Ryder Cup

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Europe captain Luke Donald praised the way in which his players coped with a hostile crowd at Bethpage Black saying it was a feather in their caps.

"It's not easy out here - it's loud," he said. "You know, the crowd is certainly on the US side. But we have some crowd support, as well, which is fun.

"They are drying off that. What can I say? I'm so proud of these guys. They know how to handle that situation."

Assessing Europe's performance, Donald added: "Incredible day. To win this morning was huge for us and we all know how important it is to get off to a good start.

"We know how strong the US were in foursomes. [So] 3-1 was a great start, and the top two, especially, they were such good momentum and inspiration for our boys.

"Again, the guys grinded to win the session again this afternoon. That's another tick in our box, and I'm very happy with where we are."

After a dominant morning, Europe continued their momentum through the fourballs in the afternoon, adding another two and a half points to the total.

This is the first time they have led in America after day one since 2004 and it leaves Luke Donald's side in an outstanding position heading into day two.

Team Europe rampaged through the opening session of the 45th Ryder Cup, with the opening three pairs all winning comfortably.

However, victory for Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay in the fourth match ensured USA did claw a point from the foursomes.

Better than they managed in Rome two years ago, but history does suggest the winner of the first session is a good indicator of who will win the Ryder Cup on Sunday.

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The talking is almost over - the action is about to start.

And BBC Sport will have every ball covered - from full commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live to comprehensive live text coverage on the website and app.

It all gets under way at 11:00 BST on Friday.

Join us then.

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Bryson DeChambeau says he hopes the presence of President Donald Trump will "inspire" the United States to victory over Europe in the 45th edition of the Ryder Cup.

President Trump, who is a keen golf fan, will visit the Bethpage Black course, a short distance outside New York, once the competition gets under way on Friday.

"I think he'll be a great force for us to get a lot of people on our side," said DeChambeau, who has previously visited Trump at the White House.

"I think it will be interesting and exciting to see how the crowd and everybody reacts. It's going to be an electric environment."

After not being picked for the 16½-11½ loss to Europe in Rome in 2023, DeChambeau also said he returns to the US team with "a fire" in his stomach and is ready to get the home fans "riled up".

Earlier this week, team-mate Xander Schauffele said the two-time US Open champion DeChambeau sees himself as a "gladiator".

DeChambeau was an automatic qualifier for the US team this time around having not played in Rome after leaving the PGA Tour to join LIV Golf.

"It sucked - I wanted to be there," DeChambeau added. "Didn't play well enough in the majors.

"Knew what I was up against when I went to LIV. That's a whole other conversation. I still wanted to make the team and wasn't able to.

"Seeing the guys lose really put a fire in my stomach and I wanted to make the team this time around. I feel like it's an amazing opportunity."

The 32-year-old's showmanship and willingness to interact with those around the course places him as a key figure in Bradley's ranks and one that will be aiming to ignite the home fans.

"New York fans are incredible," he added. "I've been up here a few times playing and as rowdy and ruckus as they get, they still love the game of golf,

"Having Keegan being from around here and what he's done to fire up this state, this city and our team, ultimately, is inspiring for us as a team to go out and represent the best way possible.

"I couldn't be more excited for the opportunity to hopefully get them riled up and excited for what's to come."

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Luke Donald is backing Jon Rahm to "lead from the front" as the Spaniard prepares to join Tyrrell Hatton in facing Bryson DeChambeau and Justin Thomas in the opening foursomes match at the Ryder Cup.

The two LIV golfers reprise their partnership from the 2023 competition in Rome, where they won both matches, and Rahm boasts a perfect record of four wins from four in this format.

"I'm excited for them to go out first and lead for us," Donald said. "They played so well two years ago.

"We trust in [Rahm]. We trust all 12 guys but he certainly likes to lead from the front.

"The first tee is pure energy, it's pure passion, but I think my guys are ready for it."

After taking seven points out of eight from the foursomes in Rome, Donald has shuffled some of the partnerships for this iteration.

"It's two years since Rome," he said. "People's profiles and people's games change. We're trying to get our strongest pairings out and we went with what we thought was the strongest match."