• Ryder Cup

Westwood to lead out Europe, Poulter takes on Tiger

Graeme McDowell and Rory McIlroy will team up for Europe © Getty Images

Enlarge

Related Links

• News: USA hold the initiative but the weather is the real winner
  
• News: USA hiding Woods - Montgomerie
  
• Profile: Luke Donald | Ross Fisher | Peter Hanson | Padraig Harrington | Miguel Jimenez | Martin Kaymer | Graeme McDowell | Rory McIlroy | Edoardo Molinari | Francesco Molinari | Ian Poulter | Lee Westwood

Stay tuned to ESPN throughout the week for live coverage, news, views and reaction from the Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor

Opening ceremony gallery

Colin Montgomerie has thrown Lee Westwood straight into the action by naming the current world No. 3 among his pairings for the first round of fourballs on Friday.

Westwood, who confessed on Thursday that it might be best to rest his troublesome calf at some point during the course of the weekend, will lead out the European team in the first match. Montgomerie has named him alongside Germany's Martin Kaymer, in a relatively unsurprising fourballs line-up and they will face the American pairing of Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson.

"The atmosphere on the first tee will be remarkable, so I have got reasonable strength to start with," Montgomerie said. "I am delighted that Lee Westwood has recovered from illness and of course we've got Martin Kaymer, the most recent major champion."

In what Montgomerie described as the "worst-kept secret", Northern Ireland duo Graeme McDowell and Rory McIlroy will team up and take on Stewart Cink and Matt Kuchar.

World No. 1 Tiger Woods has unsurprisingly been paired with Steve Stricker, and will head out onto the Celtic Manor course third against English pair Ross Fisher and Ian Poulter.

The final European fourball partnership sees the wildcard pairing of Padraig Harrington and Luke Donald squaring up against rookies Bubba Watson and Jeff Overton.

Montgomerie's decision means Miguel Angel Jimenez, Peter Hanson and the Molinari brothers will all be kept back for the afternoon foursomes, while US captain Corey Pavin has chosed to leave out FedEx Cup winner Jim Furyk.

The pairings
Phil Mickelson & Dustin Johnson v Lee Westwood & Martin Kaymer
Stewart Cink & Matt Kuchar v Rory McIlroy & Graeme McDowell
Steve Stricker & Tiger Woods v Ian Poulter & Ross Fisher
Bubba Watson & Jeff Overton v Luke Donald & Padraig Harrington

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.