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Ryder Cup 2018 - as it happened: USA take lead after Friday fourballs
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Your support makes all the difference.The 2018 Ryder Cup is underway at Le Golf National. Jim Furyk has selected Tony Finau and Brooks Koepka to lead the US team out in Paris and they will be up against Thomas Bjorn's strong opening pairing of Justin Rose and Jon Rahm.
Rory McIlroy and Thorbjorn Olesen will play match two against Dustin Johnson and Rickie Fowler, Paul Casey and rookie Tyrrell Hatton face Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth in match three, before the much-anticipated appearance of Tiger Woods alongside the fiery Patrick Reed, who play Francesco Molinari and Tommy Fleetwood.
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Preview
What time does it start?
It all gets underway at 7.10am on Friday morning with the opening fourballs.
Where can I watch it?
The whole tournament is being broadcast on Sky Sports Golf. You can also stream it online via SkyGo. It is also available on NowTV.
For those without access to any of those The Independent will be live blogging the entire weekend.
Who's playing?
Some of the very best golfers on the planet. Tiger Woods leads the American team while new world number one Justin Rose is Europe's leading light.
Who's going to win?
USA Evens
Europe 5/4
Draw 11/1
Molinari & Fleetwood (1UP) vs Woods & Reed
It's imperative that Europe can win at least one of these opening four matches and relieve the pressure on those going out this afternoon. It all rests on Fleetwood and Molinari and the Englishman finds something at last.
His birdie on the par-5 fifteenth is good enough to win the hole after Tiger chose to lay up and Reed's errant approach. Can they hold out?
Casey & Hatton vs Spieth & Thomas (1UP)
Casey finds the bunker down eighteen and can only manage to lay up. It all rests on Tyrrell Hatton now who's safely in the fairway. He needs something big here...and does he deliver! His approach carries the water onto the front of the green and he has a real shot at birdie. That was some nerve.
Molinari & Fleetwood (2UP) vs Woods & Reed
What a putt Tommy Fleetwood! He was was just looking to lag it to the hole on the par-3 sixteenth but it dropped and that's massive. Europe are guaranteed a half at the very least in this match.
Casey & Hatton def. by Spieth & Thomas (1UP)
And Thomas is in the drink! Tyrrell Hatton's putt will win the hole and halve the match...but it's veered to the right and missed.
Spieth now has a simple 4 footer for the match and strokes it home. Hatton and Casey will have never thought they had a chance after going three down but they'll be so disappointed.
Ed Maylon at the eighteenth as another match slips away:
An example of how hard it is not to get carried away: with Europe depending on Hatton after Casey found jungle-style rough on 18, the rookie plays a brilliant approach to send the crowd wild. He walks off triumphantly, saluting the crowd, only to realise Justin Thomas hasn’t played his second shot yet and quickly, sheepishly has to do an about turn.
Molinari & Fleetwood (2UP) vs Woods & Reed
Both Woods and Reed miss left of the seventeenth green and it's a huge chance for the Europeans to close it out here. Reed's chip is the better of the two but a par from either Fleetwood or Molinari would be good enough.
Molinari & Fleetwood (2UP) vs Woods & Reed
Molinari has two putts to win the match...and he only needs one! Europe have their first point at this Ryder Cup and Molinari in particular has been superb today. The pick of the Europeans.
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