European captain Bernhard Langer called Paul McGinley aside on Thursday night and charged him with looking after Ryder Cup rookie Luke Donald. The Irishman's care plan began on the first tee, the memory of his own Ryder Cup debut at The Belfry in 2002 etched on his mind.

He recalled the words spoken to him by his then partner Darren Clarke.

"Darren said to me to get up first and not to worry, that he was coming right behind me. It settled me on that occasion and I said the same words to Luke. You go first and if you miss a fairway don't worry about it, I'm coming straight after you."

Donald, beset by nerves, blocked his opening tee shot way right but true to his word, McGinley smashed a drive of 340 yards down the fairway.

"Luke was in a little bit of shock after the tee shot but he grew stronger as the day went on," McGinley asserted.

The atmosphere for the third of the morning fourballs, while not quiet funereal, lacked the anticipated bite, largely due to the fireworks produced by Padraig Harrington and Colin Montgomerie in the top match.

McGinley smiled: "The atmosphere had dissipated by the time we got to the first tee and when we saw what was going on with Padraig and Monty it sent a shiver through the team."

The proliferation of Irish tricolours in the McGinley gallery underlined his popularity, Dublin jerseys mingling with those of Laois, Tyrone, Celtic and the Ireland rugby team.

Their opponents Stewart Cink and Chris Riley were the epitome of solidity but generally found themselves thwarted by the Irishman, who allowed Donald to gradually acclimatise to the high-pressure cauldron.

The first pivotal moment of the game arrived on the sixth hole. The American combination had birdie putts of six and eight feet respectively; Donald was a bystander while McGinley was first up to the plate from 12 feet. The Dubliner holed; his opponents, obviously rattled, couldn't follow suit.

That was a huge moment psychologically, McGinley admitted.

"If I had missed I have no doubt that either Stewart or Chris would have holed a putt. My putt was across the hill and they both had uphill putts. I said to Luke walking off that it was a big moment in the match."

Little did the Irishman know that on the very next hole he would once again be asked to defy the odds.

Cink, the US Tour leader in the putting statistics category, demonstrated that finesse when draining a 35 footer but the doughty Dubliner followed him in from not much closer. The deafening roar that greeted Cink's birdie took on a more hollow resonance. Donald would later muse: "The thing that struck me at the time was the fact that there was never any red on the leaderboard."

The Americans though were not about to lie down and on the eighth, Riley struck a superb four iron from 191 yards to a foot for a winning birdie.

Given the European domination in the other three matches it was hardly a surprise when American captain Hal Sutton turned up on the 10th tee. This was the only game in town as far as Sutton was concerned.

The American crowds, unfailingly polite, tried to crank up the volume, more and more fans drifting back to this game. Donald missed from 12 feet for birdie on 11, Cink, belied his reputation with the blade to tweak a four foot putt on 13: the Europeans were one up again.

Cink atoned on the 15th with a 12-foot birdie but it was the last chink of light for the Americans on the greens. They gave themselves opportunities on 16 and 17 but could not convert them.

On the 18th Luke Donald came of age, striking a two iron 209 yards to 18 feet after McGinley had caught the rough from a pulled tee shot: it was a wonderful pressure strike.

The Americans were rescued - Donald two putted - when Riley, also making his debut, showed tremendous character to hole a six-foot putt for par and a half. The American was embraced by his captain who suggested: "That half point could make the difference come Sunday."

McGinley, arm draped around his playing partner's shoulder admitted: "His (Donald's) two iron to 18 is one of the greatest shots I have seen in circumstances like that. I think as a team we are all very proud of him the way he's come through his first match. He'll only get stronger from here in.

"I think we're a strong chain from 1 to 12 and that is the secret for a Ryder Cup. This is just a good start for us. I have a lot of respect for the American team and their captain. The Americans are now a wounded animal and they'll be stung by what happened so we'll expect them to come back strongly. I knew I wouldn't be playing in the afternoon but I'll be ready when Bernard needs me."