Ryder Cup: Top 5 Performers from the First Day of Play

The stars were out on the first day of the Ryder Cup, and some shone brighter than others.

It wasn’t until the shadows faded over the 16th green when the pro-American crowd at Hazeltine was finally officially introduced to Team Europe at the Ryder Cup.

Rory McIlroy theatrically bowed to the gallery after rolling home an eagle putt to clinch a 3 & 2 four-ball victory with Ryder Cup rookie Thomas Pieters over the American team of Dustin Johnson and Matt Kuchar. The 15-footer cut Team USA’s lead to 5-3, stifling any momentum from their historic 4-0 foursome session on Friday morning.

Team USA came firing out of the gates early, starting with the duo of Patrick Reed and Jordan Spieth scoring a 3 & 2 win over Olympic medalists Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson. Buoyed by a five straight hole finish from Jimmy Walker and Zach Johnson, the U.S. had every reason to be confident heading into the afternoon.

It took some time for the European engines to warm up, but as the morning clouds rolled away, so too did the poor European play. European captain Darren Clarke’s men were able to go 3-1 in the afternoon session. Strong play from Rose, Stenson, McIlroy and Pieters helped revive the hopes of the Europeans.

With such a dynamic swing, it is tough to pick out which players performed the best. But hey, let’s take a swing at it. Here’s a list of the top 5 performers from Day 1 at the Ryder Cup.