Let’s see if Americans will wilt under home pressure

Two of the last three Ryder Cup matches have finished 14 1/ – 13 1/ to 2 2 Europe – and I wouldn’t be surprised if this one is just as close.

I’m tipping Europe to edge it and make it four wins in a row – but the opening morning is going to be absolutely crucial.

Captain Darren Clarke wants Europe to get a fast start and early momentum will be vital. A major positive is it will be foursomes on the opening morning – which has become our speciality.

At Gleneagles we won both foursomes sessions by three points and still have the nucleus of those players who made it happen.

If Europe can build an early lead then the pressure will really turn on the Americans.

But if our friends from across the pond start strongly then it may be difficult to close the gap.

I expect Darren to send out his strongest players in the morning. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Rory McIlroy first out and I expect him to be paired with Andy Sullivan or Sergio Garcia.

Rory has said he would like to play with Andy because they get on so well and it is all about compatibility.

Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson are another obvious partnership, having delivered three points out of three at Gleneagles.

Danny Willett and Lee Westwood also look like a good match. They are great friends and their games are pretty well suited to foursomes. Lee is a great driver of the ball and Danny is a good putter.

I think the final pairing for Friday morning could be Martin Kaymer and either Garcia or Thomas Pieters.

I would fancy those pairings to get Europe off to a positive start.

I don’t think we will see too many rookies in action on Friday morning and some of them may not play at all on the first day.

Paul McGinley was very keen to get us all on the course at Gleneagles two years ago as early as possible, but circumstances may dictate otherwise this time around.

As for the Americans, I was surprised when Bubba Watson was named as a vice-captain by Davis Love earlier this week.

I thought choosing Ryan Moore as the final pick was a wise decision, but bringing Bubba along as part of the backroom staff is an intriguing move.

There have been plenty of reports over the years suggesting Bubba and Tiger Woods weren’t the best to have in the dressing room at the Ryder Cup, yet they have been selected as vice-captains.

I can understand the inclusion of Woods because young players such as Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed will be inspired by his presence, but Watson’s inclusion is an interesting one.

He has already been working the crowd into a frenzy in the practice rounds so perhaps that will be one of his roles this week.

Fair play to him for taking up the job after not being picked, I’m sure a few wouldn’t have touched it.

It will be another memorable three days of close competition, but I believe Europe has a strong enough team to win.

“If Europe can build an early lead then the pressure will really turn on the Americans”