Ryder Cup 2018 Leaderboard: Europe Dominates Afternoon Session, Leads USA 5-3

Captain Thomas Bjorn watched his Team Europe dominate the afternoon foursomes at the 2018 Ryder Cup and storm into a 5-3 lead over the United States at the end of Day 1.

It was the visitors who had the better of things early on at Le Golf National in Guyancourt, France, as they led 3-1 at the end of the four fourball matches. 

However, the tide turned from red to blue in the afternoon, as the European team flew out of the traps in all of their matches, whitewashing the United States in what turned out to be four lopsided contests. It's the first time since 1989 the States have lost a session 4-0 in this prestigious tournament.

Here are the results of every match from the 2018 Ryder Cup so far and a look at the standout pairings from Friday.

Day 1 Results

Fourballs (Europe 1-3 USA)

Tony Finau and Brooks Koepka (USA) bt. Justin Rose and Jon Rahm (EU), 1 up

Dustin Johnson and Rickie Fowler (USA) bt. Rory McIlroy and Thorbjorn Olesen (EU), 4 and 2

Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas (USA) bt. Paul Casey and Tyrrell Hatton (EU), 1 up

Tommy Fleetwood and Francesco Molinari (EU) bt. Patrick Reed and Tiger Woods (USA), 3 and 1

Foursomes (Europe 4-0 USA)

Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson (EU) bt. Dustin Johnson and Rickie Fowler (USA), 3 and 2

Rory McIlroy and Ian Poulter (EU) bt. Bubba Watson and Webb Simpson (USA), 4 and 2

Sergio Garcia and Alex Noren (EU) bt. Phil Mickelson and Bryson DeChambeau (USA), 5 and 4

Tommy Fleetwood and Francesco Molinari (EU) bt. Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas, 5 and 4

Top Pairings

Fleetwood and Molinari

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There was a great deal of excitement ahead of the tournament about Tommy Fleetwood, a Ryder Cup rookie, and Francesco Molinari, who had previously not won a point in the competition, linking up at Le Golf National. They showed why.

Not only are they two players of immense pedigree—the European Tour champion and British Open champion—they clearly enjoy one another's company.

In a tough morning for their team, they battled for a point in the fourballs against the United States' big-hitting pair of Tiger Woods and Patrick Reed. 

Per golf journalist Jason Sobel, in a chaotic session for Europe, they excelled:

Their display appeared to set the tone for the afternoon. Fleetwood and Molinari were last out again for Europe, against another stellar duo of Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas. With the board turning blue up ahead, they seemed to feed off that momentum and pulled clear in their match.

Fleetwood, in particular, was on fire with the putter, and Golf Digest's Mike O'Malley noted he has enjoyed success at this venue before:

Matt Dickinson of the Times said it was the Englishman's day:

In the end, the duo clinched the whitewash for Europe and will surely play again together on Day 2 after this sparkling display on Friday. On this evidence, in the fourballs and the foursomes, Fleetwood and Molinari will be tough to halt.

McIlroy and Poulter

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After a rough morning for McIlory, his skipper Bjorn kept faith with him in the afternoon and paired him with Europe's talisman, Ian Poulter. When they found themselves two down early on, it appeared to be the wrong decision.

However, the experienced duo kept calm, and helped by some errant play from Webb Simpson and Bubba Watson, they clawed their way back into contention.

While McIlroy never quite found his best, he did produce a moment of genius on No. 13, as he landed an approach from a bank while off-balance within 20 feet of the flag. Poulter then holed a brilliant follow-up putt for birdie.

Ewan Murray of the Guardian praised a piece of inspiration from the Northern Irishman:

Broadcaster Georgie Bingham commented on how Poulter was the leader in this partnership on Friday:

Poulter continued his excellent Ryder Cup record, picking up his 13th point in the competition and geeing up the fans with his passionate celebrations.

McIlroy will be hoping to make strides on Saturday, and Poulter did seemingly put him at ease on Friday afternoon. If the former can crank his game up a notch, don't be surprised to see this duo spur each other on and lead the charge for the team in blue on Day 2.