The first tee shot at the Ryder Cup brings a weight that makes grown men shake, quiver and sweat

Much of Scotland woke up bitterly cold the first day of the 2014 Ryder Cup at Gleneagles and forced players heading out for the morning session of Four-Balls to layer up, grab winter stocking caps and find oversized mittens.

The only sense of warmth on the Centenary Course some 60 miles north of Glasgow could be found on the first tee, where thousands of spectators had started arriving before the sun hit the sky, their revelry and chants of “U-S-A, U-S-A” and “Olé, Olé, Olé, Olé,” shattering the silence of the otherwise morning calm that had an eerie feel as fog slowly rolled over the massive property.

But on the practice ground where you could see your breath, Patrick Reed and Jordan Spieth were literally and figuratively sweating.