SHEBOYGAN, Wisconsin: Americans hit three unforgettable shots on the opening day of the Ryder Cup and two went for naught. Turns out they didn’t need them.
Captain Steve Stricker’s young squad patiently built the biggest US opening-day lead since 1975, pummeling defending champion Europe in both the foursomes and fourball matches Friday for a 6-2 cushion. While the fast start wasn’t new — the US team has gone seven straight Ryder Cups without losing the opening session — the solid finish was.
“My message to the guys before I left,” Stricker said, “is, ‘tomorrow is a new day. Let’s just go out tomorrow and try to win that first session again ... Pretend today never happened.”
That would have been a lot harder for his team had things not worked out as well as they did.
The one swing from that trio of spectacular shots that actually paid a dividend was a towering 417-yard drive by Bryson DeChambeau at the par-5 5th. Rather than play the 581-yard hole as a dogleg right, the way it was designed, the game’s longest hitter chose the straightest route. In three previous PGA Championships at Whistling Straits, no one had dared to try and cross the large pond and the grassy ridge pockmarked with pot bunkers that guard the right side.
DeChambeau was counting on a 20-plus-mph wind to help boost his tee shot past all that trouble, and his calculations were spot on.
“I knew if it was a little downwind, I could take a unique line ... and I said to myself, ‘all right, I have to aim at the green,” DeChambeau said. “So I did.”
With just 72 yards to the flag, he dialed down the power and turned up the finesse, lobbing a wedge to 4 feet and making the eagle putt in an afternoon fourball match that he and partner Scottie Scheffler halved with the European pair of Jon Rahm and Tyrell Hatton.
The less said about DeChambeau’s second moonshot the better. He tried driving the green at the 394-yard, par-4 13th and landed just five yards from the flag, but in a bunker on the left. A flubbed sand shot later, he settled for par and a tie on the hole.
More maddening still was playing partner Justin Thomas wasting this beauty from Jordan Spieth. Two down with two holes to play in the morning foursomes, Thomas’ tee shot at the par-3 17th skidded across the green and down a nearly vertical slope toward Lake Michigan. It wound up lodged in deep rough.
Spieth studied the shot for a long time, pulled out a wedge and swung wildly, his momentum carrying him down the hill and almost to the shoreline trying to find a foothold. The ball, meanwhile, somehow settled just six feet from the flag. But Thomas missed the putt in a match the Spanish duo Jon Rahm and Sergio Garcia won 3-and-1.
“It was kind of one of those shots you practice as a kid for fun,” Spieth said, adding. “You could roll a thousand balls off the green and you’re not going to end up there.”
Rahm turned out to be Europe’s brightest light, going unbeaten in both of his matches. His partnership with Garcia enabled his countryman to notch a 23rd win, tying Nick Faldo for the Ryder Cup record. But the world’s top-ranked player had a much harder slog pairing with Hatton to wrest the half-point from DeChambeau and Scheffler.
The Americans were poised for a 1-up victory until Hatton stepped up and hit 5-iron into a hard left-to-right wind that settled 7 feet away. The Englishman coolly dropped the birdie putt, salvaging something from an otherwise tough day for Europe.
“Things like this can turn the tide,” Rahm said.
It was one of the few moments when a wildly pro-American crowd didn’t get its way. Travel restrictions imposed by the pandemic kept nearly all of Europe’s fans from entering the United States, and chants of “USA! USA!” echoed across the bumpy terrain every time an American drained a big putt.
Tony Finau, who was paired with Harris English, made six birdies on his own ball in his fourball match, and described the experience like riding a wave he didn’t want to end.
“It’s funny how momentum works. You know it can change at any given moment, and we knew we had to keep the pedal to the metal. These things start to stretch out when you have the momentum,” he said, “and it’s easy to lose.”
As if the great play and solid backing from the gallery wasn’t fuel enough, Michael Jordan and Steph Curry turned up to cheer the Americans on. Tiger Woods even sent a group text through Stricker to the American players saying, “I’m right there with you and go fight and make us proud.”
“We were able to do that,” Finau said finally, “and if TW’s watching, thanks for that text, brother, I think it helps us a lot.”
Yanks’ opening 6-2 lead at Ryder Cup could’ve been bigger
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Yanks’ opening 6-2 lead at Ryder Cup could’ve been bigger
- Tony Finau, who was paired with Harris English, made six birdies on his own ball in his fourball match
Excitement building ahead of Formula E return to Jeddah
- Fastest electric race car drivers will compete in the only night races on the Formula E calendar
- Grammy Award-winning rapper and singer-songwriter Future will take to the stage on Friday, Feb. 13
JEDDAH: With just 30 days to go, excitement is building ahead of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship’s return to the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, Feb. 13–14, 2026, following a record-breaking debut on the Red Sea Coast last season.
The celebrated track — the world’s fastest street circuit — will once again be transformed into a floodlit showcase of speed and innovation as the fastest electric race car drivers compete in the only night races on the Formula E calendar.
The Jeddah E-Prix not only showcases the future of sustainable motorsport but also cements Saudi Arabia’s growing status as a global destination for major sporting events.
