Europeans, U.S. keep competition alive at Ryder Cup

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It's game on at the Ryder Cup and the Europeans are counting on the explosive energy and passion of Ian Poulter and the sheer talent of Rory McIlroy to preserve the Americans' underdog status for another two years.

After a mercifully quick, unadorned opening ceremony at Gleneagles, the captains of the European and U.S. teams rolled out their pairings for the opening fourballs competition, which starts at dawn Friday before a crowd of tens of thousands of potentially soggy spectators.

The "star match," as U.S. captain Tom Watson put it, is obviously the fourth match, which will pit the big dogs Phil Mickelson and Keegan Bradley of the United States against Sergio Garcia and McIlroy, the world's top player. Neither Watson nor Paul McGinley, the European captain, admitted to any particular science or voodoo in selecting the fourth pairings; their line was that each of the players in the pairs "bonded well" with each other.

Perhaps, but there is no doubt the fans will adore the fourth match, not just because of the talent on offer, but because the tension between Mickelson and McIlroy is alive and burning. On Wednesday, when Mickelson was asked about the camaraderie on the U.S. side, he let loose with this zinger: "Well, not only are we able to play together, we also don't litigate against each other, and that's a real plus, I feel, heading into the week."

If you have not been paying attention to the little psychological games being played at Gleneagles, the quip was a direct reference to McIlroy's lawsuit against Horizon Sports Management, his former agent in Dublin. The Northern Irishman is suing Horizon and his legal team is demanding access to the finances of Horizon client Graeme McDowell, the other Northern Irish player on the European team.

If there was any surprise in the pairings, it was Watson's decision to play all three of his rookies – Jimmy Walker, Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed – in the morning. In the third match, the latter two are going up against two powerhouses, Stephen Gallacher, the Scotsman who has won three European Tours, and old blood 'n' guts himself, Ian Poulter, whose Ryder Cup record is phenomenally good – he has won 80 per cent of his Ryder Cup matches.

At a news conference, Watson said the rookies are being thrown "in the ocean without a life preserver" but no one should assume they will slip below the waves as the Gallacher and Poulter gunboats take their shots. "These kids are tough kids, both of them," he said.

The opening match pits Bubba Watson and Webb Simpson of the United States against Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson. Stenson and Watson will play the roles of long hitters. If Gleneagles is buffeted with high winds, the Europeans might take the advantage. The second match will see Rickie Fowler and Jimmy Walker of the United States go up against Thomas Bjorn and Martin Kaymer, the German who drained the winning putt at Medinah in 2012.

The Americans will hope that Kaymer melts under the pressure; he has admitted to being nervous.

While the fourth match is the blockbuster event in the morning – the pairings for the afternoon foursomes will be announced at 12:30 p.m. local time – the real crowd-pleaser will surely be the previous match, starring Poulter. The Englishman, who comes alive under pressure, is happy to channel his adrenalin rushes into high-volume, fist-pumping performances.

The Europeans hope Poulter's energy will prove infectious. If they're behind, his enthusiasm could keep morale alive; if they're ahead, his enthusiasm could build momentum.

Poulter was asked by a journalist whether his in-your-face style might "frighten" some fans.

"Yeah, I guess I can," he said. "I'm showing emotion because it means so much, and however you want to show that, it just comes out naturally and that's what you've seen in the Ryder Cups through the years."

He then admitted, laughing, that he thought his competing style had "scared" even his children.

But the fans will not tolerate low-key, genteel playing manners. This is the Ryder Cup, the Olympics of golf. National pride is at stake. The flags will be waving and the chanting will be deafening in an competition that is happy to be a spectacle.