{"id":290527,"date":"2023-09-29T22:34:35","date_gmt":"2023-09-29T22:34:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportstoft.com\/?p=290527"},"modified":"2023-09-29T22:34:35","modified_gmt":"2023-09-29T22:34:35","slug":"luke-donald-hails-europes-sensational-ryder-cup-start","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportstoft.com\/golf\/luke-donald-hails-europes-sensational-ryder-cup-start\/","title":{"rendered":"Luke Donald hails Europe&apos;s &apos;sensational&apos; Ryder Cup start"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1>Luke Donald hails Europe&#8217;s &#8216;sensational&#8217; Ryder Cup start against illness-hit US team as Jon Rahm, Viktor Hovland and Justin Rose hole &#8216;dream&#8217; putts while Brooks Koepka sulks\u00a0<\/h1>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Team Europe kick-started the Ryder Cup with a first-ever perfect morning<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Captain Luke Donald hailed his team for producing a &#8216;sensational&#8217; performance<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Mail Sport&#8217;s new WhatsApp Channel: Get the breaking news and exclusives here<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Europe seized control of the Ryder Cup against an illness-hit US team on a historic first day in Rome.<\/p>\n<p>Luke Donald\u2019s men responded to their 2021 thrashing with a first-ever perfect morning before a resolute afternoon delivered a scarcely believable 6.5-1.5 scoreline \u2014 the joint-highest lead the competition has seen at this stage.<\/p>\n<p>In front of a delighted, raucous crowd, the hosts stopped the shellshocked Americans winning a single game to record another brilliant first.<\/p>\n<p>Elated captain Donald described the fantastic Friday as \u2018sensational\u2019 and a \u2018dream\u2019.<\/p>\n<p>However, there were different emotions in a stunned US camp, where captain Zach Johnson revealed there was a mystery bug that had \u2018spread through my team\u2019.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/09\/29\/22\/75997383-0-image-a-47_1696023050401.jpg\" height=\"423\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Luke Donald (right) hailed Europe&#8217;s opening day dominance at the Ryder Cup<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/09\/29\/22\/75997387-0-image-a-48_1696023055752.jpg\" height=\"423\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Donaldo (right) watched as his team stormed to a first-ever perfect morning session<\/p>\n<p>LIV rebel Brooks Koepka also bizarrely accused Spain\u2019s Jon Rahm, who holed a 25ft eagle on the 18th to grab a tie in their fourball, of acting like a child.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018I want to hit a board and pout just like Jon Rahm did,\u2019 said a deflated Koepka. \u2018But, you know, it is what it is. Act like a child. But we\u2019re adults. We move on.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>They will need to move on quickly. Europe flew out of the blocks to torch their opponents in the foursomes on a scorching morning in the Italian countryside. At no point did the US hold a lead in any match.<\/p>\n<p>And when the visitors looked set to stage a spirited fightback from 4-0 down, Viktor Hovland, Rahm and Justin Rose all crucially holed putts on the 18th green to pick up half-points for Europe in the fourballs.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Those putts made a huge difference,\u2019 Englishman Donald said. \u2018It was sensational, a dream start for us. This morning was an amazing performance by the guys and this afternoon was tough. The US came back, we knew they would. They had a stretch there in the middle when the momentum was turning their way but, man, did we turn it back.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>A downbeat Johnson described the illness as \u2018congestion\u2019. \u2018It\u2019s not an excuse, because we have depth,\u2019 he added. \u2018But I\u2019ll just say, I\u2019m grateful that we have a team doctor.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Little was wrong with Rahm and High Wycombe\u2019s Tyrrell Hatton, who strolled to a 4&amp;3 win first up, which was equalled by Norway\u2019s Hovland and Swedish young gun Ludvig Aberg.<\/p>\n<p>Ireland\u2019s Shane Lowry and Austria\u2019s Sepp Straka were 2&amp;1 victors, and in the bottom match Northern Ireland\u2019s Rory McIlroy and Southport\u2019s Tommy Fleetwood secured the same margin of victory.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/09\/29\/22\/75997389-0-image-a-58_1696023473115.jpg\" height=\"424\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Viktor Hovland (right) was one of Europe&#8217;s best stars on the dominant day one in Rome<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/09\/29\/22\/75997417-0-image-a-50_1696023073013.jpg\" height=\"427\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Jon Rahm was the star in Europe&#8217;s set-up as he guided in a crucial 25-foot putt on the last hole in the afternoon<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/09\/29\/22\/75997433-0-image-a-51_1696023075625.jpg\" height=\"440\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Justin Rose sunk a putt on the 18th to deny USA winning a single hole on day one<\/p>\n<p>In the only win for either side on a keenly contested afternoon, Sheffield\u2019s Matt Fitzpatrick broke his Ryder Cup duck in style. Last year\u2019s US Open champion sunk four birdies and an eagle from the second hole in a stunning surge that ensured he and McIlroy were never in danger against Collin Morikawa and Xander Schauffele.<\/p>\n<p>The European pair secured the point with a dominant 5&amp;3 victory to delight the 50,000-strong crowd.<\/p>\n<p>A beaming Fitzpatrick hailed the backing from the home support. \u2018Incredible,\u2019 he said. \u2018Absolutely incredible. It\u2019s a hell of a lot better than playing away, that\u2019s for sure. The energy you get from them is huge.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Europe\u2019s 6.5-1.5 lead is the joint-highest after day one, level with their own in 2004 and the US\u2019s in 1975.<\/p>\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/sport\/golf\/article-12577143\/Luke-Donald-europe-Rome-ryder-cup.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read Full Article<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>Luke Donald hails Europe&#8217;s &#8216;sensational&#8217; Ryder Cup start against illness-hit US team as Jon Rahm, Viktor Hovland and Justin Rose hole &#8216;dream&#8217; putts while Brooks <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/sportstoft.com\/golf\/luke-donald-hails-europes-sensational-ryder-cup-start\/\" title=\"Luke Donald hails Europe&amp;apos;s &amp;apos;sensational&amp;apos; Ryder Cup start\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":290526,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Luke Donald hails Europe&amp;apos;s &amp;apos;sensational&amp;apos; 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