Afternoon foursomes:  It was an auspicious Ryder Cup debut both on the golf course and in front of the microphone. Henrik Stenson partnered David Howell to a halved match against experienced American duo David Toms and Stewart Cink before producing the quote of the tournament to date.

The Swede, asked whether he would be playing in this morning's fourballs, just seconds after walking off the home green grinned: "No, I don't. I am 30 seconds off the last green, so like he said in Monty Python, "I know nothing."

He probably meant Fawlty Towers but it doesn't matter. In the golfing lexicon of the banal the man who steps outside the orthodox is king.

Stenson had expected to play in the morning fourballs but the rookie instead had to wait for the alternate shot in the afternoon. It didn't faze him: "I went down on the first tee and saw the welcome the boys had in the morning and then just prepared. I was quite happy with the way I played."

So he should be as he was probably the stronger player in the partnership, a fact graciously acknowledged by Howell. "Henrik, for his first time out, played fantastic (golf) and he carried me around."

The Americans enjoyed the faster start, Cink holing a putt on the second to take them ahead in the match but a great tee shot from Howell on the par three, third to five feet was converted by Stenson for a winning birdie.

Another birdie at the long par five, fourth was good enough to see them go from one down to one up in the space of two holes.

The turnover in holes continued, Cink the architect with a glorious second shot, Toms ramming home the five foot putt.

The exchanges were a little more mundane to the turn with four holes halved to leave the contest nicely poised.

Howell holed a short putt on 10 to seize the initiative but was to prove the culprit on the 15th when he found water off the tee, although the Americans made birdie anyway.

Stenson was obliged to play a marvellous chip from heavy rough to allow his partner to secure a half at the 16th while Toms missed a very makeable putt on the 17th that would have put the Americans one up.

The par five, 18th can ostensibly be distilled into a tale of two putts. Toms saw his 15 foot birdie putt horseshoe out while Howell grazed the edge of the hole with his effort from 18 inches closer.

The Englishman smiled: "I thought it was dying enough and had a chance but David Toms hit a fantastic putt (and was unlucky). It would have been better had we both holed for birdies. We've had a good day."

It was an impressive performance from the pair as Howell has been nursing shoulder trouble in recent times and Stenson was making his debut.

The rapport between the pair was markedly relaxed no matter what the circumstance and that phlegmatic approach stood to them when the pressure came on.

American captain Tom Lehman would have had high hopes for his boys as both are proven winners but in keeping with a general American theme on the day, this combination did little wrong tee to green but just couldn't hole enough putts when it mattered. That's probably going to be a central tenet in Lehman's speech this morning. They're down but far from out.

Howell and Stenson halved with

Toms and Cink