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Paul McGinley says his side showed great character to recover from a poor end to the morning fourballs and secure a two-point lead at the end of day one.
McGinley’s men found themselves trailing by a point at Gleneagles after USA finished the morning session strongly but the visitors managed just one half point in the afternoon as Europe dominated the foursomes to secure a 5-3 overnight lead.
McGinley said: “We’ve seen it in Ryder Cups over the years, how important momentum switches are and how it can really have a domino effect.
“So, when the surge came from America at the end of the session this morning, for our guys to react as well as they did, shows real strength of character.
“To have blue on the board, in all four matches, within, I think, six holes in the afternoon, I think just shows the ability we have in this team.”
European big guns Rory McIlroy and Sergio Garcia lost their fourball match and looked on course for a disastrous day when they were two down with two to play against Rickie Fowler and Jimmy Walker in the afternoon.
But they produced a sensational birdie-birdie finish to claim a half, which McGinley considered particularly valuable.
“Sometimes you go out, don’t play quite well, and you get beaten. It was a point lost in the Ryder Cup and we move forward.
“They went out in the afternoon and rectified it, to a large extent, and that was probably as good as a win to be honest, to come back from where they were.”
Rookies Jamie Donaldson and Victor Dubuisson also played starring roles in the afternoon and finished as winners in their first Ryder Cup matches.
Donaldson and Lee Westwood beat Jim Furyk and Matt Kuchar two-up while Dubuisson teamed up with Graeme McDowell to beat Phil Mickelson and Keegan Bradley 3&2.
“The rookies had great partners,” McGinley reflected. “I think Lee and G-Mac, you couldn’t ask for better partners in your first Ryder Cup. That was huge.
“Stevie (Gallacher) had Ian Poulter and we thought that dynamic would work as well but that happens in Ryder Cups (the pair were well beaten in the morning fourballs).
“It doesn’t always work, it’s not a perfect science, but two out of three from the rookies today was not bad.
“So, a great day, lots of momentum, brilliant. But let’s take stock now, we have a big day tomorrow.”
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