Jonathan Jurejko
BBC Sport at Whistling Straits

Bryson DeChambeau is in full scientist mode: calculating what to do on the fifth. He and his caddie are stood on the hill to the left of the tee, sizing up their options.

The roar from the fan perched on that mound tell us below what’s happening. As do the barks. The big dog is out!

DeChambeau waves the assorted group of VIPs inside the ropes to the right. He’s coming over. Everyone sucks before the ball whistles overhead like artillery.

The Snake has been strangled. “Attaboy Bryson!” shouts one voice as DeChambeau marches well ahead did his playing partners.

Folks, Bryson DeChambeau has just walloped his drive 417 yards down the par-five fifth.

I may need a lie down.

Kat Downes
Commentator on BBC 5 Live

Bryson DeChambeau on The Snake. It looks like he's aiming way right. He's cut the corner of the first body of water - and he hits a real bruiser!

The cameraman is struggling to track it!

Third shot for Paul Casey who manages to hack out from the thick stuff just shy of the out of bounds markers.

But with Bernd Wiesberger not in great shape after a loose chip, Dustin Johnson and Xander Schauffele look well placed to extend their lead.

And they do, courtesy of a birdie from DJ, who laid up with his second and gets down in two.

So very easy for the Americans at the minute.

A par from Fleetwood is enough for a half on the second and Tommyland (I'm sticking with it) remain just one back.

Tyrrell Hatton plays a sublime shot from the sand to secure a European par at the par-four fourth.

Bryson DeChambeau fails to make a four and leaves it up to Scottie Scheffler, who has six feet for a tie. No - it slips past and it's first blood to Europe in the second match.

That's the first bit of blue up on the board in the fourballs. Maybe the comeback starts here?

Peter Scrivener
BBC Sport at Whistling Straits

It's all looking extremely serene on Lake Michigan today. There is barely a wave lapping the edge of the course, with the third, fourth seventh, eighth, and 13th holes really hugging the coastline.

But the wind is picking up and the gusts reaching 30mph that we were experiencing on the practice days is back. The wind direction has turned though. So rather than coming in off the lake, its blowing from land to water.

And that means the 16-feet high waves and storms out in the lake we had on Wednesday and Thursday, are not in evidence on a gloriously sunny day.

A couple staying at our hotel in nearby Sheboygan opted to take a five-hour drive from their home in Grand Rapids, which is almost opposite us on the other side, rather than risk a ferry crossing earlier in the week.

"The ferries stop operating at 18-feet waves," Rob told me. "So we thought it would be safer to drive round the bottom of the lake, via Chicago."

And if you've never been to this part of the world and seen the Great Lakes... Michigan is around 85 miles wide at this point, which is roughly four times the distance of the shortest crossing between England and France.

It's also about 300 miles in length and we're about halfway up, 150 miles or so from Chicago.

Jonathan Jurejko
BBC Sport at Whistling Straits

Love him or mildly dislike him (we don’t do hate here), Bryson DeChambeau certainly draws in the punters.

Fans are lined up all along the second, third and fourth holes - tens deep at the third green - as they wait for the real-life Happy Gilmore to pass through.

“Come on Bryson!!!” shout hundreds in unison as a host of cameras are whipped out to capture a DeChambeau drive.

“Oh. My. God. OH MY GOD!” screams one young lad.

That sums up the hysteria. Fair to say, too, the ‘entourage’ - as one fan described the nearest and dearest walking inside the ropes - is one of the biggest of the day.

Image source, BBC Sport

Image source, BBC Sport

Some chat among the journalists tapping out this live text about the wind making it feel a bit like an Open championship....

So we might as well throw this graphic into the mix.

A bit more measured than tenuous, what do you reckon, will those stats come into play over the weekend?

After draining a tramliner on the first, Finau almost holes a chip out from the rough by the bunkers around the second green, with his ball going dark for a split second but popping back up - to the delight of the European team.

Lowry also plays a nice chip up the green and when he sends his par putt home, Finau then has just three feet to keep this match all square, which he makes with the minimum of fuss.

Image source, BBC Sport

Talking of Paul Casey....

The Englishman made the victorious European side as a Captain's Pick three years ago but this time around qualified outright after nine top-10s and a win at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic this term.

This is the Englishman's fifth outing on the Ryder Cup stage after also competing in 2004, 2006 and 2008.

He'll need to sharpen up mind. He's just wellied his approach to the fifth right through the back of the green. Signs the wind is picking up, did that play havoc there or was it just overhit? Who knows.

A chance for Paul Casey and Europe over on the fourth to limit their losses ends in disappointment.

He nudges a five-foot putt to halve the hole left and looks a little down in the dumps about that.

This is a pretty fancied American pairing and you can't imagine that the Europeans can afford to miss too many chances like that.

Image source, Getty Images

US captain Steve Stricker seems pretty satisfied with the way things are going at present.

Speaking by the first tee to broadcasters, he said: "Any time you can start with a morning session like that is a good session. Now the challenge for us is to keep the momentum going and try to do the same this afternoon.

"No doubt about it [a European fightback coming]. My message is 'This is a new session. Let's go out and try to win this session' That is our goal. If you do that you are in good shape."

Finau and McIlroy match par fives to halve the second hole and we remain all square, or tied as they're saying in this tournament...

The breeze has definitely stiffened from this morning, and Tyrrell Hatton falls foul of it at the third, turning away in disgust as his ball sails to the right and into the greenside bunker.

Neither American player could get close with their approach, and they both have work left to do for par.

Jon Rahm, who putted wonderfully in the foursomes, can't make birdie, but DeChambeau walks his 21-foot par putt in and it's another tie!

DeChambeau has been all over the place over these opening three holes, but his putter's been hot.

Image source, Getty Images

Hovland slides his birdie putt by the right edge, Fleetwood catches a huge piece of the hole, with his ball ducking in and having a very big look in but ultimately deciding to stay up.

Justin Thomas though, who had a good read from both of them, gets the line just right and walks in his birdie to go 1UP.

We shouldn't be too surprised, as Thomas' record in fourballs in the Ryder and President's Cup reads 6-0-0. That's pretty good....

John Murray
BBC 5 Live commentator

There is red on the board for the first time since the afternoon fourballs started.

Xander Schauffele continuing as he started this morning.

Scottie Scheffler holds his nerve and pops in his birdie putt at the second.

No problem for Tyrrell Hatton, either, who begins his Ryder Cup with back-to-back birdies.

Level after two holes.

Pars just aren't good enough when Dustin Johnson is throwing darts and Xander Schauffele is knocking in 20-foot putts.