Azinger applauds his team

Paul Azinger is delighted with his team's performance on the first day of the 2008 Ryder Cup.

After entering the tournament as underdogs the United States team put in a gutsy performance on the opening day of the tournament, winning both sessions despite the Europeans taking an early lead in both the foursomes and fourballs.

"We're in a happy spot," Azinger said. "It's better than it being the other way, that's for sure. But we're not even to the halfway point yet. It's not a sprint, it's a marathon. We've got a long, long way to go and we know how good they are."

Azinger was particularly delighted with the pairing of Hunter Mahan and Justin Leonard who scored a full point in each session. The pairing of Anthony Kim and Phil Mickelson also worked out well, as the veteran and the rookie claimed 1½ points.

"The main thing is that these guys stayed focused on the task at hand today and they did a great job of it," Azinger said. "I'm sure everybody was nervous. These guys are going to embrace this crowd, they're going to embrace the energy and they're going to embrace the pressure. That's the whole message. I'm real proud of them.”