By Amy Tennery
FARMINGDALE, New York (Reuters) -Scottie Scheffler’s Ryder Cup campaign got off to a rough start on Friday at Bethpage Black, as the world’s top-ranked golfer lost both his matches on the first day on his home turf and the U.S. team trailed Europe by three points.
Scheffler became only the third top-ranked player to lose twice on the first day of a Ryder Cup, following Ian Woosnam in 1991 and Tiger Woods in 1999 and 2002, in a blow to the U.S. team hoping to recapture the trophy on Long Island.
The four-times major winner got off on the wrong foot as he and rookie Russell Henley lost to Swede Ludvig Aberg and Englishman Matt Fitzpatrick 5&3 in the morning foursomes.
His luck did not improve in the fourball alongside J.J. Spaun, another Ryder Cup newcomer, against the sublime pair of Spaniard Jon Rahm and Austrian Sepp Straka, who prevailed 3&2.
The European team had the advantage 5-1/2 points to 2-1/2 points at the end of the first day.
“We gave ourselves plenty of opportunities. It really just came down to me not holing enough putts,” said Scheffler. “The guys just really turned it on on the back nine.”
A native of nearby New Jersey, Scheffler was considered one of the brightest hopes for the home team after another terrific year with six wins, including two major titles.
But his career record at the biennial showpiece slumped to 2-4-3 in his third trip to the Ryder Cup, drawing unflattering comparisons to Woods, another golf juggernaut with a losing Ryder Cup track record.
“Overall it was a good fight at the end, and we’ll come back out tomorrow,” he said.
(Reporting by Amy Tennery in Farmingdale, New York, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
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