Spanish rally brings Europe closer in Ryder Cup

But Phil Mickelson and Rickie Fowler took a wild ride to beat Sergio Garcia and Martin Kaymer. The first matchup was all square after the first hole.

“It’s time for him to take over the leadership role because he’s going to be the lead guy for the U.S. team for many years to come”.

And then it changed without notice, as it so often does in this event.

The Americans should also gain some confidence from how it performed in alternate shot, a format it has notoriously struggled with as Europe has racking a combined 11-4-5 record in those sessions over the last 10 Ryder Cups. “And we were lucky enough to be able to hit a lot of greens and have good looks”. That completed the first U.S. sweep of an opening session since 1975, when the team captain was Arnold Palmer, the iconic figure who died Sunday at 87. Spaniard Garcia had famously tangled with Tiger Woods in the PGA only a month earlier when they led off at Brookline Country Club. It just didn’t feel that way.

US Open champion Dustin Johnson, PGA Championship victor Jimmy Walker and five-time major victor Phil Mickelson, making his 11th Ryder Cup appearance to match Nick Faldo’s record, lead an American squad hungry to reclaim the Cup. Not on Friday. Sullivan, one of six rookies for Europe, hit his tee shot into the water on the 17th that put Europe 1 down. Snedeker holed big putts, his whole body shaking as he pumped his fist, and they dispatched of Henrik Stenson and Matt Fitzpatrick. “Playing away from home is traditionally harder, so I think it will be a brilliant victory by us if we can make it”. “(For) my hometown of Cedar Rapids, the forecast was one thing and fortunately it didn’t quite get to that point”.

The Americans found a turbo-charged gear on the back nine, rattling off four birdies in a row from the 13th to seal the European pair’s fate. The emotional ups and downs, the momentum swings and even the odd finger pointed and bit of gamesmanship is what makes the Ryder Cup so special. “It was tough out there”. “They want to go and play”. So personally I maybe wanted it a little bit more for that reason.

For McIlroy, it was personal.

Lee Westwood didn’t pass up a chance to take one more shot on the eve of play. And why McIlroy, when he made that match-clinching eagle putt to conclude the day, insisted on a celebration that would’ve gotten him 15 yards and a fine in an National Football League end zone.

Europe was on its way.

Johnson remarkably managed to shake off one disappointment after another in the majors – the 82 at Pebble Beach, the bunker blunder at Whistling Straits, the 2-iron out-of-bounds at Royal St. George’s, the three-putt at Chambers Bay – until he won the U.S. Open this summer at Oakmont. “We missed a couple of putts and that’s why we lost”.

Europe captain Darren Clarke has opted for experience as he announced the pairings for this morning’s opening foursomes matches which will kickstart his side’s bid for an unprecedented fourth straight Ryder Cup victory.

While walking to the eighth tee someone from the crowd yelled “Suck a d*** Rory” directly at the Northern Irishman, according to a number of on course reporters who were following the opening match of the afternoon fourballs.

Eight of the the 12 USA team members are selected through a points process during the two in-between years; team captain Davis Love then selects the final four members of the team at two different deadlines.