Ryder Cup: How the opening foursome matches unfolded at Medinah

Both McDowell and Furyk went left into the trees in a nervy start, but the hole was halved in par and then came controversy on the second as the Americans questioned McDowell asking for relief from a sprinkler head by the green. There were some boos, but then cheers from the home fans when a second referee told McIlroy to play from the rough and Europe went one down, only for them to hit back with four successive birdies.

McDowell finished the outward with a 25-foot putt. When McIlroy then holed from 15 feet Europe were three up with seven to go, but they bogeyed the short 13th and McDowell pushed his drive into the lake on 15 and found a bunker at 16. With Furyk playing a magnificent approach to three feet they were level, but Snedeker hit a shocking drive down the last and the Northern Irishman, bunkered in two, won when McIlroy splashed out to five feet and his partner holed.

Mickelson and Bradley bt Donald and Garcia 4 and 3

On his ninth appearance Mickelson became America’s most capped player, but it was a 20-foot birdie putt by debutant Bradley at the second that drew first blood. Europe’s unbeaten foursomes duo took the long fifth with a two-putt birdie and the next with a par. Bradley replied in kind at the ninth to put both pairs out in a one-under 35. The tenth was shared in birdie fours, but Donald had his third lip-put of the game on the 12th and when Mickelson holed from 18 feet at the 245-yard 13th the gap was two. That became three when Garcia missed from four feet on the long 14th and the end came when the pumped-up Bradley holed from 30 feet at the next.

Dufner and Johnson bt Westwood and Molinari 3 and 2

The Americans bogeyed the first after Dufner drove into sand, but he made amends with a six-footer for birdie on the next. Westwood and Molinari were back in front at the fourth and both sides birdied the long fifth before Westwood lost the sixth. His partner came good again with a winning ten-foot birdie at the next, but back-to-back birdies around the turn took the Americans one ahead. The next four holes were shared, but Westwood hit an awful tee shot into water on the 15th and it was all over when he and Molinari three-putted the next.

Stricker and Woods lost to Poulter and Rose 2 and 1

Woods hit a horrid hook off the first tee and although it was halved in par Stricker then hit into the water on the short second. Poulter and Rose bogeyed the next, but Rose rolled in a 30-foot putt on the fourth. Woods was wild again at the fifth, missed a six-foot putt to lose the sixth and then hit a spectator on the head for the second day running. It did not stop the home pair making a winning birdie to cut the deficit to just one, only for Poulter to hole a bunker shot at the 11th and Woods to miss a seven-footer on the next. The English pair bogeyed the 13th, won the 14th when Poulter holed from seven feet, then lost the 15th to a birdie after Woods’s drive hit a tree and rebounded close to the green. Poulter let out a huge “Come On” roar when he drained a nine-footer for a half at the 16th –Woods just stared at him – and when Stricker’s birdie putt on the 17th stayed up and Rose’s approach stopped six inches short, the match was over.