The 3.001km Jeddah Corniche Circuit is one of Formula E’s most exciting challenges: an anticlockwise street track lined with 19 sweeping turns and spectacular views of the Red Sea. Known for its speed and precision, it pushes drivers to their limits, while fans can look forward to daring overtakes and strategic battles as competitors hit the Attack Zone at Turn 13.
Fans can expect more than just wheel-to-wheel racing at the Jeddah E-Prix, with world-class live entertainment including a headline act by Grammy Award-winning rapper and singer-songwriter Future, who will take to the stage for an unforgettable concert on Friday, Feb. 13. Across the two-day event, fans can also explore interactive zones and enjoy a wide variety of food offerings alongside adrenaline-fueled entertainment experiences in the Fan Zone.
2025 JEDDAH E-PRIX — An Unforgettable Debut
Following six landmark seasons in Diriyah, the championship’s move to Jeddah in 2025 had an immediate impact, with last year’s double-header becoming the most-watched Formula E weekend in history, attracting more than 65 million viewers worldwide.
Indeed, the Jeddah E-Prix weekend delivered non-stop drama under the lights, with the action going right down to the wire on the first night. In a thrilling final-lap showdown, Maximilian Günther claimed a commanding win for DS Penske in Friday’s race, with Oliver Rowland hot on his heels and Taylor Barnard — then driving for NEOM McLaren — completing the podium.
Twenty-four hours later, Rowland turned the tables, charging to victory on Saturday ahead of Barnard and Jake Hughes — then driving for Maserati — to close out an electric weekend of racing by the Red Sea.
Off-track, the Jeddah E-Prix had no shortage of star power. Global music icons Akon and Grammy Award-winning rapper Lil Baby lit up the fan stage with unforgettable headline performances, keeping the energy high long after the chequered flag.
The event also drew a glittering crowd of VIP guests, from boxing star Chris Eubank Jr. and footballer Riyad Mahrez to Georgina Rodríguez, entrepreneur, model, and partner to Cristiano Ronaldo, underscoring the E-Prix’s growing reputation as a must-attend fixture on the global sporting and entertainment calendar.
Formula E Drivers Full of Praise
Drivers and podium finishers from last season’s Jeddah E-Prix hailed the race weekend as a resounding success, praising the circuit and Saudi Arabia’s renowned hospitality
Season 11 Drivers’ Champion and Round 4 Jeddah E-Prix winner, Oliver Rowland (Nissan), is excited to return to Jeddah next month commenting: “The night race with the lights and the spectacle is one of the best things about Jeddah…I had a really successful weekend finishing first and second in Season 11, so I’m really looking forward to Season 12 and hopefully we can do the same.”
Maximilian Günther (DS Penske), who secured his first victory with DS Penske in the Round 3 Jeddah E-Prix, also praised last year’s race weekend: “Jeddah was fantastic for us. We had a great pace, great strategy on that day. We achieved pole position and the race win, so I have very good memories of Jeddah. I think the whole event is outstanding. The track is so good, so fast and just a perfect fit for Formula E because you really saw the speed of the cars, overtaking — perfect mix for year one. There is a lot of enthusiasm about motorsports in Saudi... I just enjoy being there. Everything is very well organized. We get an amazing welcome.”
Nyck de Vries (Mahindra) was also impressed, commenting: “The Jeddah race last year was very good for us, especially on Saturday. We were happy to be fighting at the front and to score a top five finish (P4). I think racing under the floodlights always makes the racing a little bit more exciting and dramatic. All the emotions are a bit amplified. So, I personally really enjoyed the race.”
The drivers’ undeniable enthusiasm and excitement at returning to Jeddah further underlines why the Jeddah E-Prix is one of the most eagerly anticipated stops on the Formula E calendar, showcasing the Jeddah Corniche Circuit— and Saudi Arabia— as a world-class stage for elite motorsport.
Season 12 – The Season So Far
Season 12 kicked off on December 6, 2025, where Andretti Formula E’s Jake Dennis converted his pole position into a victory in a hectic season opening race. It marked Dennis’ first win since Diriyah in 2024.
Last weekend’s second round in Mexico City was another thrilling race where Citroën Racing’s Nick Cassidy made up 12 positions in a calculated, pitch-perfect drive to head home Edoardo Mortara (Mahindra Racing) and reigning champion Oliver Rowland (Nissan Formula E Team) for a win in only the French automotive giant’s second race in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.
This result now sees Cassidy top the Drivers’ table with 40 points to Dennis’ 36 and Rowland with 34. Citroën leads Andretti in the Teams’ Standings 44 to 36 points. In the Manufacturers’ World Championship, Stellantis has a seven-point lead on Porsche.
Ahead of the all-electric series’ return to the Middle East, the championship will first continue with Round 3 in Miami on 31 January 2026 at the Miami International Autodrome, located at the Hard Rock Stadium, where another exhilarating instalment of Season 12 awaits.
JEDDAH E-PRIX TICKETS AVAILABLE NOW
With record crowds expected and the world’s top drivers returning to battle under the lights, the 2026 Jeddah E-Prix promises to deliver an unforgettable showcase of speed, innovation, and spectacle on the shores of the Red Sea.
Tickets for the much-anticipated event are now on sale via WeBook, starting from 100 SAR for single day passes and 180 SAR for two-day access.
