There is much nonsense offered as to the importance of the team captain when it comes to the Ryder Cup. No matter the rhetoric, the one vital duty never changes: Write down the lineup for the four sets of pairs matches played on the first two days of competition.
There are four matches in each session, meaning four of the 12 players are on the sideline.
Darren Clarke, Europe's man in charge, announced at Thursday's opening ceremony that Danny Willett would not be part of his alternate-shot tandems for Friday morning.
If Clarke's reason was to get his pal Lee Westwood out there and get it over with, that could be understandable. If the reason was to give more time to the U.S. fans to get over the insults aimed at them by Willett's brother, Pete (or P.J.), that was a tactical mistake.
Clarke used to have a reputation as a fellow who enjoyed a beverage. It would seem that with such a background, Darren would've had a greater appreciation for the effect additional hours of imbibing figured to have on blood alcohol readings in a golf gallery.
The tee times for the foursomes were between 7:35 and 8:20 a.m. Willett was on the practice green as those matches headed across Hazeltine National.
The tee times for the four-ball matches were between 12:30 p.m. and 1:15 p.m. Willett was in the third match with Martin Kaymer, opposing Brandt Snedeker and Brooks Koepka.
By then, the crowd was enormous. So was the consumption of beer — $9 per can, or $10 if you wanted Stella Artois or fancy ale.