W Simpson and B Watson lost to J Rose and I Poulter 1 hole

Poulter and Watson both urged the crowd to make noise as they teed off – the American innovated that on the first day – but it was Rose’s bunker shot to four feet that won the opening hole. Simpson’s superb approach levelled things at the third and a two-putt birdie on the long fifth meant the home team led in all four games. Poulter holed from nine feet at nine to square things, the Americans fell behind by messing up the long 10th off Simpson’s perfect drive and Poulter then followed Watson in at the 11th for a matching birdie.

Both were near the water right of the 12th green, but Poulter’s 15-foot putt from the fringe won the hole after Simpson’s chip came back to him. Both bogeyed the difficult 14th and birdied the long 15th, but a bogey at the next was good enough for the Americans as Rose and Poulter both played poor shots and Rose then missed his six-foot putt. It all came down to a 10-foot putt for Simpson on the last, but he missed it and Europe hung on for a vital point.

J Furyk and B Snedeker bt R McIlroy and G McDowell 1 hole

The Americans had the chance for revenge after losing the opening game of the match on the last and Furyk’s eight-foot birdie putt on the first took them ahead.

He missed a six-foot chance to double that at the short second, but Snedeker made no mistake from seven feet at the fifth. McIlroy’s lip-out at seventh kept the gap at two, but Furyk and Snedeker bogeyed the next.

It stayed that way until the 11th, where Furyk restored the two-hole difference with a 10-footer. The next four were shared, but the two Northern Irishmen produced a brilliant birdie on the difficult 16th, McIlroy holing from eight feet.

He had a 12-foot chance to level on the 17th, missed it and halving the last in par fours gave the home pair the point.

J Dufner and Z Johnson bt N Colsaerts and S Garcia 21

European first day fourball star Colsaerts – eight birdies and an eagle with Westwood – had forced his way into the foursomes line-up, but Dufner struck first with a six-footer on the second and the Belgian missed from five feet to lose the fourth.

A par at the sixth was good enough to reduce the deficit to one and it looked as if they might level on nine, only for Dufner to hole from eight feet after Colsaerts had made his from 10.

They did make it all square with a 12-foot Colsaerts putt on 11, but the Americans were gifted the 12th and 13th when Garcia and Colsaerts first double-bogeyed and then three-putted for bogey.

A dramatic chip-in by Garcia from over the 16th green gave Europe real hope of getting something from the game, but his partner went in the water on the next and it ended there.

K Bradley and P Mickelson bt L Westwood and L Donald 76

Double winners on the opening day, the home pair won the first two holes with Mickelson’s pitch to two feet being followed by Westwood going in the water.

The long fifth was shared in birdies, Westwood holing from nine feet after Mickelson had holed from 14, but the gap became three when Donald lipped out a nine-footer on the next and four when the Americans two-putted the seventh for another birdie.

Bradley’s 10-foot putt at nine stretched the gap to five – they were out in a five under 31 to Europe’s desperately disappointing 38 – and the end was in sight when Davis Love’s star pair were on in two once more at the 578-yard 10th.

Mickelson drove in the trees on the 12th, but his third shot from the fairway rolled down a slope to within inches of the cup and when their opponents three-putted they suffered a record-equalling 76 defeat. They did not win a single hole.