If Great Britain and Ireland had any doubts as to the size of the task facing them in winning the PGA Cup on American soil it arrived in stark fashion during a crushing afternoon foursomes defeat.
After a tightly contested morning fourball session which saw the US edge 2 ½ - 1 ½, Jim Remy's team surged ahead with a devastating display in the foursomes, routing Russell Weir's team 3 ½ - 1/2.
But for the battling duo David Shacklady and Simon Edwards, who went out first in the foursomes and salvaged a half point on the last hole, GB&I might have faced an even greater margin to overhaul.
As it stands 6-2 is plenty enough and Weir's team require a huge change in fortunes on day two to put themselves back into the match.
The combined pairings of John Kennedy and David Mortimer, Chris Gill and Stuart Little and Craig Goodfellow and Rob Giles won just one of 39 holes - all three succumbing to 6&5 defeats.
Weir, a veteran of eight PGA Cup appearances himself, will draw on all his experience to galvanise his side but believes the half point gleaned by Edwards and Shacklady could be crucial.
"That could help the momentum tomorrow, as I say it's a long dance, there's still 18 points to play for," said.
"We're not panicking, anything can happen in golf. The Americans are always strong, a few wee things happened that went against us today and hopefully we can turn that round. It is going to be difficult but it can be done."
Edwards and Shacklady, who went down 2&1 at the hands of David Hutsell and Mark Sheftic in the morning fourballs, were typically dogged as they pegged back Brad Lardon and Sonny Skinner, snatching a dramatic hole on 18 to grab a half point.
With no margin for error, Mossock Hall pro Shacklady took on the 530-yard par-5 18th, bordered by water on the left, with the second shot and plonked the ball firmly on the green. Lardon's approach - his third shot - wasn't so accurate and bounced into the water.
Skinner attempted to play the ball from its watering resting place in a last ditch effort to gain the full point but mud spattered trousers were all he had to show for his adventure.
"That shot into 18 was harder than hitting the opening tee shot, it was horrible but we had to go for it and it was just fortunate they got into a bit of trouble," said Shacklady.
"It's been a tough day but we came up against two strong pairings. The general consensus is that the lads feel they haven't holed their fair share of putts, that can't continue, at some point that is going to change."
Team-mate Edwards from Windermere Golf Club added: "We will regroup tonight and come out all guns blazing tomorrow and try and hole some putts."
Ganton's Gary Brown and Cherry Burton's John Wells displayed true Yorkshire grit in the morning fourballs after coming from two down with four to play to win 1UP against Danny Balin and Scott Erdmann, the match turning on the back of a bunker shot by Brown on the 15th splashing out to two feet on a downhill slope.
"Scrap and grit, that's all that got us through that," said Wells. "They played better than us early doors and should have been four or five up.
"We didn't have a cat in hell's chance then Gary made that up and down on 15 and that turned the match."
Minchinhampton's Stuart Little and Exeter's Chris Gill grabbed the other half for GB&I in the morning but were disappointed to share the points with Mike Small and Faber Jamerson after being up for most of the match.
Despite the Americans rally, Little was reveling in the atmosphere of the PGA Cup arena.
"Instinctively I have not felt like that for a long time so it was good to get the juices going and a little bit of tension and excitement," he said.
However the day deteriorated for the West Region pair when they lost to Balin and Scott Erdmann.
"We got off to a slow start, they capitalized and we never really got on the front foot and ending up battered," said Little.
"But we've got two more days of golf and we know that is a lot in golf and a lot can happen."
His partner Gill added: "It's never nice to play poorly or get beaten but if you're going to do it it's best to do it on the first day of the tournament.
"Team spirit and morale is still good and maybe it is just America's day to day."
Rob Giles (Greenore) and Craig Goodfellow (Carlisle Driving Range) out last in the morning were denied a half in the fourballs when Rob McClellan birdied the 18th with partner Marty Jertson, a senior design engineer for PING and the man credited with the design of Anser iron and co-designer of the G20s.
America then maintained the momentum in the afternoon to seize the initiative. For captain Remy, celebrating his 57th birthday, it was a day to remember.
"I was really happy with the fact that we were able to come back in the morning and get the one-point lead," said Remy.
"That was really spectacular. Then, this afternoon to be able to get 3 ½ points in foursomes was incredible. The foursomes' are not our game, but we did practice it a lot this week."
For GB&I it was a time for tough talking. Greenore pro Giles stressed the need for improvement: "We made hard work of it for ourselves and it's a hard game to play anyway so losing holes to pars isn't good enough and they are good players."
Having sat out the afternoon Wells could only sit and watch as the scoreboard was swamped in red.
"It has been a disastrous afternoon to be fair, we have been well and truly beaten," he said.
"The boys did well to get the half at the last which gives us a bit of momentum but we've got to win both sessions to have a chance in the singles otherwise it's a mountain to climb."
Weir gathered the GB&I team for a meeting and the message was clear - hit back and hit back fast.
As Kennedy summed up: "We are better than that, I am better than that and we have to go out and show that."
and Robert Rock,