Golf/ Ryder Cup: Yesterday at The K Club was just like the calm before the storm, a time for the final nails to be hammered into place, a final lick of paint to touch up the myriad of corporate hospitality tentage that has appeared on the lush parkland course that plays host to the 36th Ryder Cup match.
Not a sight nor sound of a golfer. Any hope that Tiger Woods's early demise in the world matchplay might lead to him fleeing for the comfort of Straffan was dashed by his desire to attend Stamford Bridge to watch Chelsea play, the world's number one deciding it was a more relaxed tune-up than fishing on the Liffey.
In fact, the sounds that wafted across the giant expanse of The K Club were those of spear and shield holding "warriors" preparing on the giant stage for Thursday's opening ceremony, as well as orchestral manoeuvres in the bright autumnal sunshine.
Things will gradually change over the coming days, with the teams due to check-in to the five-star hotel today, with official practice rounds due to take place tomorrow, Wednesday and Thursday.
The United States team, captained by Tom Lehman, will touch down at Dublin airport this morning (Jim Furyk, a first-round casualty at the World Matchplay Championship, was already at the K Club yesterday). They will be met by Europe's captain Ian Woosnam and vice-captains Des Smyth and Peter Baker, while the European team will officially fly int from London, arriving in Dublin in the afternoon.
Over the next few days, Lehman and Woosnam will check on the well-being of their players, on who gels with who in determining the partnerships that will play in the fourballs (on Friday and Saturday mornings) and in the foursomes (on Friday and Saturday afternoon).
This Ryder Cup will be the biggest in the event's history, with a potential television audience of two billion. "There are now very few places on earth where the Ryder Cup cannot be watched in one form or another," said Ryder Cup director Richard Hills, with the match being screened by 50 stations in 140 countries.
The irony is that the UK and Ireland are two places where it is not live on free-to-air television, with Sky Sports having exclusive live rights.
Critically for golf tourism in Ireland, however, the Ryder Cup will be on terrestrial channel NBC in the United States.
Hills said that although poor weather has been forecast for Wednesday, conditions are expected to improve by the weekend.
