Europe open record-equalling Ryder Cup lead over US – BBC Sport

Europe hold a “sensational” 6½-1½ lead over the United States after a stunning opening day of the Ryder Cup in Rome.

The hosts swept the morning session for the first time to race into a 4-0 lead and held off a spirited US fightback to win 2½ -1½ in the afternoon.

Viktor Hovland, Jon Rahm and Justin Rose all crucially holed putts on the 18th to pick up half points for Europe.

And England’s Matt Fitzpatrick, playing with Rory McIlroy, secured his first Ryder Cup point in a memorable 5&3 win.

Fitzpatrick, the 2022 US Open champion, rattled off four birdies and an eagle from the second hole to put his pairing firmly in command of the bottom match against Xander Schauffele and Collin Morikawa.

McIlroy also knocked in a birdie of his own on the seventh as they reached six up.

It ended a run of five defeats in his previous two appearances for Fitzpatrick, while McIlroy picked up his second point of the day, after earlier partnering Tommy Fleetwood to victory.

“Those putts by Viktor, Jon and Rose make a huge difference,” Europe captain Luke Donald told BBC Sport.

“It was sensational, a dream start for us. This morning was an amazing performance by the guys and this afternoon was tough.

“The US came back, we knew they would. They had a stretch there in the middle where the momentum was turning their way but man, did we turn it back.”

US captain Zach Johnson said he had been “proud” of his team’s “fight and character”, insisting “our time’s coming”.

“It looks like the European team executed golf shots a little bit better than we did, and that’s golf, so you tip the cap to Luke [Donald] and his team,” he added.

It was, however, the first time the US have not won a single match in a day and it is the joint-highest lead after day one, level with Europe in 2004 and the US in 1975.

“The fact that the Americans didn’t win a full point was incredible and just shows the heart, grit and determination that the European team has,” McIlroy told BBC Sport Northern Ireland.

“We have a ton of momentum and we’ll try to ride the crowd’s energy to win both sessions [on Saturday].”

That momentum was carried over from an electric atmosphere in the morning session that amped up 30 minutes before the first balls were struck.

Five-thousand fans packed into the stand surrounding the first tee, with thousands more lining the fairway on both sides all the way up to the first green.

The hosts were sensational from the off and the leaderboard was all blue from the moment McIlroy holed a birdie putt on the fourth as Donald’s men produced the fast start he had craved.

To illustrate Europe’s dominance, they did not trail in any match and won 22 holes to the Americans’ 10 as the defending champions suffered a demoralising morning.

Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton won the top match and their 4&3 win was equalled by Hovland and Ludvig Aberg.

Shane Lowry and Sepp Straka were 2&1 victors, while in the bottom match McIlroy and Fleetwood also came through 2&1, as Europe won all four opening session matches for the first time.

It was a different story in the second session. Aside from Fitzpatrick and McIlroy’s romp, the other afternoon matches were all more tense affairs that the US, arguably, could and should have won given they led late on in all three.

Wildcard picks and best friends Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas, protecting a 100% record in fourballs, had been sent out first by US skipper Zach Johnson.

And when Thomas birdied the sixth hole, they gave the US a first lead in any match – an astonishing six-and-a-half hours after the first shot had been hit at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club.

The Americans looked to be cruising to a first full point at two up with five to play against Hovland and Hatton but then errors, which have blighted both their games in recent times, crept in.

That opened the door for Hatton and his birdies at the 14th and 16th holes to level the match were heartily welcomed by the majority of the estimated 55,000-strong crowd.

Hovland then holed from 25ft for a birdie at the last, gravity helping his ball drop into the hole with its final revolution. It proved crucial because Thomas was only 4ft away and he duly registered the first US half point.

The following match was equally tight, with Rahm and Nicolai Hojgaard pegged back from two up after eight to all square by world number one Scottie Scheffler with wins on holes 10 and 11.

Brooks Koepka edged the Americans in front with a birdie on 15, but Rahm holed his second chip-in of the day to win the par-four 16th with an eagle.

The Spaniard’s wild celebrations were matched by an unusually animated Scheffler after he won the 17th to put the Americans one up with one to play and guarantee at least another half point.

A half point is all they would get though after Rahm produced another eagle to win the 18th, ramming a 33-footer into the hole at pace.

“There was definitely a bit of Seve magic on that one,” said Rahm, referring to the late Seve Ballesteros, who has a space dedicated to him in the European team’s dressing room.

“He definitely pulled that one towards the hole.”

Koepka, meanwhile, complained about Rahm’s behaviour on the course, saying: “I want to hit a board and pout just like Jon Rahm did. But, you know, it is what it is. Act like a child. But we’re adults. We move on.”

It is not clear what the Spaniard did, or on which hole, to attract the ire of his opponent.

That left one match out on the course, with Rose – partnered by Scotland’s Bob MacIntyre – at his grinding best, refusing to allow Americans Max Homa and Wyndham Clark breathing space.

Three times he won a hole on the back nine to reduce the deficit to one.

The final time was with a par on the 17th to send the match down the 18th and Rose nailed an eight-footer, before beating his chest in a fashion reminiscent of Ian Poulter, as he gave Europe a five-point lead after day one.

Donald has kept with the same foursomes pairings for Saturday morning that were so successful on Friday.

McIlroy and Fleetwood will be first out and face Spieth and Thomas at 06:35 BST, while Hovland and rookie Aberg will play Scheffler and Koepka.

Lowry and Straka are in match three against Homa and Brian Harman, with Rahm and Hatton facing Patrick Cantlay and Schauffele in the final game.

Europe need 14½ points to regain the Ryder Cup, with the US requiring 14 to retain it.