Ryder Cup gets underway with Spieth, Reed vs. Stenson, Rose

United States captain Davis Love III urged his team to carry on in the same vein following their sensational start to the Ryder Cup at Hazeltine.

“They have come together really over the last couple of weeks”. “But it’s a long way to go”.

“So there is a lot of points out there still and, all in all, it was a good day and I’m really happy with the way everybody just hung in there till the end”.

All the planning by Love and Phil Mickelson – and all the cheerleading from the likes of Tiger Woods and Bubba Watson – seemed to work in the morning in front of some 50,000 fans who cheered themselves hoarse as the American teams swept to easy wins in the alternate shot format. We were on the range and there was music playing and all that, and that’s what golf should be about nowadays, I think.

“We’re back in it”, Garcia said. They ran off nine birdies over the next 13 holes.

Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed then set the tone with a 3-and-2 foursomes victory over Stenson and Rose, and the Americans delivered the first sweep of the opening session since that 1975 team at Laurel Valley.

The question for Saturday and another round of foursomes and fourballs matches is how the Americans respond. Heading to the 13th, they have made only one and birdie, but the Americans quickly answered with one of their own.

Temperatures hovered around 50 degrees as play got underway on Friday.

Later, McIlroy admitted he thought about the celebration before hitting the putt because he thought he was going to make the 20-footer. “I live for those kind of moments”.

“Jordan just told me he would see me this afternoon”, Stenson added, and Spieth turned out to be right.

They were 2 down after six and again after 14 before winning three of the last four holes to take the tightest match of the morning. They would lose that hole, but it spurred them on to win each of the next three with birdies.

“To finally get my first full point is great”, Fowler said. Europe was 1 up through 11 holes when a bogey on the 12th squared the match.

Walker birdied 13 and 14 and Johnson took 16 to end the match, then downplayed the U.S. sweep. “A lot of matches left”. We had matches that were going to 16, that didn’t look like they were going to get that far. It is not rocket science.

“US spectators screaming in support helped”.

“I’m not fazed by anything that is said by the crowd”, McIlroy said. “I wasn’t prepared for it”.

This year’s team is a combination of both skill and youth and includes Rafa Cabrera Bello, Mathew Fitzpatrick, Sergio Garcia, Martin Kaymer, Justin Rose, Thomas Pieters, Henrick Stenson, Andy Sullivan, Lee Westwood, Danny Willet, Chris Wood, and FedEx Cup Champion, Rory McIlroy.

“The way DJ hits the ball, I just try not to mess him up”, Kuchar said.

McIlroy’s walk-off eagle punctuated a spirited rally by the Europeans in Friday’s four-ball session.

Europe won the trophy for a third successive time with a crushing victory by 16-1/2 points to 11-1/2 at Gleneagles in 2014.