World No.1 Rory McIlroy is chomping at the bit to get his first crack at the US duo of Jim Furyk and Brandt Snedeker in the first of four foursomes at the Ryder Cup on Friday.

“It is a great honour to lead Europe out there. I can’t wait for 07:20 in the morning,” McIlroy said on Thursday.

“Leading the side off in the Ryder Cup … we are going to go out there and get the blue on the board early.”

McIlroy will once again be partnered with fellow Northern Irishman Graeme McDowell. They were a formidable team in 2010 at Celtic Manor, Wales where they finished 1-1-1.

“We are going to use the world No.1’s power and precision and I will just knock a few tap-ins in,” said 2010 US Open winner McDowell.

Team captains Davis Love and Jose Maria Olazabal announced the pairings on Thursday for the 39th Ryder Cup during a festive outdoor ceremony in front of the clubhouse at the Medinah Country Club.

The Irish contingent is going up against rookie Snedeker and veteran Furyk, who is making his eighth straight appearance but has a less than stellar record with 15 losses, eight wins and four halves in Ryder Cups.

But don’t try and tell Furyk and Snedeker they are the underdogs in this contest because they believe they have a winning game plan for Friday.

“We got a good idea of our strategy, what we are going to do on every hole and an idea of how we are going to read putts and help each other,” Snedeker said Thursday.

“I am looking forward to getting out there and having a lot of fun tomorrow.”

Snedeker said he’s excited to go toe-to-toe with McIlroy and McDowell.

“It will be a tough match, they are two of the best players in the world, they have a close relationship and they are going to come out swinging in the first match of the day,” Snedeker said.

“I think my game stacks up against anybody’s right now and I think Jim’s does, too, so we are going to give them a hard match tomorrow and try to get that win.”

Both McIlroy and McDowell were surprised by Love’s decision to go with that pairing, especially starting FedEx Cup winner Snedeker.

“To be honest they are not the opponents we were expecting,” McIlroy said. “We know that their team is so strong all the way through but I was a little surprised to see a rookie in their first group.”

Said McDowell, “I was expecting Phil (Mickelson) and Keegan (Bradley) to go first but obviously Davis has his strategies.

“Jim is a hell of a player, a seasoned campaigner and Brandt is obviously on a hell of a high after last week and winning the FedEx Cup.”

McDowell said getting that first point is crucial because it helps set the tone for the rest of the day.

“It’s huge,” he said. “We know they are all important but we really feel that it is very important to make a fast start.”