By Mark Lamport-Stokes

STRAFFAN (Reuters) - The United States drew first blood at the 36th Ryder Cup when Tiger Woods and Jim Furyk beat Colin Montgomerie and Padraig Harrington one up in the first of Friday's fourball encounters.

Seconds later though, holders Europe levelled when Spaniards Sergio Garcia and Jose Maria Olazabal outclassed David Toms and rookie Brett Wetterich 4 and 2 in the third match out.

The first session was delicately poised, however, with the remaining two encounters both all square at the K Club.

Woods, who has won his last five PGA Tour events, was poorly out of touch early on, hooking his first shot of the day into water at the first and putting wildly off the back of the green at the par-four ninth.

But the Americans reached the turn one up with the rock-solid Furyk having birdied the first and also the ninth.

Woods then rattled up successive birdies from the 11th, sinking putts from 12 and 15 feet to put the U.S. duo three ahead before the Europeans, who missed a series of putts, cut the deficit by claiming the 14 and 16th holes.

However, both Europeans missed putts to square the match on the 17th and were unable to do more that halve the last to give the Americans a morale-boosting start.

Garcia gave Europe an early advantage in match three by rolling in a 25-foot birdie putt at the par-four first before Cup veteran Olazabal put them two ahead after hitting a superb approach to four feet at the par-four ninth.

DOVETAILED SUPERBLY

Although Toms produced good form for most of the round, Garcia was inspired as the Spanish duo dovetailed superbly and sealed victory at the par-five 16th.

In the second match out, Briton Paul Casey and Swedish rookie Robert Karlsson were all square after 16 holes in a battle royal with Americans Stewart Cink and first-timer J.J. Henry.

The Europeans, boosted by a Casey eagle at the par-five fourth, led by three at the turn before the Americans turned the match on its head with five birdies in six holes from the 10th.

Trailing by one with three holes to play, the hosts levelled when Casey holed a monster birdie putt at the par-five 16th.

In the final encounter, European wildcards Darren Clarke and Lee Westwood were all square after 15 holes in a tense battle with Masters champion Phil Mickelson and Chris DiMarco.

Clarke, whose wife Heather died of cancer last month, sparked one of the biggest roars of the day when he sank an eight-footer for birdie at the first before Mickelson responded with a birdie at the par-five fourth.

Westwood rammed in a 10-footer for birdie on 10 to restore Europe's advantage but DiMarco levelled when he sank a curling 25-footer at the 11th.

The match began in fine weather after days of rain and high winds but rain was beginning to fall ahead of the afternoon foursomes.