Golf:Great Britain and Ireland captain Paul McGinley warned his players not to get carried away after a dream first day of the Vivendi Seve Trophy at St-Nom-La-Breteche saw them take a 4-1 lead over Continental Europe.
The Europeans were in dominant mood, none more so than Scott Jamieson and Ross Fisher who beat Peter Hanson and Raphael Jacquelin 6&4.
“It’s important to pace ourselves,” said McGinley. “We have had a great start — a brilliant start — but there’s a long, long way to go, a lot of points to be played for yet.”
Only Mark Foster and Lee Westwood of the European team failed to win their fourballs encounter today, but even then it was the closest of calls against Anders Hansen and Francesco Molinari.
One down heading to the 18th, Westwood appeared to have salvaged a half when he holed a 20-foot birdie putt, but Molinari followed suit to ensure Europe at least finished the day with a point.
Otherwise the leaderboard was a sea of red, with Simon Dyson and Jamie Donaldson beating Miguel Angel Jimenez and Pablo Larrazabal 2&1, Robert Rock and Ian Poulter 5&3 winners over Thomas Bjorn and Alexander Noren and Darren Clarke and David Horsey securing a one-up victory over Nicolas Colsaerts and Matteo Manassero.
Nevertheless, McGinley added: “It’s a very, very strong European team and we certainly will not be underestimating them.
“We played really good golf today, but if we are going to win this, we have to keep on playing to that standard because they are going to come back, there’s nothing surer than that.”
Fisher made all the early running in his fourball, winning three of the first five holes with two birdies and a par, while Jamieson added a birdie two at the third to ensure the pair were three up after five.
A winning par for Jacquelin at the sixth put the European pair back within two, but Fisher and Jamieson birdied four of the five holes after the turn to bring the rubber to a premature end.
Donaldson and Dyson were also never behind after the Welshman birdied the first two holes.
Jimenez and Larrazabal pulled level again after seven, but further birdies on eight, 10 and 16 ensured the British and Irish pair were triumphant.
Poulter and Rock fell behind on the opening hole when Bjorn birdied, but pulled level thanks to Poulter’s birdie two at the third and coasted to victory as Rock hit a purple patch picking up shots on the sixth, ninth, 10th and 11th.
Clarke and Horsey were forced to hold on as Colsaerts brought him and Manassero to within a shot thanks to a birdie at 17, but they halved the 18th to confirm a dominant day.
Europe captain Jean van der Velde was impressed with the British and Irish team, saying: “I didn’t see too many missed putts by them to be frankly honest. They seemed to find the groove.
“At the end of the day, you can only ask the guy to do their best and try to play their best. There is no doubt that from looking at those numbers, they are going to have to raise their level of play or, equally, maybe Great Britain and Ireland can lower it down a little bit.”
McGinley has kept his pairings intact for the second day of fourballs, while Van der Velde makes just one swap, pairing Hanson with fellow Swede Noren and Bjorn with Jacquelin.
Opening day fourballs
Pablo Larrazabal & Miguel Angel Jimenez lost to Simon Dyson & Jamie Donaldson 2&1
Peter Hanson & Raphael Jacquelin lost to Ross Fisher & Scott Jamieson 6&4
Anders Hansen & Francesco Molinari bt Lee Westwood & Mark Foster 1 hole
Matteo Manassero & Nicolas Colsaerts lost to Darren Clarke & David Horsey 1 hole
Thomas Bjorn & Alexander Noren lost to Ian Poulter & Robert Rock 5&3
Continental Europe 1 Great Britain & Ireland 4
Second day fourballs (all times Irish)
1035 Raphael Jacquelin & Thomas Bjorn v Jamie Donaldson & Simon Dyson
1050 Peter Hanson & Aexander Noren v Ian Poulter & Robert Rock
1105 Nicolas Colsaerts & Matteo Manassero v Ross Fisher & Scott Jamieson
1120 Francesco Molinari & Anders Hansen v Mark Foster & Lee Westwood
1235 Miguel Angel Jimenez & Pablo Larrazabal v David Horsey & Darren Clarke
