Inspired by a brilliant putting display, holders Europe led the United States by 3-1/2 points to a 1/2 after the opening fourball matches at the 35th Ryder Cup on Friday.
Darren Clarke and Miguel Angel Jimenez drew first blood, beating Davis Love III and Chad Campbell 5 & 4, before Colin Montgomerie and Irishman Padraig Harrington outplayed U.S. trump cards Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson 2 & 1.
Spaniard Sergio Garcia and Briton Lee Westwood, a successful combination for Europe at The Belfry in 2002, then grabbed their team's third point with a 5 & 3 victory over former major winners David Toms and Jim Furyk.
The Americans managed to avoid their first clean sweep in the opening fourballs since the 1989 Ryder Cup at the Belfry when Chris Riley and Stewart Cink finished all square after a tense battle with Irishman Paul McGinley and Briton Luke Donald.
Woods and U.S. Masters champion Mickelson had never before played together at the Ryder Cup and U.S. captain Hal Sutton's high-risk strategy backfired as the heavyweight duo failed to spark on an overcast and breezy day at Oakland Hills.
Montgomerie and Harrington birdied six of the first eight holes and, although Mickelson upped his game after the turn to give the Americans a whiff of a chance, the Europeans never relinquished control.
"It was important for us to get off to a great start and to birdie the first four, as we did, was not just necessary but was required," Montgomerie told NBC television. "We feel, as a team, it was worth a little bit more than a point."
Cigar-puffing Clarke and Jimenez wrapped up their win in the second match out with a par-four at the 473-yard 14th hole.
Europe have dominated the first two days of team play in recent Cup matches and they stayed on track to maintain that trend with a barrage of birdie putts from between 10 and 25 feet.
"It's been a fantastic start by my guys," European captain Bernhard Langer told NBC. "They've made some putts and I couldn't ask for anything more."
Montgomerie set the tone by holing a seven-foot birdie putt at the par-four first to give Europe the early initiative.
Harrington, Europe's highest-ranked player, followed suit at the par-three third, striking his tee shot to eight feet to put the Europeans two up.
Although the Americans pulled one hole back at the par-four fifth, Europe hit back at the sixth, Montgomerie holing out for birdie from 20 feet.
Mickelson clawed one back for the U.S. after hitting a superb approach to just two feet at the par-four seventh, but Europe went three ahead after Harrington drained a 25-footer for birdie at the par-four eighth and also birdied 14.
Left-hander Mickelson kept the match alive with a 25-foot birdie putt at the 16th, but seven-times European number one Montgomerie sealed the win with a par three at the 17th.
In the second match, pony-tailed Spaniard Jimenez birdied the par-five second, where the two Americans could only manage pars, and Clarke doubled their lead with a birdie at the par-four fourth, holing out from 10 feet.
Briton Clarke then rammed in a 20-foot birdie putt at the fifth and a par by Jimenez at the 220-yard ninth was good enough for Europe to go four up.
When Jimenez holed a 12-footer for birdie at the par-four 11th, the European pair were on the brink of their team's first win at five up and they duly obliged.
Following the fourballs, in which each player hits his own ball and the lowest score counts, there will be four afternoon foursomes in which the pairings share a ball and hit alternate shots.
