Notes: Sun-splashed ceremony kicks things off

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- The only thing missing was the bourbon.

Valhalla gave the Ryder Cup teams a warm Bluegrass welcome Thursday with the kind of pomp and circumstance normally reserved for the Kentucky Derby.

There were flyovers, marching bands, national anthems and the playing of "My Old Kentucky Home" during the sun-splashed opening ceremonies, as thousands turned out to kick off the biggest golf event in the state's history.

The festivities also drew out the differences between chatty European captain Nick Faldo and more reserved U.S. captain Paul Azinger.

Faldo gave an expansive introduction of each player and cracked jokes during a lengthy speech in which he invoked everything from the Derby to Louisville native and former heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali, who made a visit to the course earlier in the day.

"We may look like we floated in on a butterfly, but we are here to sting like a bee," Faldo said, borrowing one of Ali's most memorable phrases.

Azinger, perhaps eager to get on with things as he tries to lead the United States to its first victory in nine years, couldn't help but give Faldo a little jab when he finally wrapped it up.

"I'd like to thank Nick for being brief," Azinger said with a chuckle.

The ceremony also included a gathering of some of the most notable captains in Cup history.

Ben Crenshaw, who captained the 1999 U.S. team and famously said he had "a feeling" before Sunday's singles play that year even though the teams faced a hefty deficit, isn't making any kind of predictions this year.

"I've got a feeling we've got nothing to lose," Crenshaw said.

Jack Nicklaus, who designed Valhalla, and former European player and captain Tony Jacklin also spoke briefly about the 1969 Cup in which Nicklaus conceded a short putt to Jacklin on the 18th hole of their singles' match, resulting in the first tie in Ryder Cup history.

Nicklaus said he decided to tell Jacklin to pick it up out of respect for how Jacklin's team played that week. Jacklin, however, was too stunned to think about the ramifications of the gesture at the time.