Europe's Westwood, Donaldson hold off USA's Furyk, Kuchar

Should Europe win the 2014 Ryder Cup, it will likely do so the way Lee Westwood and Jamie Donaldson defeated Jim Furyk and Matt Kuchar 2-up in the first afternoon foursome match: by remaining calm even when behind.

Furyk and Kuchar held a brief 1-up lead early on in the match, but both Westwood and Donaldson steadily chipped away; a two-shot swing from holes 5 to 7 left the US suddenly 1-down. Europe would never relinquish the lead.

Furyk and Kuchar closed the gap late, but Kuchar missed an opportunity to square the match on the 17th, and Europe won the 18th hole to take the match 2-up.

For Europe, the pairing was an effective mix of innocence and experience: Westwood, a captain's pick and one of the continent's most successful Ryder Cup veterans, with Donaldson, euphoric at playing in his first-ever Ryder Cup match.

The United States, meanwhile, has to consider once again how one day's matches will impact the next. Furyk has now lost a record 18 Ryder Cup matches, and Kuchar was his 15th playing partner. Is the 44-year-old veteran just not a good fit for team play? He, and captain Tom Watson, will have the night to consider.

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Jay Busbee is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at jay.busbee@yahoo.com or find him on Facebook or on Twitter. Follow @jaybusbee

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