RYDER CUP: Justin Rose hopes he can blossom further after helping European comeback

Rose and Henrik Stenson surrendered their unbeaten record in the competition to Patrick Reed and Jordan Spieth as the United States won the opening foursomes 4-0.

But the Olympic gold medallist and Open champion Stenson bounced back to beat the same opposition 5&4 in the fourballs as Darren Clarke’s side recovered to trail 5-3 heading into day two.

“It was mainly (about) the putting,” said Rose, who edged Stenson into second in the Olympics in Rio. “I still really haven’t had my fair share yet which I’m excited about, reminds me a bit of Medinah (in 2012).

“I struggled at Medinah for the first day or two and began to hole some when it counted, so hopefully I’ll have a similar week.

“Henrik did a brilliant job in the middle of the front nine, he put three birdies together on six, seven and eight and that got us from behind to in front, and from that point on we didn’t really look back.

“I was scratching around for birdies and Henrik was doing it in his flashy fashion. When he gets going with the irons he’s a joy to watch and no one hits it better than him.

“It was a good performance. I felt both of us, for a couple of old guys, we finished really strong today. We kept hitting good shots and we’re very proud of that.

“The response to this morning has been fantastic by the boys. We’re a team that stands shoulder to shoulder, there’s a lot of pride in the badge and it’s great to see them respond like that.”