Steve Sutcliffe
BBC Sport at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club, Rome

Image source, BBC Sport

With each passing day the numbers of people following the players inside the ropes has steadily grown.

Family, friends, celebrities, marshals and the media all get treated to privileged access, and when Rory McIlroy is in town with the Ryder Cup on the line, that number swells.

“Have you seen all these people,” says one fan on the other side of the blue dividing line heading down the fourth. That’s not the first time I’ve heard that today with easily over 100 trailing the McIlroy/Burns match.

Dominated by blue at the moment, with Europe on target for the four points they need...

Image source, BBC Sport

After just praising Justin Rose's putting, he's gone and left a 10-footer short, almost hanging agonisingly on the edge of the hole on the fifth that would have brought his match level.

He won't get too many chances like that today against Patrick Cantlay so can't afford to waste them.

A man as sassy as Brooks Koepka isn't going to let an opportunity like the one he has on the first hole slip by.

Especially as he has a point to prove after yesterday morning's horror show in the foursomes.

It was the sort of round which would needed a parental warning on it. Frightening.

Koepka starts on the road to redemption with a birdie three as Ludvig Aberg opens with a bogey five.

Peter Scrivener
BBC Sport at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club, Rome

A bit of fun on the first tee as JT appears without a cap. The fans left in the stand politely ask where his headgear might be. JT grabs a cap from his bag, and waves it to the crowd. All good stuff.

Even better when the fans all shout “fore right” for him as his tee shot leaks wide.

The Sepp Straka fan club, numbering at least five, chant his name until the Austrian gives them a little wave of acknowledgment.

That's a fine putt from Max Homa to halve the third hole.

A good match to watch this against 2022 US Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick.

Just hand over the point, Collin.

Morikawa's flunks his wedge and his ball rolls right back to his feet.

Viktor Hovland does not even need to putt. Make that three up.

Ed: I think yesterday completely broke Scheffler. Could be a tough morning for him. Fully expect Team Europe to win today's session and complete a big win.

Brian Harman's putter head may be the size of a phone book, but it's a real danger, and he almost holes out from all of 50 feet away on the second.

Tyrrell Hatton then has a chance from 15 feet away to win the hole but he just can't make it drop as the ball catches the right edge and lips out - so he has to settle for a half.

Sam Burns is up and running.

The American claws a hole back against Rory McIlroy with an assured birdie putt on the fourth.

He's digging his hand into the twos kitty.

Max Homa has lost his ball on the third, skewed out wide into horrible rough. He's had to take a drop so Matt Fitzpatrick can just loft his approach into the green.

Outstanding recovery from Homa to get within eight feet. He'll have that for par while Fitz weighs up from 30 feet.

Peter Scrivener
BBC Sport at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club, Rome

Appreciative thumbs-up from Ludvig Aberg as he reaches his ball on the first. He’s in the second cut of rough about 10 yards in from the fans, most of who are Swedish and are shouting encouragement to their man. He sends his ball forward and they all march after him. He’s turning into a superstar this week.

Way back down on the tee, the chants and thunderclaps keep coming.

Riding out front are Rahm and Scheffler, with both players finding the green on the par-three seventh.

Scheffler, perhaps with renewed vigour after his tap-in on the sixth, putts first.

It's a good effort but does not fall as it stays right.

That should give Rahm a good line... but his ball stays up too.

The Spaniard covering his mouth with his hand is suitably demonstrative. Gobsmacked.

Halves and Rahm still leads by one.

Viktor Hovland is smoking hot here and it's another bad mistake from Collin Morikawa who picks out the front of the false sixth green and his ball rolls away.

The Norwegian world number four knocks it to 12 feet. A salute to the crowd and a chance to go three up.

Here's why Justin Rose is up against it today, as Patrick Cantlay is in some serious form. He showed it last night with three straight birdies to close out his match and win that vital point for the USA.

Before it all kicked off on the 18th green, and the car park...

After being chaperoned by Viktor Hovland so far, Ludvig Aberg is out on his own around Marco Simone now.

The prodigious Swede's duel with five-time major champion Brooks Koepka is up and running.

Aberg misses the first fairway and doesn't hit the green with his second.

Early chance for Koepka, who nails his approach to perfection.

Justin Rose is statistically the best putter at the Ryder Cup this week, and he shows just why by rolling in a teasing nine-footer for par on the third to halve the whole with the relentless Patrick Cantlay.

Will this be as close as Zach Johnson gets to the Ryder Cup today?

After Europe's start, that frown on the US captain's face is only furrowing further.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Getty Images

America's pitbull Justin Thomas has shown flickers, but ultimately he's only picked up half a point.

In a couple of those games, he has been hampered by some errant play from partner Jordan Spieth - but he's definitely not had the chance to show why was a must-pick for captain Zach Johnson.

We've seen the good and the bad from Sepp Straka in two foursomes pairings with Shane Lowry. Now he's got his own ball, let's see what he can do.

Image source, PA Meda

Delightful from Rory McIlroy who looks ultra-focused and free of last night's drama.

A neat approach on the third brings up another chance and, with Sam Burns nowhere to be seen, converts his birdie putt.

Rome is blue. Very blue. Europe lead in five of the six matches already out on the course.