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<\/p>\nRory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood helped Europe complete the clean sweep <\/p>\n
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Europe\u2019s bid to regain the Ryder Cup got off to a dream start as they stormed into a 4-0 lead over a shellshocked United States in Rome.<\/p>\n
Captain Luke Donald\u2019s decision to start with foursomes for the first time since 1993, the last US victory on European soil, paid handsome dividends as his side swept an opening session for the first time in the contest\u2019s history.<\/p>\n
Roared on by a partisan crowd, the home side never trailed at any point in all four matches and their opponents won just 10 holes all morning.<\/p>\n
World No 1 Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns accounted for only one of those as they were beaten 4&3 by Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton, with Viktor Hovland and rookie Ludvig Aberg despatching Open champion Brian Harman and Max Homa by the same score.<\/p>\n
Shane Lowry and Sepp Straka maintained the momentum with a 2&1 win over Rickie Fowler and Collin Morikawa before Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood completed the rout by inflicting a first foursomes defeat on Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele.<\/p>\n
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Rahm and Hatton had acquired the nickname of \u201cTeam Angry\u201d due to their fiery nature, but they could afford to be all smiles as they gelled superbly to get Europe off to the ideal start.<\/p>\n
Rahm holed from 27 feet for birdie on the third and short range on the fifth, before hitting the pin with his tee shot on the par-three seventh to leave Hatton with a tap-in birdie.<\/p>\n
The European pair looked set to lose the 10th until Rahm chipped in for an unlikely par and the Masters champion then drove the green on the short 11th and found the putting surface in two on the par-five 12th.<\/p>\n
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Europe celebrated a brilliant morning <\/p>\n
That led to a conceded eagle and the out-of-sorts American pair were soon put of their misery on the 15th.<\/p>\n
\u201cExtremely satisfying,\u201d Rahm said. \u201cI had a good feeling about Tyrrell all along. It was good to come out here and see him perform the way he did.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was an incredible foursome match and we played as confident as two people could play.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lowry admitted he was \u201closing my mind\u201d standing on the first tee as he watched Hovland chip in for birdie up ahead on the green, but the former Open champion regained his composure in time to help rookie Straka earn a debut point.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s huge,\u201d Lowry said. \u201cObviously it\u2019s early days but I wanted to give Sepp his moment in the Ryder Cup to hole the winning putt (on 17). We are off to a great start this morning. We need to keep the foot down.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would have liked to close out the match earlier because we had good chances, but it was nice to put a point on the board for Europe.\u201d<\/p>\n
A miserable morning for Zach Johnson\u2019s side was epitomised in the bottom match, where Schauffele and Cantlay \u2013 who had boasted a 5-0 record in foursomes \u2013 won the 14th to halve their deficit and looked almost certain to get back to all square on the next following a wayward McIlroy drive.<\/p>\n
However, Cantlay charged his birdie putt four feet past, Fleetwood holed from 20 feet to scramble a par and Schauffele then missed his par attempt.<\/p>\n
The American duo did win the 16th with a birdie but McIlroy hit a superb tee shot to within three feet on the 17th and Schauffele, knowing he had to make his birdie attempt from 20 feet to have any chance, inexplicably left it short.<\/p>\n
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Fleetwood and McIlroy finished the morning in style <\/p>\n
Fleetwood was left with the simple task of tapping in to complete a 2&1 victory and round off a barely-believable opening session for the European team.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been an unbelievable session,\u201d McIlroy said. \u201cWe switched the format this year to go foursomes first because statistically that\u2019s our better session.<\/p>\n
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\u201cAnd all week all we\u2019ve been talking about is getting off to fast starts. Playing three-hole matches in practise, three holes, go again, three holes, go again, something that Luke\u2019s drilled into us.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were ready to go from the first tee shot as obviously as you can see in how everyone played.\u201d<\/p>\n