts. McIlroy would just need 2.5 points from his remaining four matches. Moreover, three wins and a half would tie him with Seve Ballesteros (22.5), who is in 6th place overall.

McIlroy’s Friday performance — morning foursome win with Tommy Fleetwood (5&4)and afternoon fourball tie with Shane Lowry — means he is on a clear path to rewriting history. If he delivers a strong showing in Saturday’s matches, McIlroy could not only climb Europe’s career points leaderboard but also make a serious run at the single-Cup record.