Ryder Cup heckler makes putt that befuddles pros

Rory McIlroy went 1-1 on Friday at Hazeltine National Golf Club, playing in both sessions of the 2016 Ryder Cup and finding much more success in the afternoon.

Thunderous roars of “USA, USA, USA” echoed across the ultra-long Hazeltine National layout as twice major victor Spieth and fellow young gun Reed beat European heavyweights Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson 3&2 in the top match to secure the first point.

The 41st Ryder Cup is off to a rollicking start at Hazeltine.

Captain Darren Clarke paired Olympic gold and silver medalists Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson against the youthful Texan twosome of Patrick Reed and Jordan Spieth, strategically playing his strongest cards first.

United States captain Davis Love III, like Clarke, always had a feeling that Spieth and Reed would face Rose and Stenson in the first match. They will send six rookies – exactly half the team – to the first tee over the next three days in their effort to win for the fourth time in a row. “But this is only the first morning, anything can happen in the Ryder Cup”. They just made a bunch of birdies. But a superb wedge on No. 16 put Fowler in position for a birdie putt that squared the match, and Fowler’s tee shot on 17 helped them reclaim the lead for good.

The American fans, borrowing a chant from their soccer brethren, later chanted: “I believe that we will win!” Nearly every great player on either side of the Atlantic since 1927 has played in this event, from Ted Ray to Nick Faldo on the European side, and Walter Hagen to Tiger Woods on this side. “I think it was exactly what we thought it was going to be”. The veteran Englishman has often starred for Europe in past Ryder Cups but looked well short of his best early on. USA captain Davis Love III was surprisingly bold last week when he said the message to his players would be that they comprised “the best golf team maybe ever assembled”.

All in good fun, Johnson hugged and high-fived Stenson, Rose, Martin Kaymer and Rory McIlroy.

Day 1 will begin with alternate-shot foursomes in the morning before shifting to best ball foursomes in the afternoon.

Not since 1975 at Laurel Valley – when Arnold Palmer, who died at the weekend, was U.S. captain – had the opening morning foursomes session been swept, and it was a devastating early setback for the Euros with a ferociously partisan home crowd and an accomplished home team smelling blood. McIlroy and Pieters never trailed against Johnson and Kuchar, handing them their first loss in four Ryder Cup matches.

Europe had to pick itself up for Friday afternoon fourballs.

“I really hope the rookies can enjoy the unbelievable life experience they are going to have on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, don’t try anything special, just play and enjoy what you love”. And on the other side of that, a lot of their players have had multiple experiences of losing Ryder Cups.