The magic of sport is that outcomes so often seem written in the stars. A certain Danish lager brand does not do Fridays, but if it did …

Tommy Fleetwood stepped on to the 1st tee at this, the 42nd Ryder Cup, riding a wave of emotion. This was the 27-year-old’s debut in the biennial meeting of Europe and the United States. Day one happened to fall on the first birthday of his son, Frankie. When a fourball pairing with Francesco Molinari was confirmed, the fairytale looked too good to be true. Even Fleetwood himself probably contemplated what the catch was.

The appearance of Tiger Woods and Patrick Reed, the marquee US fourball duo, as opposition blunted the sense of Fleetwood living the dream. How the Southport man defied the naysayers; he and Molinari ruined Woods’s Ryder Cup comeback in affording Europe a morning glimmer of hope they had been desperate for. There was more: Fleetwood and Molinari dismantled another illustrious US pair, Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth, in the foursomes. For context, Fleetwood and Molinari’s Friday opposition have a combined 19 major championship victories between them.

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Whatever transpires in the career of Fleetwood, whatever transpires in the remainder of this Ryder Cup, he will always have 28 September 2018. This was his day.

“It’s just unreal,” said Fleetwood, without any hint of understatement. “There is nothing like it.” At close of play, he was swept off to spend precious time with the birthday boy.

Europe’s lead at the end of day one sat at 5-3. This marked an early captaincy triumph for Thomas Bjørn. The Dane stuck by his afternoon plan despite a 3-1 defeat in the morning session and audible concerns over the form of some of his players. Bjørn had been adamant he wanted each member of his team to feature on Friday. As Europe swept the board, 4-0, after lunch three of his wildcard picks – criticised in many quarters – excelled. This was the first time the Europeans had delivered a foursomes clean sweep. More telling was the comprehensive scale of each victory.

Henrik Stenson arrived to join Justin Rose for a 3&2 success over Dustin Johnson and Rickie Fowler. Ian Poulter appeared to play his part in rousing a hitherto wobbling Rory McIlroy as Bubba Watson and Webb Simpson fell victim, 4&2. Sergio García, the wildcard who raised more eyebrows than the rest, combined with Alex Noren to thump Phil Mickelson and Bryson DeChambeau 5&4. A penny for the thoughts of Tom Watson, the US captain publicly lacerated by Mickelson after the defeat at Gleneagles four years ago, as the left-hander returned one of his worst Ryder Cup displays.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Tommy Fleetwood chips onto the green as spectators line up at the sixth. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian

History now favours Europe. On 10 Ryder Cup occasions, a side has won a session to nil. That team has never lost. Caution emanates from 1989, the last time Europe whitewashed the opposition. That event ended in a tie; not good enough for Bjørn to regain the trophy here.

“We got the crowds behind us, we got them believing and it felt like nothing could go wrong,” said Bjørn. “But I’ve been around long enough to know tomorrow morning could be completely different.”

A note of caution was understandable. Earlier, things had looked so bleak for Bjørn. A two-point US advantage at the end of the fourball session did not appropriately represent what had been a tight quartet of matches but the hosts still found themselves in the unenviable position of chasing a team lacking nothing in confidence.

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Paul Casey and Tyrrell Hatton had clawed their way back from three down after only seven holes against Thomas and Spieth. The English team’s spirit, though, was to count for little as they fell to a 1up defeat. Johnson and Fowler were one down to McIlroy and Thorbjørn Olesen after eight. The Americans responded with a series of back-nine haymakers, ultimately easing home to a 4&2 success. McIlroy looked curiously out of sorts. “When I start doubting Rory McIlroy, I shouldn’t be here,” said Bjørn later.

The most painful loss for Europe was in the opening match, where Rose and Jon Rahm were two up on Tony Finau and Brooks Koepka when standing on the 11th tee. A messy ending saw Rose play a crucial approach to the 18th into water; the US took the tie by a hole. Fortune was hardly on Europe’s side; Finau enjoyed an outrageous break at the 17th, where his ball rebounded from wooden sleepers to tap-in range.

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Whereas attention had naturally been on Woods’s performance, suddenly Europe cast hopeful glances towards match four. Reed afforded the US a 2up lead by chipping in on the 10th but Europe replied, twice, to square. Fleetwood passed up the chance for a lead at the 14th but did not dwell on the aberration; he holed fantastic putts at the 15th and 16th to ensure a halved match as a minimum. Molinari duly sealed a 3&1 success.

“They have a very special bond and relationship,” said Bjørn of his newly crowned dream team. “They love being on the golf course together.”

Furyk will inevitably be criticised for what happened next. More pertinent, perhaps, was the whipping up of wind which afforded the European players a competitive advantage.

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Rose and Stenson did not trail at any stage of their latest triumph. Poulter and McIlroy did, by two after five holes, before the Northern Irishman rediscovered his mojo. That much was emphasised on the 13th, where McIlroy played one of the shots of his career when balancing on a steep bank and needing to fly an approach over water. He did just that; to the point where Poulter could convert to win the hole. García and Noren were all-but assured a point after nine, given they were seven up. The joining of Mickelson and DeChambeau proved an unmitigated US disaster. Neither will play on Saturday morning.

“Incredible afternoon for Europe,” beamed McIlroy. “One we haven’t really had since Gleneagles. There was a couple of times where we threatened to have a great session in Hazeltine [in 2016] that didn’t really materialise but to see all the blue on the board this afternoon was awesome.”

“Yoo-rup, Yoo-rup,” echoed around Le Golf National. Momentum belonged to this continent once more.