Ryder Cup 2014 Results: Updated Standings and Predictions After Day 1 Foursomes

The European team got off to a strong start in its attempt to win the event for the third straight time, taking a 5-3 lead over the United States after Day 1 on Friday. 

The Europeans responded in the afternoon session after the Americans got off to the lead in the morning, as Phil Mickelson and Keegan Bradley secured a match victory over Rory McIlroy and Sergio Garcia to give the U.S. an early lead.

But McIlroy and Garcia redeemed themselves somewhat in the afternoon, halving with Rickie Fowler and Jimmy Walker while the duos of Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson and Victor Dubuisson and Graeme McDowell also earned wins.

Below, we'll take a look back at the day's results and make some predictions going forward.

Scores

Predictions

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Here's one prediction—a whole lot of Americans are going to be questioning Tom Watson's decision to sit Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed in the afternoon after the pair beat Ian Poulter and Stephen Gallacher. Even Reed was a bit surprised.

“I felt like in alternate shot, him and I would have been great to go back out and take the momentum of what we had just done,” Reed told Karen Crouse of The New York Times. “But at the end of the day, Captain Watson, he picks the pairings for a reason.”

The pairing he chose was of course Mickelson and Bradley, who never led against Dubuisson and McDowell. And now Mickelson has been left out of Saturday's morning session, per The Guardian. Here's how play will open on Saturday:

Match	Europe Pair	United States Pair
1	Justin Rose, Henrik Stenson	Bubba Watson, Matt Kuchar
2	Jamie Donaldson, Lee Westwood	Jim Furyk, Hunter Mahan
3	Thomas Bjorn, Martin Kaymer	Patrick Reed, Jordan Spieth
4	Rory McIlroy, Ian Poulter	Jimmy Walker, Rickie Fowler

The United States needs to get off to a strong start. That's certainly going to be tricky for Watson and Kuchar, who face the scintillating pair of Rose and Stenson. Rose is certainly comfortable on this stage, per ESPN Stats & Information:

When in doubt, trust the hot pair and don't bet against Rose and Stenson. Stick with Spieth and Reed as well, players who certainly have the talent to overcome their lack of experience. I also like Jim Furyk and Hunter Mahan to take down Jamie Donaldson and Lee Westwood.

That brings up the fascinating matchup between McIlroy and Poulter against Walker and Fowler. The latter might want some revenge against McIlroy after blowing the lead late in the match on Friday afternoon, but the best I see them getting in that contest is a half. It won't be the resounding morning session the Americans want, but they'll take the 2.5-1.5 lead heading into the afternoon.

Still, it's hard to see the Americans earning the type of advantage in the afternoon they'll probably need to win this tournament heading into the final day, when the Europeans' advantage in individual talent is likely to shine through. Gaining some ground on Europe simply isn't going to be enough for the United States, but that's all it is likely to do.