EUROPE DOMINATE OPENING DAY AT BETHPAGE
Tommy Fleetwood and Justin Rose played key roles for Europe on the opening day. (Getty/Ryder Cup)
Europe will take a 5½-2½ lead into the second day of the Ryder Cup after extending their advantage in dramatic fashion on the 18th hole as the sun set at Bethpage Black.
Luke Donald’s side took the opening foursomes session 3-1 but with a more vocal crowd behind them during the Fourballs, the US team fought back led by local hero Cameron Young, who claimed a 6&5 win over Ludvig Åberg and Rasmus Højgaard alongside Justin Thomas.
Jon Rahm and Sepp Straka beat Scottie Scheffler and JJ Spaun 3&2 in another impressive win but it needed a Justin Rose birdie on the last for the Europeans to edge past Ben Griffin and Bryson DeChambeau by 1 hole.
The final match of the day also went down the last and while Rory McIlroy had a chance to make it 6-2 to Europe, he missed from 12 feet and shared the point alongside Shane Lowry against Patrick Cantlay and Sam Burns.
Europe have not led after the first day on US soil since the victory in 2004 but the United States can take heart from their win in 1999 when they came back from 6-2 down after day one.
Fleetwood and Rahm continued their perfect records in the foursomes in the morning before making it two points from two in the afternoon, while Cantlay starred for the hosts with 1½ points.
“Incredible day,” said European Captain Luke Donald “To win this morning was huge for us and we all know how important it is to get off to a good start. We know how strong the US were in foursomes. 3-1 was a great start and the top two, especially, they were such good momentum and inspiration for our boys.
“Guys grinded to win the session again this afternoon. That's another tick in our box and I'm very happy where we are. It's not easy out here. It's loud. You know, the crowd is certainly on the U.S. side. But we have some crowd support as well, which is fun. They are thriving off that.
“What can I say? I'm so proud of these guys. They know how to handle that stuff.”
American skipper Keegan Bradley felt his team were better than the score suggests and believes it could have been different had things gone their way on the greens.
"The boys played really good this afternoon," he said. "Europe made a lot of putts. Happy with the way we're playing. Hopefully it'll turn and our putts will go in tomorrow."
None of the pairs from the opening session were retained as all 24 players saw action on day one.
US President Donald Trump made an appearance on the first tee and after the Star Spangled Banner had finished, an energised crowd saw JJ Spaun play a beautiful deft pitch to help put some early red on the board.
The top match was soon turned on its head as Straka chipped in from the fringe on the second and Rahm holed a 16-footer on the third but there were huge roars echoing round the course.
Young holed from just over 20 feet to win the second and Burns birdied the first to put the U.S. up in two matches.
Burns’ birdie at the first came after McIlroy had hit a brilliant drive but a poor pitch and the crowds were clearly making a target of the Masters champion.
Lowry levelled the bottom match from just over 20 feet before a stunning Thomas approach at the fifth put the U.S. 2 UP in match three and, with McIlroy and Åberg missing good chances at the third and sixth respectively, the momentum was with the hosts.
That continued as Griffin holed a 56-footer from the fringe at the seventh to prompt a chest bumping celebration with DeChambeau but, in time-honoured match play fashion, Rose responded from 40 feet and thumped the European badge in the style of great friend Ian Poulter.
Scheffler put his tee shot to eight feet at the eighth but Rahm holed from twice that distance and the World Number One missed his chance as Europe went 2up in the top match.
McIlroy then birdied the sixth from 12 feet and seventh from 25 to put Europe 2up and things could not have been much tighter as the top match made the turn.
There was soon some daylight in matches three and one as Young hit a beautiful approach to set up a birdie on the ninth, with Åberg missing a decent chance of his own, before Rahm birdied from ten feet on the 11th after Scheffler had missed from 14.
In match two, Griffin and DeChambeau hit beautiful drives on the 11th but then made an awful mess of things around the green as a Fleetwood birdie levelled up that match, although there was better news for the US at the 10th as Cantlay birdied from 14 feet.
The good news kept coming when Thomas birdied the 11th from seven feet, while the bottom match continued to swing with Lowry holing from three feet at the 11th before Cantlay responded from five fee at the 13th.
The pairing of Young and Thomas were flying, with a Young approach to five feet at the 12th putting them 5 UP with six to play and when the Europeans made an almighty mess of the 13th, the first point on the board in the afternoon was an American one.
The 6&5 victory matched the second largest four-ball win by an American team in an 18-hole match.
“It's pretty special,” said Young. “I love this place and this is a team we worked really hard to make. We're just super grateful. To have the opportunity to play today alongside him in front of these fans is pretty special.”
Thomas added: “I really just kind of sat back and watched the show. I tried to help when I could, but I'm just so happy for Cam but I'm proud of him. Playing in your first Ryder Cup is really hard, but playing in front of your home fans I would imagine is even harder, but he definitely played like the veteran today. It's been fun watching his game progress and I'm glad I got to sit alongside the show today.”
Europe then guaranteed they would take at least a half from the session as Scheffler came to the party with a birdie at the 15th but Rahm followed him in under pressure to keep his pair 3up.
Matches two and four could still go either way but Fleetwood handed Europe the advantage at the 14th courtesy of a tee shot to seven feet.
In the bottom match, however, Cantlay’s hot streak continued and when his birdie on the 13th was followed by a full horseshoe from McIlroy, we were back to tied.
He then looked certain to make it four birdies in five holes but missed a short putt of his own and that match remained tied heading into the bear pit of finishing holes.
Scheffler looked to have finally found his groove at the 16th when he made it two birdies in a row but it was too little too late and Straka made a birdie of his own to seal the point for Europe.
“It was a lot of fun, a lot of fun,” said Straka. “To have Jon today was great because I did not have my game and especially for the first little bit. But he kept reminding me that it's there. Just keep pushing and he told me to just put a confident swing on the last hole and I did.”
Rahm added: “The morning, although it was great, it was just one part of a long race. We started great and we have to keep it going. That's what we did.
“I think he's selling himself short. He played good but maybe not as good as he would have liked but he did what he needed to do. That chip-in on two was key. There were certain moments out there that were key and he came up big when we needed him to. That putt on 14 was unbelievably huge. He can't sell himself short because he did the important stuff.”
The visitors were then guaranteed another half in match two courtesy of Fleetwood, with the Englishman holing an 18-foot right-to-lefter on the 16th.
DeChambeau hit a wonderful tee shot on the 17th to birdie and take it up the last but Rose made his birdie from nine feet – with Fleetwood even closer - to close out the win.
“I felt like I put the ball in play nicely off the tee but Tommy made some huge putts in the right moments and you know, that was a huge turnaround match,” said Rose.
Fleetwood added: “I think just our team as a collective, I think we obviously feel very prepared and we've been looking forward to this day for a long time now. So to have got off to a good start feels great.
“Their team is stacked with amazing players. So whoever it is, the match going to be difficult, and the points mean so much.”
All eyes were now on the 17th where this time it was Burns’ turn put a tee-shot tight but McIlroy holed from 13 feet and the Texan’s seven-footer took the match up the last tied.
Burns missed a decent birdie chance to leave the door open for McIlroy but he could not walk through and the match was halved.
“It's a great day for Europe,” said McIlroy. “We would have absolutely taken this last night if you had told us we would be 5½- ½ up.
“Obviously in the moment right now, I'm disappointed I didn't hole that for a full point but the guys have done so well today, and right now, it's just about recovering and resting up and getting ready for tomorrow.”