Session 1 - USA edge ahead

The Ryder Cup finally got under way at 7.35 this morning accompanied by a deafening wall of noise that shook Gleneagles to its foundations.

By the time that Webb Simpson struck the opening drive the first hole was encircled by 15,000 fans who whooped and hollered and cheered the players every inch of the way.

With only four matches to watch, it presented a challenge for the 45,000 fans who turned up for the first day's play. The same number will watch on Saturday and Sunday, providing a huge boost to the local economy.

But enough of that. What about the golf? The European fans had plenty to cheer early on during the morning fourballs.

In the first fourball, Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson faced Simpson and Bubba Watson, who struck his opening drive to a cacophony of noise. Stenson won the second with a birdie four, Rose the fourth with a birdie two. Europe two up.

The second match paired Thomas Bjorn and US Open champion Martin Kaymer against Rickie Fowler and the hugely impressive Jimmy Walker. The Europeans won three of the first four holes before Fowler clawed one back with a birdie at the fifth. Europe two up.

Match three saw Scotland's Stephen Gallacher and Ian Poulter, the European talisman, take on American young guns Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed. The Americans won the first but Gallacher got himself on the board with a birdie at the second to earn a half and calm his frazzled nerves. USA one up.

The top match pitted Rory McIlroy and Sergio Garcia, who could each have to play five times, against Keegan Bradley and Phil Mickelson. Poor old Phil was clearly feeling the cold as he began wearing two gloves. McIlroy, after a huge drive at the first, birdied the hole to match Mickelson's three. Garcia produced a moment of magic at the par-three fourth when he holed a bunker shot. Europe one up.

So far, so good.

Things were not going so well for Gallacher and Poulter though. Reed birdied the sixth, Spieth the seventh and all of a sudden the Europeans were three down. This was NOT part of the plan.

Elsewhere, things were going the way of the Europeans. Stenson birdied the ninth before Justin Rose holed a tramliner at the 10th. Four up, eight to play.

The USA got one back on Kaymer and Bjorn when Walker eagled the ninth by holing a bunker shot. As you do. Europe one up. And it remained that way when the players halved the 10th, 11th and 12th holes.

Poulter and Gallacher were heading for certain defeat when Reed birdied the 10th to put the USA five up, and he extended their lead with another birdie at the next. Between them, the European pair had managed a solitary birdie while the Americans were six under par on what was an increasingly difficult day for scoring. Gallacher won the 12th with a par, but the end was in sight, especially when he failed to convert a great birdie chance at the 13th. Five down, five to play.

It was a different story in the opening match, where Watson and Simpson reached the 13th hole still looking for their first birdie of the day. They were four down with six to play. The first point went on the board when Rose holed a birdie putt at the 14th to secure a 5&4 victory. Europe 1 USA 0.

Things had turned around in the final match, with the Americans taking the seventh with a par and the ninth and tenth with birdies. Garcia and McIlroy were two down. So Europe led in two matches and trailed in the two others.

With Gallacher and Poulter going on to  lose 5&4, much hinged on McIlroy and Garcia, and they got it back to one down when Garcia's par was good enough to win the 11th. The match should have been all square at the 12th, but McIlroy was unable to convert a seven-foot birdie putt. Europe 1 USA 1

Europe were looking good for another point when Bjorn recorded his third birdie of the day at the 13th to put himself and Kaymer two up. Walker holed out from off the green for the second time at the 16th to reduce the margin on Bjorn and Kaymer to one hole. Walker has come from nowhere in the past 12 months, but looks entirely at home at this level. Many believe he could be the star of the American team.

Kaymer had a chance to wrap up the match after a glorious long iron to the par-three 17th hole, but he missed the putt and took a one-shot lead to the 18th.  Neither Kaymer nor Bjorn could birdie the par-five last hole, but Walker was able to do so. Having led from the first hole, the Europeans had to settle for a half.

Europe 1.5 USA 1.5.

There was good news for McIlroy and Garcia when the Northern Irishman won the 13th with a par to go back to all square, and Garcia drained a 15-footer at the next to keep it that way. Europe then went one up when Mickelson missed a short putt at the 15th.

Bradley had been pretty subdued but he struck a superb second shot to the par-five 16th and duly holed the putt for an eagle to square the match. A scrappy half at the 17th meant they went to the final hole with everything to play for. All four players were capable of getting home in two, but the important first task was to find the fairway. Instead, Bradley found thick rough. Mickelson, however, split the fairway. McIlroy joined Bradley in the cabbage but, thankfully, Garcia hit a cracker.

None of them could find the green in two. McIlroy and Garcia couldn't even find it in three. America took the game one up.

Europe 1.5 USA 2.5.

Advantage America. And yet, how different it could all have been.