Jon Rahm will face Xander Schauffele again at Bethpage. He will do so this Sunday in the singles of the Ryder Cup. Third consecutive duel between them. They faced each other in Saturday’s foursome, with Hatton and Cantlay as partners, and repeated in the afternoon in the fourball, this time alongside JJ Spaun and Sepp Straka. One point each. Jon won the first and Schauffele the second. Thus, this Sunday they can break the tie.
The first news is that Rahm is not facing Scheffler. Jon and Scottie have dueled in the singles of the last two Ryder Cups. It must be a relief for both, as they lost years of life in the previous encounters. The other news is that Jon and Schauffele will face each other in the sixth match of the day, so it wouldn’t be unreasonable for the man from Barrika to secure the winning point. Given the location and the current Ryder score (11.5 to 4.5), it fits quite well.
The twelve singles matches of the 2025 Ryder Cup are as follows. The first will start at 18:02, Spanish peninsular time, and the last at 20:03. Rahm will start at 18:57. Matches will begin every eleven minutes.
– Cameron Young Vs. Justin Rose
– Justin Thomas Vs. Tommy Fleetwood
– Bryson DeChambeau Vs. Matthew Fitzpatrick
– Scottie Scheffler Vs. Rory McIlroy
– Patrick Cantlay Vs. Ludvig Aberg
– Xander Schauffele Vs. Jon Rahm
– JJ Spaun Vs. Sepp Straka
– Russell Henley Vs. Shane Lowry
– Ben Griffin Vs. Rasmus Hojgaard
– Collin Morikawa Vs. Tyrrell Hatton
– Sam Burns Vs. Robert MacIntyre
– Harris English Vs. Viktor Hovland
Thus, Keegan Bradley has placed his best players at the start of the session, trying to win the first points and cling to some hope of a comeback, while Luke Donald has been able to play a bit more with his golfers, although he has also placed almost all the heavyweights among the first six. The European captain wants to resolve it quickly.
On the American side, Cameron Young is recognised as their best player of the week, as well as the early presence of Justin Thomas and DeChambeau, two of the players who can make the most noise in their matches. Tough task there for Fleetwood and Fitzpatrick who will be in front.
Donald, on his part, has placed Justin Rose in charge of operations, the calm man, the veteran, a good guide to calm nerves and steady emotions, as well as Fleetwood in the second position.
Chance has it that Scheffler and McIlroy, the two best players in the world, face each other in the fourth match of the day. It wouldn’t be crazy to see Rory scoring the decisive Ryder point, undoubtedly a dream come true for the Northern Irishman.
Schauffele will be Jon Rahm’s third different opponent in the singles of the Ryder Cup. The first was Tiger Woods in Paris, with a memorable victory for the man from Barrika, and the next two were Scheffler, with a defeat at Whistling Straits and a draw in Rome in a memorable duel.
Finally, it’s interesting that Ben Griffin and Rasmus Hojgaard, the two golfers who have only played one point in this Ryder Cup, face each other in the singles. They can get the thorn out of each other. In the last match of the day, Viktor Hovland and Harris English face off. We’ll see if Hovland can play the match. Initially, it seems so, although he was a last-minute withdrawal from Saturday’s fourballs due to neck discomfort.
If McIlroy defeats Scheffler, he will tie Seve Ballesteros in Ryder Cup points. He couldn’t do it against a better opponent and in a better setting.
