Ryder Cup 2023: Europe create history with 4-0 clean sweep in opening session

“Forza Europe” roared Luke Donald as he signed off a slick speech at the opening ceremony on Thursday and, boy, did his players deliver for the home captain in the first session in the 44th Ryder Cup in Rome.

Jon Rahm celebrates with Mick Donaghy, Tyrrell Hatton's caddie, after the Spaniard almost holed his tee shot at the seventh in the opening session of the 44th Ryder Cup. Picture: Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images.

To the delight of the vast majority among 55,000 frenzied fans at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club, the Europeans produced a sensational start in their bid to win back the trophy by creating history with their first-ever 4-0 clean sweep in an opening session.

Not since 1969, when the score was 3.5-0.5, had the Americans found themselves in a worse position after the first four exchanges and it was down to a combination of poor putting on their part and some moments of magic from the Europeans.

Less than 24 hours after leading Europe to a resounding victory in the Junior Ryder Cup, Stephen Gallacher was up early to be close to the first tee, where Suzann Pettersen, who’d pulled off a successful Solheim Cup defence at Finca Cortesin in Spain last weekend, appeared to a chorus of cheers just after 6.30am for a TV interview.

Viktor Hovland of Team Europe celebrates on the second green during the Friday morning foursomes at Marco Simone Golf Club in Rome. Picture: Patrick Smith/Getty Images.

Bob MacIntyre, who’d been left out of the opening session, conducted a ‘Thunderclap’ before Nicolas Colsaerts, one of Donald’s vice-captains, did his bit to get the volume turned up by roaring “Europe” a few times at the top of his voice and the first tee was rocking when the golfing gladiators entered the arena just before 7.30am.

And, on another glorious morning on the outskirts of the Eternal City, the European fans didn’t have to wait long to be given something to cheer as Viktor Hovland, playing alongside Ludvig Aberg in the second match, chipped in from the right side of the green for a birdie at the opening hole.

The Norwegian then rolled in a 15-footer for a hole-winning par at the second, celebrating with a fist pump before the ball hit the bottom of the cup, and a group of excited-looking fans wearing ‘Viktory’ t-shirts arrived shortly afterwards to find their man and his partner in a healthy position early on.

The overall position quickly became healthy for Europe as all four matches turned blue within 90 or so minutes and, having been sent out first by their captain, Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton were certainly inspiring their team-mates behind them as they gradually took control against world No 1 Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns.

From the off, Rahm’s iron play was majestic and he almost holed his tee shot at the seventh, delighting 2012-winning European skipper Jose Maria Olazabal, another of the home team’s vice-captains, after he’d been assigned to keep tabs on that encounter.

Masters champion Rahm raised another huge roar when he then chipped in at the par-4 tenth for an unlikely half, which the European pair were due, in fairness, after their opponents had scrambled to avoid losing the previous two holes.

Donald’s decision to open with foursomes - the first time that had happened on European soil since 1993, which, of course was the last time the Americans had won on this side of the Atlantic, certainly proved to be a shrewd move as blue was the colour throughout the first three hours of play.

In the second game, Max Homa and Brian Harman hit back with successive wins at the third and fourth after Hovland’s early heroics before falling three behind to their Scandinavian opponents at the turn and it was an even better position for Europe in the match behind at that point in the proceedings.

Sepp Straka had apparently been in cracking form in the practice rounds, hence why he was thrown in at the deep end on his debut, and, gelling brilliantly with Shane Lowry, they headed into the back nine standing four up on a mis-firing US pairing of Rickie Fowler and Collin Morikawa.

Rory McIlroy misfired occasionally on the front nine, but, thanks to his partner, Tommy Fleetwood, producing some good stuff, they had their noses in front against Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele, the so-called star US pairing, as a dream start for Donald took shape.

Indeed, it was job done for Rahm and Hatton in just over three hours as they wrapped up a 4&3 win, adding to a half point they’d secured against Scheffler and Bryson DeChambeau in the opening-day fourballs at Whistling Straits two years ago.

“It was a beautiful morning,” said a smiling Rahm as he savoured landing a third straight point in foursomes after winning twice in the alternate shot format alongside Sergio Garcia in Wisconsin. “I had a good feeling about Tyrrell all along and it was good to come out and play the way we did.”

Less than ten minutes later, Hovland splashed out dead from a greenside bunker to close out the second game by the same margin and, though the FedEx Cup winner was the star of that show, he was ably assisted by Aberg, another of Donald’s rookies sent out from the off, as the Swede’s dream start in professional golf continued.

It was 3-0 when Lowry and Straka secured a 2&1 win. “Absolutely unbelievable,” said Straka of that. “My expectations didn’t come close.” Lowry, who’d been deemed by some as a controversial pick by his captain, enjoyed making them eat humble pie. “We dodged a few bullets but dug deep when we had to,” said the Irishman, admitting the fact the pair played the same ball and same equipment had been a pivotal part in their partnership.

With McIlroy finding his stride after the turn alongside Fleetwood, the bottom match also ended 2&1 in Europe’s favour and, to give that result a bit of context, it was the first time that Cantlay and Schauffele had failed to win in six foursomes outings in the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup.

“We were all ready to go from the first tee shot and it was unbelievable session,” said McIlroy. Fleetwood holed a long one at the 15th at a crucial stage and admitted: “I was waiting for a moment like that all day.”