Furyk adds gravitas to glitzy opening ceremony
The US captain struck a statesmanlike tone on the day when France embraced the Ryder Cup
The Ryder Cup is seen by some as the Florida derby for multimillionaire golfers, but its true international scale was laid out by an opening ceremony in which Jim Furyk thanked France for the Statue of Liberty and Thomas Bjorn said of his team’s ensign: “That flag truly represents the boundaries of all of Europe.”
International relations with the bad bits taken out, golf ’s biennial face-off brings nations together while setting continents against each other. Le Golf National’s curtain-raiser also set much of the crowd against Patrick Reed, the combative American who cupped his ears and grinned while being booed by Europe’s supporters. Even lapses of protocol are handled slickly by a competition growing so fast that it is on course to take over the world.
Wandering around Le Golf National is to inhabit an alternative reality of intense rivalry without animosity. A 10-minute stroll is sufficient to hear 10 or 15 national accents vying with the reliably chipper voices of America’s golf followers, who often convey the impression of having life all worked out. The outside world of Trump, Brexit and international tensions intrude only so far as they allow Ryder Cup golf to present itself as a force for unity and good.
There will be Americans in Washington wondering whether Furyk’s speech was the start of a run for the White House. The United States captain spoke of France as “allies in the struggle for freedom during the 20th Century” and said: “Sportsmanship’s not just about how we do things, it is who we are.”
Bjorn aimed rather lower at first, merely thanking the greenkeepers, but then warmed to his task of providing Macron-level leadership for Europe. He called the next three days of golf “the one sporting occasion where Europe is united” and spoke of “that great continent”.
A synopsis of Ryder Cup golf would be friends pretending to be enemies for three days. And they do it supremely well. From the phenomenal growth of Yoo-rup versus YOO-S-A has emerged an event of boundless confidence.
The modern Ryder Cup thinks nothing of opening with the Kaiser Chiefs and switching straight to a military fly-past and then back to David Ginola, the ceremony’s MC, from a sport – football – where players go to fill their acres of spare time. Ginola was just one of the many stops on the Ryder Cup’s mission to absorb French culture and sell it on to a global audience now dependably addicted to the fourballs, foursomes and singles matches that will dominate world sport between now and Sunday.
Out the Americans marched for the unveiling, in shades, blue blazers and white slacks – a significant fashion upgrade on some of the Floridian pastiches US teams have sported in the past. The champions waited up on stage like boxers while the challengers arrived like 12 presidential bodyguards in navy suits and more sunglasses. Fashion calamities have been purged from these rituals as the Ryder Cup strives for a cooler look. Even Le Golf National’s clubhouse resembles a regional BMW headquarters as the game eases away from its country club aesthetic.
Bjorn’s time as captain tells you everything about the Ryder Cup’s expansion. In the last few weeks alone he has visited the home of a fan who wrote him a jokey letter withdrawing himself from selection (with camera crew present), called in on St Albans because Sam Ryder came from there (“it was a bit surreal to be honest with you”), hit balls off the Eiffel Tower, attended a gala dinner with both teams at the Palace of Versailles and joined Furyk for breakfast with President Emmanuel Macron.
If Bjorn’s role seems semipresidential, Furyk could be nurturing hopes of taking over from Donald Trump one day, such was his statesmanlike tone – though the bar for White House speech-making is currently spectacularly low. Bjorn’s celebration of European unity, meanwhile, might have made some British listeners squirm, though there appears to be a law on the Leave side against making jokes about Brexit, which has no real bearing on this Ryder Cup, except to make Remainers wistful.
We can all agree the Ryder Cup
Some will wonder if his speech was the start of a run at the White House
is a comforting place to be, and is better at poking fun at itself than the average opening ceremony might suggest. Over three days, 250,000 spectators will flow through a course that was set up for people who want to see the action rather than crane their necks from ground level. Bravo to Le Golf National for that.
Everyone was acknowledged and thanked, including the wives and partners of the players, who were part of a striking team photo outside Versailles for the gala. Furyk offered an inadvertently candid glimpse of life with a top golfer when he turned to the families and said: “Thank you for putting up with us.”