Rory McIlroy entered yesterday’s Ryder Cup opening challenge fuelled by “playing for history”.

The grand slam hero turned his focus to Team Europe and a shot at a Ryder Cup “legacy” by lining out alongside Tommy Fleetwood over yesterday’s foursomes before sharing the spotlight beside Shane Lowry for the fourball challenge.

Success for McIlroy and Fleetwood helped Europe strike up a strong 3-1 morning lead as the 45th clash of the celebrated tournament got off to a thrilling start.

McIlroy said before the start of play: “Since 2012, you look at the results of the Ryder Cup – the home team has won every time.

placeholder image — Rory McIlroy putts for birdie as Tommy Fleetwood celebrates during Team Europe’s bright start yesterday to the Ryder Cup. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty)

“Whatever team is the one to break that duck is going to go down as one of the best teams in Ryder Cup history.

“We are playing for history. We want to try to leave a legacy. We have a wonderful opportunity this week but we also understand it’s going to be very difficult.”

A 5&4 triumph over Collin Morikawa and Harris English left McIlroy and Fleetwood with plenty to celebrate and the Northern Ireland ace was full of praise for his playing partner.

It added a third foursomes win to the perfect record enjoyed by Europe’s ‘Fleetwood Mac’ pairing as the 3-1 overall lead marked the first time the continental team had won the opening session of a Ryder Cup on American soil since 2004.

“I think when you've got a partner like Tommy you can play with so much freedom and so much trust in your game because you know you have someone that's going to back you up,” said McIlroy in praise of Fleetwood. “That's the way I felt the two times we played in Rome and then today; foursomes can be a tough format.

“You can play a little tentative with the way the format is but again, knowing I have this man beside me, to bail me out if I do hit a bad shot, that's very comforting to know.

“I've been looking forward to doing this again since that last putt dropped in Rome...it's been amazing to be part of another European Ryder Cup Team, to play alongside this guy, he's one of the best players in the world. And to know that I have him by my side, it frees me up. I can play with ultimate trust and ultimate freedom, and you know, you saw a little bit of that today.”