U.S. storms to lead, but Europe responds

CHASKA, Minn. (AP) – The United States had the lead. Rory McIlroy made sure that was all it had Friday in the Ryder Cup.

The American sweep of the opening session of matches at Hazeltine was all but forgotten when McIlroy rolled in a 20-foot eagle putt, took a bow on the 16th green and delivered a defiant message to the crowd and to the U.S. team desperate to win back the cup.

Europe isn’t going anywhere.

“I’m not fazed by anything that is said by the crowd,” McIlroy said. “And I’m not fazed by anything that the U.S. team throws at us.”

The Americans threw a haymaker with the first openingsession sweep in four decades. Europe battled back from that 40 deficit behind its best tandem, Henrik Stenson and Justin Rose, and it’s best player. McIlroy buried the eagle putt, calmly bowed twice to the crowd and then punched the chilly Minnesota air with his fist.

U.S. captain Davis Love III at least could take consolation in a 5-3 lead, though the Americans wasted a chance to put Europe in a big hole.

“It’s frustrating not to come out a little bit more ahead,” Love said.

McIlroy had heard enough after some 10 hours before what he described as a hostile crowd. He and Thomas Pieters never trailed against the previously undefeated tandem of Dustin Johnson and Matt Kuchar. McIlroy finished it with his eagle putt.

“Even before I hit that putt, I wanted to put an exclamation point on that session for us,” he said. “I actually thought about the celebration before I hit the putt. I knew it had a good chance of going in. ... I just wanted everyone that’s watching out there to know how much this means to us.”