Keegan Bradley under fire as savage Ryder Cup fans taunt Team USA captain

Team USA faced a tough first half of the day at Bethpage Black. Their Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley was brutally mocked by chants of "you don't know what you're doing" following Saturday's morning session.

The United States were in desperate need of a turnaround after beginning the day trailing 5 1/2 to 2 1/2. Yet Europe maintained their dominance, mirroring their exceptional performance from Friday's opening session by claiming the morning foursomes 3-1, while Scottie Scheffler's struggles persisted. Bryson DeChambeau managed to secure his first point of the Ryder Cup alongside Cam Young, but the momentum quickly shifted in Europe's favour, especially after an incident involving Rory McIlroy swearing at spectators.

Viktor Hovland and Robert MacIntyre then completed a stellar session with a thrilling 1-up victory over world No. 1 Scheffler, who has yet to earn a point, and Russell Henley.

This extended Europe's lead in the Ryder Cup to five points, with the score standing at 8 1/2 to America's 3 1/2.

Following the conclusion of the morning foursomes and the securing of another point by Hovland and MacIntyre, the crowd at Bethpage Black didn't hold back, taunting Bradley for his choices. As he stood on the green, the crowd jeered: "You don't know what you're doing!"

Bradley has faced significant scrutiny over his pairings, particularly the decision to team up Morikawa and English. Neither known for their long drives, the duo seemed an odd match on paper and were thoroughly outclassed by McIlroy and Fleetwood in Friday's foursomes.

Data Golf's analysis ranked the American duo as the weakest of 132 potential pairings, yet Captain Bradley defiantly sent them out again on Saturday, only to suffer another defeat.

Fate pitted Morikawa and English against McIlroy and Fleetwood once more, pushing the US team perilously close to a stinging defeat at the hands of Luke Donald's Europeans in New York. Prior to the match, Bradley defended his choice with optimism.

"Well, we have a plan of what we're going to do," Bradley had insisted on Friday evening. "They beat us today, but you know, we're really comfortable with our plan. We're really comfortable with those two players. Excited about who they are playing tomorrow."

He added confidently: "Be an exciting match, and we're sticking to our plan. We're not going to panic. We're not going to panic and make those sort of mistakes. We're going to stick to what we know. We have a lot of confidence in them."

Success in the afternoon fourballs is now pivotal for the United States' Ryder Cup ambitions.