Gleneagles goes mad about the skirl
Tartan pizzazz launch for golf’s greatest show
IT had been a long time coming – years of planning and thousands of hours on the practice ground to ensure they would be pitch perfect for their big Ryder Cup moment.
Yet, as they mounted the stage for the grand opening ceremony at glorious Gleneagles, the finest 24 golfers from Europe and the US must have realised they had met their match in the well-drilled ranks of the Vale of atholl Pipe Band.
The skirl of the pipes and the rat-a-tat of the snare drums lent a military precision and tartan pizzazz which the organisers hope will characterise the 40th Ryder Cup – only the second time it has graced golf ’s home turf.
Piped on stage to wild applause from the assembled audience, it was clear that both teams were up for the sartorial challenge thrown down by their kilted bodyguard, displaying a playful take on the theme of the plaid sports jacket so beloved of Scotland’s 19th hole for generations.
European blue check clashed with america’s bolder green version so loudly that it might have scared the grouse on the neighbouring moors. as a statement of bold intent, the message was unequivocal. all the same, you could tell both teams were itching to discard their gaudy attire, roll up their sleeves and get down to business.
as the american captain, Tom Watson, was swift to point out, the following 72 hours would be a ‘date with destiny’, to be played out on the hallowed Gleneagles turf amid all the traditional hullabaloo which engulfs the greatest show in golf.
Watson, who had wisely given the plaid a wide berth in favour of a sober blue suit, spoke eloquently of the ‘spirit of friendship’ and deep respect for the opponent which binds all who play golf. he spoke fondly of Scotland, where he won four of his five Open championships, as his ‘second home’, before concluding classily: ‘These matches began on a note of friendship and that is how it will end on Sunday.’
Europe’s captain Paul McGinley was equally magnanimous. having predicted in his peculiarly timorous brogue that an ‘ epic contest’ was about to unfold, he addressed his own players, saying: ‘Representing our people, our countries, our continent is what brings us together. We relish the challenge ahead.’
Turning to the audience, he added: ‘I know you will be energetic, passionate and loud, but I also know you will be gracious, considerate and courteous to our opponents. It is this which makes the Ryder Cup unique.’
The crowd, tens of thousands strong, seemed caught f or an instant, unsure whether to maintain genteel civility or be roused into rowdy partisanship. Then, spontaneous chants of ‘Europe! Europe!’ broke out, drowning out the competing salvos of ‘USa! USa!’.
The crackle of electricity running through the watching ranks was palpable, reminiscent of the extraordinary atmosphere generated by Glasgow’s Commonwealth Games.
Earlier, the mood had been oddly restrained as amiable amy Macdonald was welcomed to the stage. Until recently a card-carrying Yes campaigner, the 27-year- old Miss Macdonald performed the song Pride to polite applause.
hot on her heels came that old rabble-rouser alex Salmond, cur- rently performing a series of gigs on his farewell tour as outgoing First Minister. Credited with having smoothed the way for this year’s Gleneagles jamboree, Mr Salmond reminded everyone that these millionaire golfers were not competing for money but for higher ideals, ‘for love of country, love of continent and respect for the game of golf ’.
and so, finally to the players, introduced by their respective captains to a wave of approbation from their adoring fans, who started to relax a bit after all the formal anthem- singing and flag-raising was over. The golf, after all, was the reason they were all there.
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