German Masters: With only a week until the Ryder Cup Darren Clarke spent yesterday resting a sore wrist and urging everybody not to go overboard about Europe's chances of keeping the trophy in Detroit.
"Hopefully we don't build our hopes up too much because we don't want to do that," said the Ulsterman after deciding not to risk aggravating his "tweak" in the eve-of-tournament pro-am for the German Masters in Cologne.
"But we are looking pretty good. I think we have a good blend between youth and experience. It's always a bigger task to win on American soil, but hopefully we will be up to it. Everybody is in good spirits and looking forward to it.
"I don't have the butterflies yet, but they will start to come on Monday when we get on the plane and get ready to go. There's always going to be home support wherever it is, but hopefully everyone will cope with it."
The basis of what optimism there is comes from the result of the last two events. At the BMW International in Munich Miguel Angel Jimenez was first, Thomas Levet second, Paul Casey and Colin Montgomerie third and Clarke and Paul McGinley joint sixth.
Then last week, with only three members of the side competing in the European Masters in Switzerland, Luke Donald was first, Jimenez second and Sergio Garcia third.
"It was thrilling to see," said captain Bernhard Langer yesterday. "It's obvious all the players are playing well - and I'm going to need them to play well if we are to have a chance of bringing home the Ryder Cup. It was just awesome to have the three fighting all week for a victory. I don't care what message it may send out to the Americans because I'm just glad the guys are playing well."
Donald's win came seven days after Langer gave him and Montgomerie his two wild cards and the German commented: "It was a fantastic response from Luke. The result could not have been better and it just shows how good a player he is to have played only eight events in Europe this year and win twice. I'm delighted for him."
Donald and Garcia had already decided to rest this week, but now Lee Westwood and David Howell are absent as well. Howell, another of the five new caps, is suffering from a heavy cold, while Westwood's wife Laurae gave birth to their second child - Poppy Grace - on Sunday and he has decided to stay at home for the week.
That makes Clarke's health the most worrying thing for Langer, but the world number 16 insists it is "nothing much" and he will be fine for today's first round at Gut Larchenhof.
"I felt a little bit of a tweak when I caught one a little heavy on the range," he stated. "I went to the physios who had a look at it and strapped it up purely as a precaution. That's why I pulled out of the pro-am. I've had stuff like this before and everything is fine.
"It's okay when I hit short pitch shots, but it is on the longer shots that I feel it a little bit, so I didn't want to go out and play and make it any worse."
Langer and his assistants Anders Forsbrand, Joakim Haeggman and Thomas Bjorn are also competing for the €500,000 first prize - as is British Open champion Todd Hamilton, making his first trip to Europe since his Royal Troon play-off success over Ernie Els.
Hamilton will be back in three weeks for the American Express world championship at Mount Juliet, Co Kilkenny, then a fortnight later for the HSBC world matchplay at Wentworth.
Many neutrals would have had no hesitation putting him in America's Ryder Cup side, but their captain Hal Sutton went for Stewart Cink and 50-year-old Jay Haas instead. "I thought I had a shot at it, but didn't think it was too high a percentage," said the 37-year-old. "The two courses I've won on this year were kind of linksy and not the type of course they are going to play in Detroit.
"I think he (Sutton) didn't know that much about me and I think Jay Haas hurt my chances. I was positive he was going to be a pick if he didn't get in on points and when he got bumped out by Chris DiMarco and Chris Riley at the PGA I think that really hurt my chances."
A win for Montgomerie, Langer's other wild card selection, might be top of the German's wish list and having survived a trip to EuroDisney with his three children the Scot is eager to make it happen.
"I brought home the same number of kids that I left with, which was a pretty good effort I thought," he said. "To win would justify his decision, but it would also be good for my own self-esteem and confidence."
Asked if a Ryder Cup still excited him Montgomerie answered: "Oh God yes. I can't speak for the rookies, but I've had 14 bloody years of this and there's still excitement and anticipation. When you put your team uniform on and go to the airport you feel very honoured indeed. That should and never will change."
The anticipation will intensify tonight when Langer brings the squad - those present at least - for a dinner, the second he has had in the countdown to the match.
