Europe's Victor Dubuisson and Graeme McDowell have inflicted a first Ryder Cup defeat on the lead Team USA duo of Keegan Bradley and Phil Mickelson to give Europe a 5-3 lead after day one at Gleneagles.

After winning all three of their matches together at Medinah two years ago, Bradley and Mickelson extended that streak to four with a late triumph over Rory McIlroy and Sergio Garcia in this morning's fourballs.

However, they were behind from the second hole this afternoon and never really looked like getting back into the match against the fresher pair of Dubuisson and McDowell, who sat out the morning session.

The European duo were 3 up after five holes thanks to a birdie on the second and a pair of bogeys from Bradley and Mickelson, who fought back to just 1 down at the turn thanks to victories on the eighth and ninth.

Another bogey came at 10 for the Americans, though, and Dubuisson, who was making his debut at the Ryder Cup, made no mistake with the European putt for par.

It was the same story at the 12th, with Europe again consistently making pars as the jaded Bradley and Mickelson could only manage bogey for the fourth time.

Dubuisson and McDowell made their first bogey of the day at the next hole to give back a shot, but it wouldn't be crucial as a birdie at the par-five 16th secured a 3&2 victory.

It means that at the end of the afternoon session, Europe picked up three-and-a-half out of a possible four points to roar back from the disappointing morning fourballs.