CADDIE'S ROLEHow different the emotions and camaraderie are in the Ryder Cup from the hum-drum of regular tournament play, writes Colin Byrne

THE AMERICAN crowd loves a catchy name to latch onto when they are strolling the fairways of a golf tournament, beer in one hand, stogie in the other and the attitude of bonhomie that exudes only from a group of friends getting together for a few days at a major sporting event, especially when there is patriotism involved.

Retief Goosen was very popular among such chanters in recent years. There was something uniquely simple and accessible no matter how many beers had been consumed in hooting "Gooooooooose" in harmony into a cloud of cigar smoke from beyond the ropes.

He is not a home boy so there was only so far you could go with the "Goose". The American mob was extremely grateful that Boo Weekley arrived on the scene. Not only does the B get a more manly baritone sound into the chant but naturally he is more American than the quintessential, beer bellied, sneaker wearing, logoed shirt bedecked American golf spectator and that takes some beating.

Boo captured the European imagination last year when he played the British Open for the first time and the mixture of myth and poetic licence led to tails of alligator wrestling and hunting trips of Ernest Hemingway proportions. Boo is a southern boy who is a very talented golfer.

He is charming if somewhat indecipherable when he is conversing with his caddie, Joe, who speaks the exact same language, southern.

Boo was a first timer to the Ryder Cup last week and it seemed like he was a little over energised by the experience. I am sure if you play the game with a passion it is difficult not to be, even on the BBC highlights at one in the morning I was stirred by the players, fans and particularly the commentators partisan emotion. I was surprised to see that Pádraig was the only one receiving physio attention and more players didn't dislocate their shoulders with the ferocity of the elated fist pumps which have reached new vigour.

The punch now involves a squat and uppercut worthy of a heavyweight boxer. There are synergistically more than 24 volts running through the European and American teams.

I have never caddied in the Ryder Cup and find it hard to appreciate the emotion and camaraderie that it generates. It is only when I talk to caddies and players who have been there even long after the euphoria has simmered and their faces fill with energy recalling memories from the week that I realise how different it must be from the hum-drum of regular tournament play emotions.

Such excitement and almost childish enthusiasm is exactly what is missing in regular tournament play and it is a key factor in the declining interest the golfing public have for the current four-round strokeplay.

The PGAs of the world have been instrumental in popularising the game of golf, which with the dwindling numbers of amateurs playing the game is a marvellous feat. The charged and energised attitude that huge financial reward does not seem to give to golfers anymore was what this team's altruism has recreated.

I don't know whether there was a spin-doctor in both locker-rooms reminding the players to highlight the team and not the self in any interview but that was the message they all sent out; rather the cup than a personal-point tally.

The attention of the world's media on the event, and the subsequent opinions from columnists who spend the rest of their words on world events that really matter is another indication of the importance this Ryder Cup business has become beyond the fairway. Opinions are of course like bottoms, everyone has got one. Some of the current affair experts' words on the cup were like listening to an opinionated taxi-driver solving the nation's problems from the cocoon of the driver's seat.

The captain, the somewhat odd but hugely successful golfer Nick Faldo, got a pasting from the golfing and part-time golfing press. I don't think he did much wrong apart from coming up against opposition who hit shots with deadly accuracy and holed more putts when it mattered.

A key factor in making this Ryder Cup so interesting to a larger public was the way the course was set up. The greens were receptive, not overly quick, the rough was extremely tame and the pins seemed quite accessible for the singles matches. There is nothing more exciting for a part-time spectator than seeing a ball dancing around a pin like the player has remote control over it.

The Boo factor was huge. The 13th man on the team, screaming like teenage girls at a boy-band concert, gave an edge to the home team. That captain Azinger advised his team applauding (screaming and shouting in the States) was acceptable behaviour, was unacceptable.

The Ryder Cup is nouveau golf. Just like the essence of the Olympic Games has moved so far from the wishes of the founders centuries ago, the Ryder Cup is a long way off the standard of gentlemanly behaviour that Samuel Ryder had in mind back in the 1920s.

For those who are familiar with live golf in America it is a vocal and often participatory game where those who pay to see the live act see no harm in voicing their opinions instantly and very loudly.

We all have traits that set us apart as members of different nations. Hooting and hollering is an American idiosyncrasy that will not change. Despite it overstepping the line of decency from a European perspective it will never change.

So "Boo SA" is here to stay. Have tickets will holler. It's the American way, they did it their way and when this fascinating challenge returns to Europe next we will do it our way.

"Boo was a first timer to the Ryder Cup last week and it seemed like he was a little over energised by the experience.