RYDER CUP 2008 COUNTDOWN:AT A time when the majority of Europe's Ryder Cup team were winging it over the Atlantic en route to Kentucky on a mission that, in the recent past has been more productive and generally easier than anyone could ever have imagined, there was a strange - almost eerily quiet - feel about Valhalla yesterday where only a couple of the US players and the team's captain were involved with golfing duties.
The two players on site, among those course staff involved in clean-up duties after Sunday's storm damage which only marginally affected the course (when a fallen TV tower caused damage to the 12th green) but saw some 130 roads closed and over 300,000 households in the Louisville area go without electricity, were Ryder Cup rookies JB Holmes and Boo Weekley.
"We're just trying to get to know each other a little better," explained Holmes, who happens to have played this course more frequently than anyone other player in this Ryder Cup match.
But their advance visit to the course was of the speedy variety, playing only the front nine holes and using a golf cart to save any unnecessary exertions. After all, this is a tough and long old week!
Although the official US team bag was stored on their respective carts, neither Holmes nor Weekley wore the official team gear; perhaps, an indicator that they were slightly ahead of the game.
Indeed, Holmes confirmed that no official team meeting had yet taken place - the first was scheduled for last night - and that he hadn't shown Weekley any lines off the tee, suggesting he would find his own.
If this was very much a case of the calm before the storm, albeit a day after a real one wreaked havoc in the area, there are signs that Azinger may yet attempt to stir up the locals.
A pre-Ryder Cup street party has been scheduled for downtown on Thursday evening, the eve of the match, where Azinger will be guest of honour, and the crowds will be entertained by the University of Louisiana cheerleaders and the local Red Rage Band.
Finally, though, it seems everyone is simply glad this week has finally arrived. "It'll all really sinks in when the crowds start to get here," admitted Holmes yesterday.
From today's first official practice, some 40,000 spectators a day will be in attendance, with Europe (chasing a fourth successive win in the event) and the USA commencing three days of practice during which pairings will be shaped ahead of the real thing which gets under way on Friday.
The official team jet from Heathrow arrived in Louisville last evening, carrying seven members of the team - Pádraig Harrington, Lee Westwood, Graeme McDowell, Oliver Wilson, Robert Karlsson, Miguel Angel Jimenez and Soren Hansen - and the captain, Nick Faldo.
The other five players - Sergio Garcia, Henrik Stenson, Justin Rose, Ian Poulter and Paul Casey - have been based in the US, and joined up with their team-mates for a first official team meeting.
For this Ryder Cup, Harrington, who had a week's rest which he spent practising his short game and only played a full round at Portmarnock on Friday, can expect to play a greater leadership role in his newly elevated position as a three-time major winner and one of the more experienced Ryder Cuppers (this is his fifth appearance in the event, his only losing experience being at Brookline in 1999) in the team.
"I won't be pontificating in the team room," claimed Harrington, who nevertheless expects to contribute to team discussions, adding: "I could see some players looking for help and I would be more than willing to give it."
Harrington's recent form, since his US PGA win at Oakland Hills last month, has been disappointing with two missed cuts in the FedEx Cup series.
Recalling the 2006 Ryder Cup at The K Club, where he won just a half-point from five matches, he remarked: "The fresher I am in tournaments, the more putts I hole. You read putts better, see the line better, when you're fresh . . . the last Ryder Cup, I played flat golf.
"I couldn't hole a putt. An exciting week wouldn't go astray this week and I am hoping for the adrenaline to get going. I'm looking forward to coping with the crowd and getting the adrenaline going because I know I'm better in that situation."
He added: "What went wrong for me at The K Club is that I brought my major game, which is steady and solid golf. If you look at my scoring record when I first came out on tour, I had more 62s, 63s, 64s, in my first couple of years by a long way to what I do now. I'm a better player now, but I used to shoot better scores. "
Harrington isn't of the opinion that you have to win all your matches to enjoy a successful Ryder Cup. "I work on the principle that I am trying to break average every time. If I can gain more points than I lose, then that's a successful Ryder Cup . . . everyone doesn't need to win five points and I would be quite happy to win no points if the team wins."
For this week, and this week alone, the professional golfer is a team player!
