THE legend of Arnold Palmer haunted Europe as America decimated Darren Clarke’s side with a 4-0 whitewash in the Ryder Cup foursomes.
Palmer, who passed away last Sunday, had his bag from the 1975 clash placed on the first tee.
That was the last time America completed a clean sweep in the opening session.
And the routing came about after heartbreak for newboy Andy Sullivan.
He and Rory McIlroy stood on the 17th tee all square against Phil Mickelson and Rickie Fowler when he dumped it in the water.
The American duo went on to win 1-up.
Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed drew first blood as they took out Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson 3&2.
Related stories
Jimmy Walker and Zach Johnson eased to a 4&2 win over Martin Kaymer and Sergio Garcia.
Dustin Johnson and Matt Kuchar thrashed Lee Westwood and rookie Thomas Pieters 5&4.
Here’s how it unfolded
Spieth & Reed beat Stenson & Rose 3&2
Spieth predictably struck the first blow for the home team, coaxing in a 12 footer for the opening birdie of the 41st Ryder Cup from 12 feet at the second hole.
That underlined his status as the best clutch putter in the game, but he was left with a relatively simple birdie effort to go two up after Reed arrowed a superb approach to five feet on the third.
Rose and Stenson were not doing much wrong, but the Englishman’s putter was not behaving as he missed from inside 12 feet three times in the first five holes.
The Europeans dodged a bullet on the long sixth as Reed missed from ten feet for a birdie, and Stenson managed to save par from just a couple of feet closer.
But there was no escape on the seventh, as Spieth’s approach finished four feet from the flag,and the American duo –who were unbeaten at Gleneagles, were three ahead.
Rose and Stenson won all three matches two years ago, and they finally landed a blow as their opponents bogeyed the ninth – although they forced Stenson to hole out from barely 18 inches for a par.
At two down, there was still hope for the European duo, especially when Rose set up a birdie chance for Stenson at the eleventh –but Spieth nonchalantly poured in a 15 footer to render that irrelevant.
The American duo then grabbed birdie number five at the final long hole, the 16th,to put the first point on the board for the home team.
D Johnson & Kuchar beat Westwood & Pieters 5&4
A horrible start by the European duo, thrown together because Danny Willett’s head was scrambled by his brother’s rant-American rant, was a bitter taste of things to come.
Westwood’s opening tee shot found the sand and Pieters could only blast it into another bunker as they lost the hole with a scruffy bogey.
Pieters made it three bunkers in quick succession with another poor tee shot at the second, and the Europeans found themselves two down when Westwood became the first player to miss a tiddler, failing to save par from inside three feet.
It got worse and worse for Europe after that, as world No 2 Johnson recaptured the imperious from that deserted him in the final round of the Tour Championship, when he surrendered a £9million jackpot to Rory McIlory.
DJ holed a monster putt on the fifth, and casually knocked in a nine-footer for another birdie three holes later – and with Westwood finding the water with his tee shot on the eighth, the Americans were already home and hosed.
It came as a shock when they actually lost a hole, with Kuchar lipping out from four feet for par at the ninth. But it was only a temporary blip.
Westwood was looking only a shadow of the player who had supplied 23 points to the European cause, and it was left to his fellow wild card to avoid an even more humiliating defeat, as he holed long putts on the tenth and eleventh to stay afloat.
The young Belgian again provided a glimmer of encouragement with another birdie putt at the 14th – but Kuchar was much closer and struck to put the Europeans out of their misery.
Walker & Z Johnson beat Garcia & Kaymer 4&2
This one got off to a ragged start with both teams holing decent putts for BOGEYS after a spot of bunker trouble, and the Americans also made a mess of the second to half their opponents the lead.
There was plenty of toing-and-froing after that, but not a lot of quality although Garcia was entitled to the diving motion he made with one hand after he holed a thirty footer for an outrageous half at the fourth.
After that early gift both team seemed determined to give nothing away, and they halved the next nine holes, mostly with pars. The exception was the seventh, where Garcia arrowed a glorious second to 18inches after Walker hit his to five feet.
But the match turned on its head after Johnson nailed a six footer for par to give the Americans their first success at the 12th, to square the match.
That seemed to inspire them, and Johnson set up a winning birdie by knocking his tee shot to eight feet at the short third, and Walker did the trick again at the 14th by sinking a curling 25footer to make it three gains in a row.
They were not done yet, although the next hole, the 14th was handed to them on a plate. Kaymer has never been the best chipper around, so when Garcia tugged his approach at the 15th into the long grass it was heart in the mouth time.
Sure enough, he duffed his chip just a couple of feet forward, and his accusing look at the deep rough was more out of embarrassment than a true sense of grievance.
And when former Open champion Johnson sank another birdie putt from twenty feet on the 16th it meant the Americans had won an incredible five holes in a row to put another point on the board.
Mickelson & Fowler beat McIlroy & Sullivan one up
A pumped-up Sullivan showed nerves of steel as the first rookie on the course,lacing his opening drive almost 300 yards down the fairway,and McIlroy looked stunned when his approach landed level with the flag and span back twenty feet.
The knowing wink Sullivan gave McIlroy as they halved the hole in par also provided evidence that he was thoroughly enjoying himself. Sadly, that confidence would eventually ebb away.
Mickelson, who covered the back nine in Atlanta in 29 shots on his last outing, was back on the birdie trail as he holed a 14 footer for birdie on the 633 yards third. But McIlroy made no mistake from half that distance.
Europe recorded their first success of the competition – courtesy of an American bogey – when Mickelson blasted his tee shot at the par three third into a greenside bunker.
That mistake was nothing compared to the shocking tee shot Lefty hoiked out of bounds at the sixth. Fowler almost followed him, as his ball finished a couple of feet from the safety netting.
That forced Mickelson to attempt a right-handed shot with his club turned upside down. It squirted into the crowd, almost breaking a spectator’s leg, and they quickly decided enough was enough.
Europe were two up at that stage. But a couple of loose shots from McIlroy – and American birdies at seven and nine – meant Mickelson and Fowler were one ahead at the turn.
The pendulum swung back Europe’s way as they charged back into a two hole lead – only to lose three in a row as Sullivan tightened up, fatally dumping his tee shot into the water at the 176 yards 17th. That meant America had completed a sensational morning whitewash.
Fourball pairings
Spieth and Reed v Rose and Stenson
JB Holmes and Ryan Moore v Garcia and Rafa Cabrera-Bello
Brandt Snedeker and Brooks Koepka v Kaymer and Danny Willett
Johnson and Kuchar v McIlroy and Pieters
Leave a comment