Fast start has been key to Ryder Cup MEDINAH, Ill. - European captain Jose Maria Olazabal nominated the world's No.1 player. U.S. captain Davis Love III countered with the game's hottest. No keeping the big guns in reserve. The Ryder Cup may set up as a three-day marathon, but history shows it's far easier to win from the front. "I just can't wait to get out there to try and get the first point," said Rory McIlroy, teamed again with Graeme McDowell for Friday's opening match at Medinah Country Club. They'll face newly crowned FedEx Cup champion Brandt Snedeker - a Ryder Cup neophyte - and Jim Furyk. Two other U.S. rookies will go out for the opening session of foursomes, better known as alternate shot. Keegan Bradley will team with Phil Mickelson in Match 2, trying to knock off Europe's Sergio Garcia and Luke Donald. Jason Dufner goes next, paired with Zach Johnson against Lee Westwood and Francesco Molinari. Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker were slotted for the anchor match against the English duo of Ian Poulter and Justin Rose. "Friday morning is going to be key," said Poulter, who is 8-3 in Ryder Cup play, with two of the losses against Woods. Both sides obviously are going to want to come out very, very strong to make a statement. If we can do that early, as a European team, then it definitely opens it up. Recent history bears that out. In four of the past five Cups, the team that won the opening session wound up taking home the little 17-inch gold trophy. The lone exception came two years ago in Wales, when incessant rain drenched Celtic Manor to the point that officials were forced to rework the schedule. The final three paired sessions were condensed into two. "If your team gets ahead, it's pretty much historically been a done deal," said NBC analyst Johnny Miller. Somehow the [Americans] have got to have a good Friday. To me, that's pretty much the whole Ryder Cup. It will be a tall order. Olazabal went for established strength at the top of his lineup, leaning on three duos with proven Ryder Cup success. Westwood/Molinari is the only new pairing. Love, on the other hand, wanted to get his promising newcomers into the flow. This marks the first time since 1995 that neither Woods nor Mickelson were sent out for the opening match. Snedeker, who plays fast and talks fast, is on a roll after winning the FedEx Cup finale last week in Atlanta. Likewise, Bradley isn't the type who likes to sit around. "We wanted to get Brandt going," Love said. Brandt likes to get out there and get after it; he was a good one to lead off. Phil and Keegan are a little bit excited to be playing too, so get them going. McIlroy is almost as hot as Snedeker. The 23-year-old pro has three wins in the past six weeks - the PGA Championship and two FedEx Cup series events - and now has a firm grasp on No.1. On more than one occasion, the Americans have labeled McIlroy as a "marked man" - like Woods, someone for whom an upset might be worth more than the point it earns. "You're always going to want to try and take out their best player," Woods said this week. That's just part of the deal. It's a fun challenge. Europe's second duo, though, might be the tougher challenge. Both Garcia (8-0-1) and Donald (6-0) are unbeaten in alternate-shot matches. Four of those came while paired with each other. "We are hopefully going to change that," said Mickelson, who took Bradley under his wing early last season. That exuberance and energy that [Bradley] brings, you feed off it. I think the veterans need to feed off that from the young players just as much as the young players need a little bit of guidance from the experienced players.