Chad Campbell, appearing in his first Ryder Cup foursomes, and rookie Zach Johnson stormed back from two down with three holes to play to clinch a point.
Irish eyes were smiling for Padraig Harrington and Paul McGinley, who seemed to take control when the Americans bogeyed the 11th, 14th and 15th.
But a brilliant birdie hat-trick from the 16th clinched a half for Campbell and Johnson.
Howell/Stenson halved with Cink/Toms.
Two birdies in the opening five holes for each pair set the pattern for a close-fought and high-quality encounter.
There was never any more than one hole in the match and, predictably, it went all the way to the 18th.
David Toms went agonisingly close to earning a win when his 16-foot birdie putt lipped out but David Howell's effort from 14 feet then also slid past the hole.
Westwood/Montgomerie halved with Mickelson/DiMarco.
Colin Montgomerie showed nerves of steel, sinking a four and a half foot birdie putt to win the last hole.
The linchpin of Europe's team had set up the birdie by drilling a fine 279-yard three-wood second shot to the front of the green.
The Americans, who had two birdies compared to five by the European pair, could only par the last after Chris DiMarco found a greenside bunker with his 244-yard approach.
Donald/Garcia beat Woods/Furyk by two holes.
Sergio Garcia took his career tally to seven wins from seven Ryder Cup foursomes.
Tiger Woods and Jim Furyk were always behind after they opened with a double-bogey six at the first.
The experienced Americans were two down after five before getting back to all square by winning the 13th and 14th. Garcia and Donald bounced back with birdies at the 16th and 17th before Furyk, who had been the dominant member of the US team alongside a struggling world number one, found water with his approach at the last.
Morning fourballs:
Harrington/Montgomerie lost to Woods/Furyk by one hole.
Woods and Furyk, who claimed two and a half points out of three at the Presidents Cup, carried on where they left off in Virginia last year.
Woods struggled early on but eventually contributed a couple of lengthy putts as Furyk kept his cool to carry the Americans into a three-hole lead after 12.
Woods hit his opening drive into the water, failed to hole out from five feet at the fifth, putted off the green at the ninth and slashed a wild tee shot into the rough at the 10th.
Woods rallied at the 11th, producing a trademark fist-pump after sinking a 12-foot birdie putt before birdying the 12th by rolling in a 15-footer. The Europeans created plenty of chances but had no luck on the greens.
Casey/Karlsson halved with Cink/Henry.
Cink maintained his unbeaten fourball record in the event when he and rookie J.J. Henry recovered from three down.
Paul Casey gelled from the start with rookie Swede Robert Karlsson, the Europeans marching three up at the turn with an eagle and two birdies.
But Cink and Henry were in sizzling form on the back nine, reeling off six birdies in eight holes before Casey sunk a monster to level it up.
Garcia/Olazabal beat Toms/Wetterich by 3 & 2.
Garcia and Jose Maria Olazabal, paired in the event for the first time, played sparkling golf to pick up Europe's first point of the competition.
Garcia returned three birdies while Olazabal had two as the Spaniards went two up at the turn.
Rookie Brett Wetterich gave the U.S. hope when he birdied the 10th after reaching the green at the 584-yard hole with two huge shots. But the Europeans sealed victory with three birdies in six holes.
Clarke/Westwood beat Mickelson/DiMarco by one hole.
Darren Clarke, buoyed by an emotional welcome from the crowd on the first tee, never looked back after launching his week with a birdie three at the opening hole.
Clarke hit four birdies in total as he and his close friend Westwood closed out Mickelson and DiMarco at the 18th.
The Americans, partnering each other for the first time in the Ryder Cup, failed to reproduce the form that earned three and a half points at the 2005 Presidents Cup.
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