By dawn’s early light, thousands of golf fans at the Ryder Cup in New York are holding their breath.
The grandstands around the first tee were packed to capacity well before the sun peaked out over the eastern horizon and a full hour before Bryson DeChambeau and Justin Thomas will lead out the charge for team USA against Europe’s Jon Rahm and Tyrell Hatton in the opening foursomes.
The sunrise is breathtaking, hues of orange and pink splashed across the skyline, gradually illuminating the first tee box and the arena for what is notoriously one of the most intense scenes in all of sport. The players will be here in just a few minutes, hearts pounding out of their chests with nerves.
Meanwhile, a DJ is warming up the crowd with some thumping tracks. House of Pain and I Will Survive feel like apt choices for the Ryder Cup.
Team USA captain Keegan Bradley and Team Europe captain Luke Donald have set the pairings for today’s opening session of the 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black.
Americans Bryson DeChambeau and Justin Thomas will take on Europe’s Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton in the first foursome match scheduled to tee off at 7:10 a.m. ET.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and Russell Henley will partner up for the US and face off against Ludvig Åberg and Matt Fitzpatrick in match two at 7:26 a.m. ET.
Collin Morikawa and Harris English will square off against Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood in the third match at 7:42 a.m. ET.
To cap off the early session, Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay will play against Robert MacIntyre and Viktor Hovland at 7:58 a.m. ET.
Friday and Saturday morning will be the time for foursomes, a format in which teams of two take alternate shots of the same ball until each hole is complete.
For example, Scottie Scheffler could tee off, but his American playing partner would be the one playing from wherever the world No. 1’s drive landed. Teammates alternate hitting tee shots, so Scheffler’s partner would begin the next hole.
Whichever pair finds the cup in the fewest strokes wins that hole, with the hole tied if both teams manage it in the same number of strokes. The winner of the most holes clinches the match and a point for the overall scoreboard, with a tied match rewarding each side with half a point.
You may see results listed like “won 4&3,” which would – in that case – mean a pair was four holes up with three holes to play and, as a result, could not be caught.
Scheffler and Brooks Koepka made unwanted history in Italy two years ago when they were obliterated 9&7 by Scandinavian duo Viktor Hovland and Ludvig Aberg, the largest margin of victory for any 18-hole match in Ryder Cup history.
Launched in 1927, the Ryder Cup is a biennial tournament that pits the best golfers from the United States and Europe against each other in a battle for bragging rights and a shiny gold trophy.
Winning away is no easy feat. Team USA’s defeat in Italy extended their winless run across the pond to a minimum of 34 years, while Team Europe have not tasted victory on American soil since a comeback for the ages in Illinois back in 2012.
Ryder Cup scoring is a little more nuanced.
While regular season events like The Masters run according to stroke play – whereby the player who navigates the course in the fewest number of ball hits triumphs – the Ryder Cup is a three-day match play competition.
That means players are competing to “win” individual holes, rather than shoot the lowest overall score across the course. Win more holes than your opponent across an 18-hole match and you score a point for your team. If the match ends in a tie, each team receives half a point.
With 28 total points up for grabs – eight apiece for foursomes and fourballs sessions across the first two days, and 12 for each Sunday singles matchup – the first team to nudge past the 14-point mark is crowned champion.
In the rare event of an overall tie, the trophy is retained by the previous champion.
The stage is set for one of the most highly anticipated Ryder Cups in recent memory.
Team USA and Team Europe are set to face off against one another at Bethpage Black, widely considered one of the most difficult golf courses in the world. While the word from some of the players is that this monster of a course is less difficult than it has been in past years, it’s expected that one of the most hallowed courses in the world has some tricks up its sleeve.
Play is expected to begin at 7:10 a.m. ET with the morning alternate shot foursomes. In the afternoon, there will be another round of four-ball play.
Follow along with CNN Sports for live coverage from Bethpage Black all weekend at the 45th Ryder Cup.