Ryder Cup Day 2 preview - Pairings and what Team U.S. needs to do - ESPN

GUIDONIA MONTECELIO, Italy — It took until 2:01 p.m. local time for America to lead a match for the first time in the 44th Ryder Cup. The novelty of standing in the Italian sun had since worn off, with spectators cramming into the small pockets of shade, stepping through crunched beer cans and twisted plastic water bottles as various chants of «Ole, Ole, Ole» broke out.

It was Justin Thomas who finally turned part of the scoreboard red, after a morning session where Europe dominated the foursomes 4-0 and made a quick start to the fourballs. Thomas' birdie on the par-4 sixth hole brought a temporary halt to the blue attack, but there was to be no firm U.S. riposte in the afternoon session, with Europe taking Friday 6½-1½ .

The day finished with Justin Rose and rookie Robert MacIntyre saving a half point by coming back from two holes down with two to play, meaning the sole U.S. contribution from the first day in Rome was a trio of ties to match the biggest lead seen in the Ryder Cup history. And Europe looked to their big-name players: Jon Rahm, Viktor Hovland and Rory McIlroy, who impressed throughout the day.

«They are superstars,» Europe captain Luke Donald said. «They are studs. They are three of the top four players in the world. You need your superstars firing. You need them playing well. Without that, it's really an uphill battle. They stepped up and did what they needed to do, and I'm so proud of them.»

Europe will head into Saturday with a 6½-1½ advantage over the U.S., a score that not even Donald could have dreamed of when play started in the early hours of Friday. But Europe will be wary of the U.S. comeback, and there are still 20 points up for grabs.

The American team looked bewildered at times on Friday