SAINT-QUENTIN-EN-YVELINES, France — Jim Furyk has spent four days watching his team play loose and confident, two key ingredients he hopes will allow the Americans to end 25 years without winning the Ryder Cup away from home.
He can only hope that’s what he sees when the shots at Le Golf National really count.
“What would make me nervous?” Furyk said Thursday on the eve of the matches. “If I showed up in the morning and guys had a look on their face that made me nervous. I don’t usually see that with this group.”
Flags were raised, anthems were played and the partisan cheers began Thursday to signal the end of a hype and anticipation of a Ryder Cup featuring two of the strongest teams the U.S. and Europe have presented at the same time.
Now it’s time to play.
“I believe in this team, one through 12,” European captain Thomas Bjorn said.
Furyk chose to send off Ryder Cup rookie Tony Finau and three-time major champion Brooks Koepka in the opening fourballs match Friday against Justin Rose and rookie Jon Rahm. He also broke up the Jordan Spieth-Patrick Reed partnership that had delivered five points in seven matches over the last two Ryder Cups.
Instead Spieth gets to play with one of his best friends, Justin Thomas, a relationship that took root in France more than a decade ago when both wore American colors in the Evian Junior Masters.
“Very familiar with each other’s games – have been for, shoot, over 10 years now,” Spieth said. “So it’s going to be really exciting to be able to look at him on the first tee and kind of remember where we’ve come from, and we’re both here.”
Reed gets his hero – Tiger Woods – in the anchor match.
“We both feel like we’re playing well, and we want to go out there and represent our country the best,” said Reed.
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