Cacophony of sound as event kicks off

– France’s Le Golf National erupted with huge roars as Rory McIlroy and Ian Poulter led renditions of the Viking thunderclap as the 42nd edition of the Ryder Cup got underway yesterday.

Fans packed out the imposing grandstand wrapped around the first tee as hundreds more swarmed to the grassy banks encircling the tee box.

Justin Rose and Jon Rahm emerged first to a cacophony of cheers and chants of “Europe, Europe”, with Brooks Koepka and Tony Finau swiftly following.

The decibel levels increased when Finau, a Ryder Cup rookie, dragged the first shot of the competition left, flirting dangerously with the water hazard.

Rose holed a short birdie putt to immediately send Europe 1-up in the fourballs session, before McIlroy and Thorbjorn Olesen made the walk down to the first tee for the second match.

McIlroy again had the fans performing the Viking clap (above), before composing himself ahead of teeing off in his fifth Ryder Cup.

Poulter was left out of the lineup, but the Englishman was in the thick of the atmosphere in the grandstand.

He shared a warm embrace with basketball great Michael Jordan, an avid golf fan who has been passing on his wisdom to the American team as they attempt to win the trophy on European soil for the first time since 1993.

Paul Casey and Tyrrell Hatton set off against Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas in the third match, before the entrance of star attraction Tiger Woods.

Jose Maria Olazabal, captain of the European side that staged a stunning comeback at the ‘Miracle of Medinah’ in 2012, summed up the experience for the players.

“If you don’t have legs that shake it’s because you’re already dead,” he said. – AFP