Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton won the opening match; Viktor Hovland impressed alongside rookie Ludvig Åberg; victories for Shane Lowry, Sepp Straka, Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood; watch the Ryder Cup all week live on Sky Sports Golf
By Ali Stafford in Rome
Last Updated: 29/09/23 11:04am
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Team Europe made the dream start in their bid to regain the Ryder Cup after winning all four foursomes matches to sweep the opening session for the first time in the event’s history.
Captain Luke Donald’s decision to start a home Ryder Cup with foursomes rather than the traditional fourballs immediately paid off during a dominant display at Marco Simone GC, where Europe never trailed at any point in any match as they stormed to a 4-0 advantage.
Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton brushed aside world No 1 Scottie Scheffler and an out-of-sorts Sam Burns 4&3 in the top match, while rookie Ludvig Åberg made a winning start to his Ryder Cup career by partnering Viktor Hovland to victory by the same margin over Max Homa and Brian Harman.
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Sepp Straka enjoyed a winning debut as he joined Shane Lowry in despatching Rickie Fowler and Collin Morikawa 2&1, putting Europe 3-0 ahead, while Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood completed a remarkable morning for the hosts by beating Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay by the same margin.
It’s the first time Europe have ever led 4-0 after the opening session and the first time since 2006 where Team USA will trail heading into Friday afternoon, giving the hosts a commanding lead as they chase a seventh consecutive home victory in the biennial contest.
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More to follow..
What’s next?
Hovland and Hatton lead out Europe in the afternoon foursomes against Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth, with Rahm partnering Nicolai Hojgaard against Scheffler and five-time major winner Brooks Koepka.
Robert MacIntyre and Justin Rose start their week against Homa and Clark, with McIlroy joining Matt Fitzpatrick in the last match to play Morikawa and Schauffele.
Day two coverage has the same timings as Friday, with the opening foursomes tee shot at 6.35am and the afternoon fourballs sessions getting under way at 12.25pm. Coverage of the final day singles begins on Sunday at 9am ahead of the first match going out at the 10.35am.
Watch the Ryder Cup exclusively live this week on Sky Sports! Live coverage from day two begins on Saturday from 6am, ahead of the first tee time at 6.35am. Stream the Ryder Cup and more for £21 a month for six months with NOW.
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