World No.1 Jon Rahm showed his Ryder Cup class alongside Sergio Garcia but they couldn't stop Europe falling into a 3-1 hole during the opening foursomes.
Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth lost three and one but the defeat for Steve Stricker's side was the only one suffered during Friday's first exchange.
Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele were too hot for Rory McIlroy and Ian Poulter to handle winning five and three - despite some resistance down the back nine Whistling Straights in Wisconsin.
Team Europe - who have won nine of the last 12 tournaments - also suffered as Daniel Berger and Brooks Koepka outlasted Matthew Fitzpatrick and Lee Westwood.
Captain Padraig Harrington expected a challenging opening as his team lacked the birdie making ability of the hosts.
Viktor Hovland and Paul Casey battled against Dustin Johnson and Collin Morikawa but were ultimately outgunned by a pair of multiple major winners.
"It felt great. The best thing was I knew I had Jon on my side and I wouldn't change him," Garcia told Sky Sports.
"Jordan and Justin played well and we had to play really well to win."
Rahm added: "I knew my job on the front nine was putting. I knew I'd have more putts and we made a couple of putts at the right time and momentum is the big thing in matchplay."
