 Due to the opposite strategies, this resulted in the three rookies playing their first Ryder Cup matches against the three top American players at that time, Phil Mickelson, Davis Love III, and Tiger Woods.Tom Lehman and Lee Westwood, playing in the lead match, halved the first three holes.However, the Europeans seemed to pick up where they had left off when Darren Clarke chipped in at the opening hole, though Hal Sutton squared the match at the next hole and did not trail again.