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USA holds commanding lead after Day 1 at Ryder Cup

Mike Ehrmann / Getty Images Sport / Getty

The United States is rolling at the Ryder Cup, as the Americans built on their morning foursomes lead by going 2-0-2 in afternoon four-balls to hold a 6-2 advantage heading to Saturday.

Xander Schauffele and Dustin Johnson led the charge for the home team, posting perfect 2-0 records through both sessions.

Here's how the afternoon matches finished.

Match 1: Dustin Johnson/Xander Schauffele 2&1 over Paul Casey/Bernd Wiesberger

Patrick Smith / Getty Images Sport / Getty

After winning their morning matches with different partners, Johnson and Schauffele joined up to continue their victorious ways in the afternoon. It wasn't a fair fight from the jump, with Johnson at No. 2 and Schauffele at No. 5 in the world rankings against No. 24 Casey and No. 63 Wiesberger. Johnson poured in three straight birdies to start the back nine, giving the Americans a lead they never relinquished.

Match 2: Bryson DeChambeau/Scottie Scheffler tied Jon Rahm/Tyrrell Hatton

The most anticipated afternoon matchup didn't disappoint, as DeChambeau faced off with Rahm in a heavyweight tilt. The long-hitting DeChambeau had the highlight of the opening nine with a monster 417-yard drive on the par-5 fifth to leave just 72 yards to the hole - he eagled to win it. The two teams went back and forth before DeChambeau made a clutch par save at No. 15 to put the team up by one. But Hatton made a birdie on No. 18 to end the match in a tie.

Match 3: Tony Finau/Harris English 4&3 over Rory McIlroy/Shane Lowry

Maddie Meyer/PGA of America / PGA of America / Getty

For the first time in his Ryder Cup career, McIlroy lost two matches on the same day. After falling 5&3 alongside Ian Poulter in the opening session, McIlroy couldn't flip the script alongside Lowry in the afternoon. Finau improved his record to 3-1-0 in the Ryder Cup with the win and will likely be selected for both team sessions on Saturday. The Europeans need to get McIlroy on track for Saturday, as it's tough to envision them mounting a comeback without a strong showing from the 32-year-old.

Match 4: Justin Thomas/Patrick Cantlay tied Viktor Hovland/Tommy Fleetwood

The final match of the day looked to be Europe's until a red-hot closing stretch by the Americans flipped the script. Thomas' incredible 3-wood approach from 289 yards on the par-5 16th set up a good look at eagle, and the United States' most vocal player poured it in, to the delight of the raucous crowd. That tied the match, and after both sides parred the 17th, the drama was set for the winner-take-all 18th. Thomas narrowly missed a birdie putt, ensuring the teams shared the point.

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