Ryder Cup brings mad dash to first tee. And a little heckling

GUIDONIA MONTECELIO, Italy — Thousands of golf fans were herded together in darkness just after 6 a.m., eager to enter the grounds of the Marco Simone for the start of the first Ryder Cup held in Italy.

When the gates finally opened, they sprinted toward the course like wild horses — many heading straight to the massive grandstand surrounding the first tee that seated around 5,000 spectators, even if it felt like much more at times.

It was the place to be early Friday and it was a familiar scene.

Viking thunderclaps, led by one of the European team's vice captains, Nicolas Colsaerts. The “Guardians of the Cup” — Europe's Ryder Cup super fans — chanting their playful songs. A row of Swedes wearing T-shirts spelling out “Aberg.” Banners in honor of the late Seve Ballesteros.

Not everyone was well-behaved.

“You stink, Scottie” was the cry from one heckler in the grandstand as No. 1-ranked Scottie Scheffler took some practice swings before hitting the first shot of the day.

“Smack his lights out, Jon” was another — an attempted call-to-arms to Jon Rahm, one of Scheffler's opponents in the opening match.

Scheffler drove right and into the rough, and wound up losing his match with Sam Burns 5 and 3 to Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton. It would be a stretch to say the fans got to him, though.

Still, European captain Luke Donald said the backing of the largely pro-Europe galleries had an effect.

“To have that energy, that passion from the crowd is big,” Donald said. “It can lift you.”

HEALTH ISSUES

U.S. captain Zach Johnson alluded to health issues affecting his squad pairings for the opening day.

“There’s been some unforeseen things that we’ve had to navigate around, which is really unfortunate, in the sense of health,” Johnson said. “It’s not an excuse, because we have depth, but I’ll just say, I’m grateful we have a team doctor.”

Johnson did not elaborate on who specifically he was referring to. He said energy levels were “probably a little low but the ability and desire to go out and play is still there."

“We’re just fighting things,” he said. “It’s kind of passed around a little bit, caddies, players. It is what it is. But it’s nothing more than that. Guys are fighting and playing regardless. I mean, it’s not anything that’s kind of weighed us down because of the depth we have and because of the many options we think we have.”

SIMILAR LANGUAGES

When Swedish rookie Ludvig Aberg was paired with Norway’s Viktor Hovland in the opening foursomes, the Scandinavians had no trouble communicating — or playing together for that matter.

“He spoke Norwegian; I spoke Swedish,” Aberg said. “It’s very similar. I actually have two Norwegian roommates that I live with, so I kind of got used to the Norwegian language.”

Hovland and Aberg defeated Max Homa and Brian Harman 4 and 3.

Aberg, who turned pro in June, became the first player to appear in a Ryder Cup before competing in a major. The stage appeared to overwhelm Aberg at first, with Hovland carrying the partnership on the front nine — starting from when he chipped in from the fringe at No. 1.

“Playing alongside one of the best players in the world in Viktor, it gives you a lot of comfort,” Aberg said. “I felt like we both played pretty well at times. … From every tee box you walked up to, every green, every fairway, you could feel the support, and that was something I’ll never forget.”

WHAT'S IN A NAME?

Tommy Fleetwood made a memorable Ryder Cup debut in France in 2018 when he partnered with Francesco Molinari to win all four of their team matches. That led to the nickname “Moliwood” that ended with a European tour video celebrating their partnership.

Fleetwood's partner Friday at Marco Simone was Rory McIlroy, and the new nickname for this Ryder Cup was obvious: “Fleetwood Mac.”

It was a big hit. They handed Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele their first loss in the foursomes format.

“Just keep picking your partners, that’s the secret,” Fleetwood said. “Obviously playing with Rory is a dream for anybody, and I was the one that got to do that this morning.”