Rory McIlroy paired with Ian Poulter for opening morning of foursomes at the Ryder Cup

Rory McIlroy paired with familiar partner in Ian Poulter for opening morning of foursomes at the Ryder Cup – with Jon Rahm in first match as Padraig Harrington’s team look to retain trophy against the USA

• Rory McIlroy and Ian Poulter will take on Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele
• First up, Jon Rahm and Sergio Garcia face Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth
• Europe captain Padraig Harrington was emotional during the opening ceremony 
• The Americans – captained by Steve Stricker – are considered heavy favourites 

By Mike Keegan For The Daily Mail

Published: 19:29 EDT, 23 September 2021 | Updated: 19:30 EDT, 23 September 2021

Stalwarts Rory McIlroy and Ian Poulter will pair up as Europe tee off their battle with the US at the 43rd Ryder Cup today.

The Northern Irish and English pals, to whom success in the competition is no stranger, will face player of the year Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele on what looks like an explosive first morning.

First up in the foursomes, Spain duo Jon Rahm and Sergio Garcia take on Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth as Padraig Harrington’s men seek to retain the trophy following 2018’s success in Paris at Whistling Straits, Wisconsin.

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Stalwarts Rory McIlroy and Ian Poulter will pair up as Europe tee off their battle with the US

‘We’re ready to go,’ said an emotional Harrington at last night’s opening ceremony.

‘We’ve been waiting for years for this. After all the world has been through these past two years it’s such a joy and relief to be here.’ 

Elsewhere, English duo Lee Westwood and Matt Fitzpatrick take on Brooks Koepka and Daniel Berger, while Paul Casey and new boy Viktor Hovland go up against Dustin Johnson and Collin Morikawa.

Despite Europe triumphing in four of the last five meetings, the Americans – captained by Steve Stricker – are considered heavy favourites on the shores of Lake Michigan. 

The US squad features eight of the world’s top 10 and a partisan home crowd will provide raucous backing.

Meanwhile, a fired-up world number one Rahm vowed to ‘let the clubs and the ball do the talking’ as he seeks revenge here after being controversially pipped by Cantlay for the PGA award.

USA’s Dustin Johnson and Collin Morikawa will go up against Paul Casey and Viktor Hovland