Europe Roars Early — Ryder Cup Live: Europe Leads, Drama at Bethpage and Full TV Guide to Watch Every Shot

Ryder Cup live: scores, standings, format, pairings, TV/streaming guide and how to watch every session from Bethpage Black — full 2025 leaderboard & schedule.

Ryder Cup Live

The 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black has roared to life: Europe took an early 3–1 lead in Friday morning foursomes, pairings and tee times are set, and every major U.S. and international broadcaster is rolling out comprehensive coverage — here’s a full live guide, scoreboard, schedule, format explainer and where to watch every shot.

What this article covers (so you can jump to what you need)

• Live scoreboard & how scoring works (foursomes, fourball, singles)
• Key headlines from the opening sessions at Bethpage Black (Europe leads 3–1 after morning foursomes)
• Full Ryder Cup 2025 schedule, tee times and pairings (Fri–Sun)
• TV & streaming guide: where to watch in the U.S. and worldwide (NBC/Peacock/Golf Channel, USA Network, Sky Sports, Viaplay, RyderCup.com)
• How the formats (fourball/foursomes/singles) work and why pairings matter
• Who’s playing: full team lists and notable captain’s picks (Europe & U.S.)
• Best ways to follow live scoring, leaderboard apps and official feeds
• Common FAQs (how many points to win, how tiebreakers work, what channel is Ryder Cup on today)
• Authoritative sources and further reading

Live scoreboard & the current situation (the essentials)

At the morning foursomes (alternate-shot) session Europe stormed out of the blocks, posting a 3–1 lead over the U.S. after four matches — including early wins by the Rahm/Hatton and McIlroy/Fleetwood pairings. The final match in the morning (Schauffele/Cantlay vs. MacIntyre/Hovland) went to the Americans but it wasn’t enough to turn the tide. Keep this live scoreboard bookmarked for real-time updates: PGA Tour / ESPN / RyderCup.com all provide live leaderboards with hole-by-hole scoring.

Why that matters: the Ryder Cup is 28 points total. Europe needs 14 points to retain the Cup; the U.S. needs 14.5 to reclaim it. An early 3–1 lead is meaningful because momentum and pairings psychology matter hugely in matchplay.

 

Format refresher — how Ryder Cup scoring & sessions work

If you’re new to the Ryder Cup or need a quick refresher before you watch:

• Total points: 28 points across three days.
• Friday & Saturday: two sessions per day — foursomes (alternate shot) in the morning and fourball (better ball) in the afternoon (exact order can swap depending on year). Each session contains 4 matches: 4 + 4 = 8 per day.
• Sunday: 12 singles matches (one match per player), each worth 1 point.
• Win requirement: visiting team needs 14.5 points to win the Cup; the defending side needs 14 to retain. If the final score is 14–14, Europe retains the Cup (they won in 2023). (Golf)

Quick format notes:

• Foursomes (alternate shot): teammates play one ball alternately — player A tees off on odd holes, player B on even (or vice versa) — the single best score of the pair is used vs. the opponents’ single ball.
• Fourball (better ball): both players play their own ball; the better (lower) score of the two counts for the hole.
• Singles: head-to-head one-on-one matchplay.

Understanding these formats is essential — foursomes reward chemistry and complementary games, fourball often produces birdies and volatility, while singles is where champions are made and where comebacks often happen. (Golf Monthly)

Key headlines from Friday morning at Bethpage Black

• Europe jumped to a 3–1 lead by winning three of the four morning foursomes matches — Rahm/Hatton, Aberg/Fitzpatrick and McIlroy/Fleetwood all posted wins. The Schauffele/Cantlay pairing salvaged one point late. That early advantage is a major psychological swing for Team Europe. (Golf Monthly)
• Top U.S. pairing choice: Keegan Bradley sent out Bryson DeChambeau and Justin Thomas to open for the USA — a crowd-pleasing, high-energy pairing designed to set the tone. They faced Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton in the opening match. Despite DeChambeau/Thomas’ firepower the pair lost to Rahm/Hatton.
• Huge stage, huge crowd: Bethpage Black is a notoriously tough “tournament golf” course and the Ryder Cup atmosphere pushed attendance and security to the max — the US President’s presence heightened the security profile this week.

These early results frame the weekend: Europe has momentum; the U.S. will be searching for spark matches in fourball on Friday afternoon and regrouping for Saturday. (ESPN.com)

🇺🇸🇪🇺🇸🇪🇮🇪 pic.twitter.com/iV8Hfz7ZHb

— Ryder Cup (@rydercup) September 26, 2025

 

Full Ryder Cup 2025 schedule, sessions & key tee times (local ET / GMT conversions)

Venue: Bethpage Black, Farmingdale, New York (Long Island).

Friday, Sept 26

• Morning (Foursomes / alternate shot): approx 7:10 a.m. ET first tee times (early match: DeChambeau/Thomas vs Rahm/Hatton). Full TV window: early morning through afternoon depending on broadcaster.
• Afternoon (Fourball / better ball): usually begins early afternoon ET with full coverage into the evening local time. Featured matches stream on RyderCup.com/Peacock.

Saturday, Sept 27

• Morning: Foursomes (similar tee window)
• Afternoon: Fourball (featured match streams & TV coverage continues)

Sunday, Sept 28

• Singles: 12 matches across the day; a full TV day with afternoon climactic coverage. Final afternoon/evening ET windows in the U.S. capture singles and trophy presentation. (PGA Tour)

TV windows: NBC / Peacock usually provide expanded coverage (7 a.m.–6 p.m. ET coverage windows on Friday and Saturday), Golf Channel with “Live From The Ryder Cup” studio shows, and USA Network / NBC Sports handling various airtimes — check local listings for precise channel assignments. For UK viewers Sky Sports holds rights; other partners include Viaplay/Eurosport in parts of Europe.

