Team USA's lead pairing, Phil Mickelson and Keegan Bradley, are in a sticky situation halfway through their Ryder Cup foursomes match against Victor Dubuisson and Graeme McDowell on day one at Gleneagles.
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French debutant Dubuisson and Northern Ireland's McDowell hold a one-hole lead after the front nine thanks to some solid golf, with Mickelson and Bradley looking a little jaded at the start of the match after their 18-hole victory over Rory McIlroy and Sergio Garcia in the fourballs earlier.
The opening hole was halved in pars before the Americans bogeyed the second to gift Europe an early lead.
Bradley and Mickelson then bogeyed the long par-three fourth and the tough fifth as Dubuisson and McDowell continued to make pars and go three holes ahead.
Holes six and seven were halved in pars before the Americans won the last two holes on the front nine to reduce the deficit to one.
Their first birdie came at the par-five ninth, with Dubuisson tugging Europe's putt to halve the hole left of the cup.
Find out how the second nine unfolds with Sports Mole's minute-by-minute updates that can be found here.
Pascal Lemesre
