Shock and awe: Europe feel the heat at Valhalla

America fell back in love with the Ryder Cup yesterday as they grabbed a first-day’s lead for the first time in 13 years. At 5½-2frac12;2 down, Europe will have to stage their biggest ever comeback if they are to win for the fourth time in succession. But more than this Nick Faldo’s side will have to silence one of the most exuberant crowds that has ever graced the Cup’s galleries.

Kentucky have taken Paul Azinger’s Starred and Striped wonders to their heart. Long into the night the Valhalla valley was filled with the chants of “U.S.A, U.S.A”. They had witnessed their underdogs shaking off the shackles of their recent disasters and overcoming a miserably familiar opening hour to take an emphatic and deserved advantage.

Their joy was seemingly complete when the local boy JB Holmes looked to have taken the day’s last point in a thrilling partnership with Boo Weekley. But they both found water on the last and thanks to Lee Westwood and Soren Hansen, Europe had gained a precious half. It meant that Westwood has equalled Arnold Palmer record of going 12 games undefeated; but that was hardly going to puncture the joy of America and their captain, Paul Azinger. He has discovered two golden pairings in Phil Mickelson and Anthony Kim and, more surprisingly, in Justin Leonard and Hunter Mahan. The latter won both their matches and won them well. Yet it was Mickelson and his young colleague who were inevitably to take the headlines.

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In regards of Europe’s mediocre beginning the spotlight will doubtless fall upon the captain. Nick Faldo wore the look of a shattered man by day’s end and it is vital that he steels himself and then his team to launch the fight back. That will be the challenge of his life as too many of his players are not playing well. Furthermore he left one of his team horribly stranded. While Azinger used all 12 yesterday to spread even more harmony through their teamroom, Faldo left poor Oliver Wilson on the sidelines.

The form of Sergio Garcia is another worry. He was the weak link in his morning partnership with Westwood (in which the 28-year-old’s extraordinary foursomes run ended of eight victories from eight games) and in the afternoon he was similarly uninspired as he and fellow Spaniard Miguel Angel Jimenez were easily dispatched by Leonard and Mahan 4&3.

Indeed, it should really have been two straight defeats for Garcia as Kenny Perry and Jim Furyk had thrown away a two-shot lead with two to go in the first session. Furyk found the cabbage with his drive on the 17th and then Perry, who suddenly felt the pressure of being Kentucky’s favourite golfing son, located the water on the 18th. As Westwood said: “It almost feels like we won that game by getting half out of it.”

It kept the deficit to two points instead of three at 3-1. Nevertheless this was the first opening session American had “won” in 17 years, since the infamous “War On The Shore” in 1991 and the momentum was clearly with the home boys.

Azinger would have particularly enjoyed seeing the two powerhouses of Paul Casey and Henrik Stenson humbled by Leonard and Mahan 3&2, especially as the Englishman and Swede had forged into a two-hole lead after two. In fact, Europe held the lead in the early stages in all four of the foursomes and it seemed to be but a mere continuation of the stroll at the K Club two years. Their mission had been to quieten the galleries from the off and that is what they achieved. Temporarily.

Louisville soon found their lip as their heroes fought back. Justin Rose and Ian Poulter timidly surrendered with a bogey six on the last to be nudged out by Stewart Cink and Chad Campbell after holding a three-hole lead after six. Rose and Poulter’s one-down defeat was particular pertinent to the switch of the tide as this was the first time that America had won a game on the 18th on home soil since 1999. Indeed, they had failed to win the last 11 games which had gone to the ultimate hole. At last they had a grandstand finish to celebrate and the agony of Poulter and Rose was palpable.

By the time these two great friends made the quick turnaround to earn their afternoon redemption with a 4&2 win over Steve Stricker and Ben Curtis, the top match had finished with a half as the Mickelson-Harrington duel had begun with a cracker. Backed up by Robert Karlsson, the three-time major champion lived up to Faldo’s billing as the team leader by moving three clear, after 12 but then came the Mickelson and Kim surge and a lasting partnership was surely struck. It was the old boy’s brilliance with ignited the proceedings with a classic flop shot to holesside on the 14th and a 15-foot putt for birdie on the 15th.

Most other golfers would have cracked but Harrington displayed the nerve that has distinguished him from the rest in these past few months with a fearless 20-foot putt for a half on the 16th. The Irishman thought he had holed a 10-footer to win the match on the last but Mickelson and Kim survived. But that was not to be the end of it. Valhalla licked its lips when the fourballs were announced and Harrington was pitched against Mickelson and Kim again this time with Ulster’s Graeme McDowell. It was another ding-dong battle with the Americans again recovering from a three-hole disadvantage, this time after just four holes to prevail on the 18th.

Perhaps it is the energy of youth or just having someone of comparative talent alongsides, but Kim, the 23-year-old, has plainly helped Mickelson rediscover his Ryder Cup mojo. “His exuberance is infectious,“ said Mickelson. At last the world No 2 has assumed the responsibility that goes with his ranking as the best player here and his coach, Butch Harmon, expounded his theory for his pupil’s resurgence and indeed for that of his nation.

“The Americans have already had more fun in this Ryder Cup than in the last few put together,” said Harmon. “I’ve never seen them so loose. I think it’s because Tiger’s not here.” Who knows about the legitimacy of that argument. And here last night the question was who cares? Finally it is all about a team and not one man.

Best and worst of the opening salvos

SHOT OF THE DAY

A large portion of Phil Mickelson’s fame has been built on his flop shot and the lucky spectators at the back of the 14th green during the foursomes were treated to an absolute classic “Phil Flop”. Somehow he dug it out of the deep rough to send it skyward, landing it on the edge of the putting surface with just enough momentum to let it roll down to the pin.

FLUFF OF THE DAY

Kenny Perry had seemed nerveless all day as he and Jim Furyk grabbed the initiative off Lee Westwood and Sergio Garcia in the foursomes. Maybe it was because of the pressure of playing in his home state of Kentucky, but the veteran American found water off the 18th tee, effectively handing Europe half a point.

MOMENT OF THE DAY

Nobody can get an American crowd going quite like Phil Mickelson. The Californian left his woeful recent Ryder Cup record behind him by inspiring the fightback which saw him and Anthony Kim win three holes in a row from the 13th in the foursomes. His 20-foot putt on the 15th whipped the crowd into the frenzy that was to help define the rest of day.

First-day scores from Valhalla

* MORNING FOURSOMES (US 3, Europe 1)
(US names first; all times BST)

P Mickelson and A Kim halved with P Harrington and R Karlsson.

J Leonard and H Mahan bt H Stenson and P Casey 3 & 2.

S Cink and C Campbell bt J Rose and I Poulter 1 up.

K Perry and J Furyk halved with L Westwood and S Garcia.

* AFTERNOON FOURBALLS (US 2 1/2, Europe 1 1/2)

Mickelson and Kim bt Harrington and G McDowell 2 up.

S Stricker and B Curtis lost to Poulter and Rose 4&2.

Leonard and Mahan bt Garcia and M-A Jimenez 4&3.

J B Holmes and B Weekley halved with Westwood and S Hansen.

* OVERALL TOTAL: US 5 1/2, Europe 2 1/2

Europe need 14pts to retain Ryder Cup; US need 14 1/2pts to win it.

* TODAY

13.05 Foursomes (Four matches)

17.45 Fourballs (Four matches)