Gleneagles, Scotland (SportsNetwork.com) - Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson won their second match of the day on Friday as they led the Europeans to a big afternoon and a 5-3 lead at the Ryder Cup.
The Europeans trailed after the morning four-ball session, but won 3 1/2 points in the afternoon foursomes to grab a 2-point lead.
"I think it shows a lot of spirit, a lot of heart that's in this team. There was a huge momentum switch this morning towards America. We all know how important momentum switches are at the Ryder Cup. That can be devastating on some occasions," European captain Paul McGinley said. "So for our team to come out in the second session in foursomes and to get blue on the board in all four matches was important."
Rose and Stenson won the 16th and 17th to earn a 2 & 1 win over Hunter Mahan and Zach Johnson in the second match of the afternoon at Gleneagles.
Lee Westwood and Jamie Donaldson claimed a 2-up win in the opening match of the afternoon to tie the matches 2 1/2 - 2 1/2. Rose and Stenson then gave the Europeans the lead.
Sergio Garcia and Rory McIlroy rallied to halve their match with Rickie Fowler and Jimmy Walker. That American tandem halved both their matches on day one.
"We were talking going down 17. We said to each other that we have to win the last two, if not we know what's going to happen," said Garcia. "It kind of puts in that situation of trying to do something special to be able to win. They were obviously playing well, and they were not going to give it up."
In the anchor match, Victor Dubuisson and Graeme McDowell toppled Keegan Bradley and Phil Mickelson, 3 & 2. That was the first loss at the Ryder Cup for Bradley and Mickelson, who had been 4-0 together dating to the 2012 Ryder Cup at Medinah.
Rose and Stenson never trailed en route to winning their second match. Rose made a 10-footer for birdie and a 1-up lead at No. 1. The match remained there until the sixth when the Europeans birdied the par-3 to move 2-up.
Johnson answered with a 5-foot birdie putt at seven and a par at the eighth by the Americans squared the match. After Johnson missed a birdie try at 11, Rose made his birdie as the Europeans regained a 1-up lead.
Mahan came back with a 7-foot birdie putt on the 14th to square the match for a second time. However, Stenson converted a par effort at 15 again to go 1-up.
Both teams birdied the par-5 16th, before the Americans coughed up the match at 17. Mahan raced his birdie try six feet by the hole. After Johnson missed the putt for par, Rose tapped in his short par attempt to win the match.
Earlier in the day, Rose and Stenson beat Webb Simpson and Bubba Watson 5 & 4 in the morning four-ball session.
"We know each other well, but like Justin said, we hadn't played together before in a team event, but it seems like it's working pretty well," Stenson said.
In the first match of the afternoon, Furyk chipped to tap-in range and the Americans were conceded birdie and the win on the par-5 third. After a pair of halves, Westwood drained a 10-foot birdie on No. 6 to square the match.
The Europeans took the lead with a par at the seventh. Westwood rolled in a 15-footer for birdie on the 11th to extend their lead to 2-up. Furyk trimmed the deficit with a short birdie putt on 16.
Kuchar had a chance to even the match at 17, but missed a 13-foot birdie chance. After a pair of poor chips by the Americans at the last, the Europeans were conceded birdie and the match, 2-up.
"I must've shown him something and in his grand planning he's got me paired with Jamie, which worked out great today," Westwood said of European captain Paul McGinley. "I was talking to Jamie before we went out, and I said 'look - fairways and greens, we're just trying to shoot level par, which is good in foursomes.' We shot 4-under par with a birdie at the last. That showed the quality game it was."
All four players in that match had sat out the morning session.
Fowler and Walker, who rallied for a halve in the morning four-ball session, lost a late lead in this match against Garcia and McIlroy.
Garcia and McIlroy took the early lead with a par at the third. A bogey on No. 5 was enough for the Americans to square the match after Garcia hooked his drive out of bounds.
The Europeans came right back with a birdie on the sixth, but McIlroy missed a par attempt on the seventh and the match was all square once again. It remained that way until the 11th.
Fowler made a 3-footer for birdie there and he made a 6-foot birdie try at the 12th to move 2-up. The Europeans got one back with a par on the 13th, but the Americans took the 15th with a par and they were 2-up with three holes to play.
After both teams birdied the par-5 16th, McIlroy poured in a 40-footer for birdie to get within 1-down. Fowler's second landed in a deep greenside bunker, while Garcia found the back of the green from the right rough.
Walker blasted to 17 feet before McIlroy rolled his eagle try to tap-in range. Fowler had a chance to match, but his birdie try came up short and left as the Europeans rallied for a halve.
McIlroy and Garcia, the first and third ranked players in the world, had been in jeopardy of being shutout on day one, but rallied for a 1/2 point.
"It was tough. We won 15, then we both made birdies at 16 and Rory made that bomb at 17 to get them back. Sergio hit an incredible shot out of the rough," Walker said. We tried to get a good look, but it just didn't work out."
Dubuisson and McDowell were in control of the final match from the start. They won three of four holes from the second to move 3-up. McDowell missed a par putt at the eighth, then Dubuisson missed a birdie try on the ninth.
Suddenly, the Americans were within 1-down. Mickelson failed to convert a par effort at 10, then Bradley missed a par chance at 12 and the Europeans had their 3-up lead back.
Mickelson saved par on the 14th to trim the deficit, but after a pair of halves, McDowell poured in a 20-footer for birdie and the win.
"It started off looking pretty good, and then we didn't perform in the afternoon, and it's very disappointing. The players themselves are disappointed," said United States captain Tom Watson. "Phil and Keegan, they struggled this afternoon. They missed a lot of putts.
"There are ebbs and flows. We had an early ebb, we had a better flow in the morning and it all kind of ebbed in the afternoon. Culminated with that Watson-esque put that Rory McIlroy made at 17, hit the back of the hole, popped up and went in. Sometimes that's the way I used to putt."
NOTES: This is the first time Europe has led after the first day since 2006 ... The United Stated led by two points after the first day of the last two Ryder Cups and was three ahead in 2008.
