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

In contrast to the wild splash of colours in the stands, Arnold Palmer’s white U.S. Ryder Cup captain’s golf bag from the 1975 matches at Laurel Valley Golf Club in Ligonier, Pennsylvania stood in the corner of the first tee box.

I’m proud that we played great.

The ceremony went on about twenty minutes too long and the players were anxious to get out of there once it mercifully ended.

The veteran put in a phenomenal performance alongside his rookie partner, whipping the visiting fans into a frenzy at times with some of his more outrageous shots, as the two added a second point to Europe’s tally.

“The guys were disappointed with the way they played this morning and the way they performed, but they showed tremendous bravery and heart and desire to go out and play the way they have done this afternoon”, said Europe captain Darren Clarke. “I think we’re all hoping to taste that feeling this week”.

But after that it was chants of “U-S-A” as Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed walked out for the opening match against England’s Rose and British Open champion Henrik Stenson of Sweden.

“It was a tight match”. Spieth made a birdie putt on No. 2 and never looked back. Garcia and Kaymer both missed chances to build upon the lead, and it wound up costing them.

Both teams started nervously by bogeying the first, but the tense start was all forgotten by the time Johnson rolled in a lengthy birdie putt on the par-five 16th to stretch the United States lead to three and heap more misery on Darren Clarke’s visiting side. “It’s a lot of fun”. “I live for those kind of moments”.

“I’m not fazed by anything that is said by the crowd”, McIlroy said.

“I thought it might make it a bit more real for him, but clearly not”, Rose said.

As the opening foursomes progressed, the only blue on the scoreboard came courtesy of Sergio Garcia and Martin Kaymer, after Rory McIlroy and Andy Sullivan were pegged back by Phil Mickelson and Rickie Fowler.

“Certainly I felt more pressure heading into today’s matches”, said Mickelson, who was rested for the afternoon fourballs.

“Wow. Believe me, I was a football player, I was so lucky, because it was an awesome experience, as a coach the same”.

Fowler will be under more pressure as he has yet to win a single match in his previous Ryder Cup appearances.

The European pair bogeyed the 15th and lost the next to a birdie before Sullivan, who had been superb otherwise, found water with his tee shot on the 17th.

“To finally get my first full point is great”, Fowler said.

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.

Walker birdied 13 and 14 and Johnson took 16 to end the match, then downplayed the United States sweep. “Euro!” at sunrise this morning as the 2016 Ryder Cup got underway at a ceremony surrounded by the rowdiest of golf lovers. It is not rocket science.

The Europeans charged back into contention Friday afternoon with three big wins after getting swept in morning foursomes. Yet, Koepka and Snedeker tried their best to help the US maintain momentum.

“It was quite the crowd”, Walker said.

U.S. Open champion Dustin Johnson and Matt Kuchar needed only 14 holes to put away Lee Westwood and rookie Thomas Pieters, 5 and 4. We couldn’t buy one.

Not once on the front nine did the German provide the better ball for his team, who were subsequently overrun by big-hitting American debutant Koepka and the precise-putting Snedeker.

England’s Justin Rose struck the first shot of the 41st Ryder Cup on a chilly Friday, finding the fairway off the tee at the par-four opening hole to launch the morning’s foursomes matches before the US took early control.

MKU scored 88 on physical and academic infrastructure.