Captains blood Ryder rookies early and catch pundits napping

Well you can rip up the record books, the 42nd Ryder Cup matches will get underway at Le Golf National this morning with a completely new roster of partnerships.

With no form guide or precedent, captains Thomas Bjorn and Jim Furyk have caught the pundits napping by unveiling line-ups for today’s opening fourballs session that feature eight fresh pairings across the quartet of matches and will leave a host of major champions on the sidelines until at least the afternoon foursomes.