How to watch: TV & streaming guide (U.S. and worldwide)

United States

• Cable / Live TV: NBC and USA Network will air live windows. Golf Channel provides extensive studio coverage. NBC’s linear windows are the main options for viewers with cable. (NBC Sports)
• Streaming: Peacock (NBCUniversal’s streaming platform) carries featured matches and a comprehensive streaming feed. RyderCup.com and the official Ryder Cup app also stream selected featured matches and provide free-to-air web scoring/streams for specific feeds. PGA Tour / ESPN apps provide score visualizations but not necessarily stream rights — check your region.

United Kingdom & Ireland

• Sky Sports is the primary rights holder for most live coverage; dedicated Ryder Cup studio analysis and live match channels available via Sky Sports Golf and Sky Sports Main Event. (The Sun)

Global

• RyderCup.com and the official app stream featured matches worldwide (subject to regional blackout rules). Local broadcasters vary — use LiveSoccerTV or the Ryder Cup “Where to Watch” page to find your local rights-holder.

Tip for cord-cutters: Peacock offers day passes or monthly subs; if you’re outside the U.S. check local rights-holders (Sky, Viaplay, Eurosport) and the Ryder Cup website for direct streaming options. For on-the-go: Ryder Cup app + official Twitter/X/YouTube highlight packages give minute highlights.

Teams & captains — who’s playing at Bethpage (quick roster overview)

United States (Captain: Keegan Bradley) — key names include Scottie Scheffler, Justin Thomas, Xander Schauffele, Patrick Cantlay, Bryson DeChambeau, Collin Morikawa, Jordan Spieth/other picks depending on final roster. Bradley’s captaincy emphasized locker-room chemistry and matchplay pairings. (Reuters)

Europe (Captain: Luke Donald) — Europe’s roster features Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy, Viktor Hovland, Ludvig Åberg, Matt Fitzpatrick, Tommy Fleetwood and others — Donald selected six captain’s picks earlier in September. Europe’s pairings in 2025 show continuity with four-ball/foursomes chemistry.

For the full, up-to-date rosters with official bios and flags, see RyderCup.com’s team pages and player pages (they list captain’s picks, vice-captains and the match schedule).

[Note: Images are collected from Instagram]

 

Why pairings matter — the tactical chess of matchplay

Pairings are the most important strategic lever a captain has. In foursomes, complementary shot shapes, temperament under pressure, and tee/approach preferences determine whether a pairing can dominate. In fourball, pairing a steady conservator with an aggressive scorer gives you both safety and birdie potential. Captains also play mind games: opening with an emotional, home-favorite pairing (e.g., DeChambeau/Thomas) can energize crowds even if it risks an early loss — but that crowd energy can be decisive across the weekend. (New York Post)

Pairings are also signals — sending out your best duo early says “we want momentum.” Saving certain combinations for the crucial afternoon or Saturday sessions can flip match-ups. Expect both captains to juggle experience, matchplay form, and course fit when they announce pairings each morning. (Golf)

Best apps and sites for live scoring & leaderboards

President Trump Just arrived in the main event to get a better look at it. His appearance was always expected as his recent appearance were very much seen in different events.

 

Best apps and sites for live scoring & leaderboards

If you want real-time hole-by-hole updates, shot trackers and live leaderboards, here are the tools professionals use:

• RyderCup.com — official scoring, featured match streams and pairings.
• PGA Tour / ESPN leaderboards — real-time scores and boxscore-style match summaries. (PGA Tour)
• Peacock / NBC Sports app — streaming + live UI with match overlays (if you have rights to the feed). (Yahoo Sports)
• Golf Channel / NBC Sports — studio analysis, featured match watches and replays.

Pro tip: set push alerts for specific matches (e.g., Rahm/Hatton vs DeChambeau/Thomas) so you get notified when a match reaches the 16th hole or swings by multiple holes.

Storylines to watch this weekend (X-factor & narratives)

1. Home-field pressure vs. visiting composure: Bethpage crowds are intense — will the U.S. feed off noise or will Europe stay ice-cold?
2. Pairings chemistry: Which European pairings — e.g., McIlroy/Fleetwood — can keep winning? Can U.S. captains find pairings that click?
3. Momentum swings: Ryder Cup turns on a handful of holes — a conceded putt, a penalty drop, or a 3-putt can flip three points across the weekend.
4. Captain’s picks validation: The six captain’s picks will be judged based on matchplay performance — whether they supply points or crack under pressure will shape narratives post-Cup.

Common FAQs — quick answers

Q: How many points to win the Ryder Cup?
A: 14.5 points to win it outright; the defending team (Europe) would retain the Cup on 14 points in case of a 14–14 tie. (Golf)

Q: Where is the Ryder Cup 2025?
A: Bethpage Black Course, Farmingdale, New York (Bethpage State Park). (Ryder Cup)

Q: What channel is the Ryder Cup on today?
A: In the U.S. check NBC, USA Network and the Golf Channel / Peacock for streaming; internationally check RyderCup.com’s where-to-watch list or local rights-holders (Sky Sports, Viaplay, etc.). (NBC Sports)

Q: How does fourball work?
A: Both players play their own ball; the best score of the pair counts for the hole. It’s often a high-scoring, birdie-heavy format. (Golf Monthly)