Team Europe know what they are walking into when the Ryder Cup begins in New York today.
That is why Luke Donald has 11 of his 12 players from Rome, with Rasmus Hojgaard the only rookie.
Seven of these guys have played an away game before – and the rest have done it on VR headsets programmed to abuse them.
But nothing will truly prepare them for the reality of 5,000 screaming New Yorkers behind the first tee at 7.10am on Day One.
And back in 2004, David Howell was thrown in at the deep end.
Making his debut on foreign soil, the former Europe star insists he will never forget the moment it hit him for the first time.
Howell told talkSPORT: “My big memory of that away atmosphere came on the 11th hole in my opening match as a rookie with Paul Casey.
“We were coming around the corner on the 11th over a hill. And just in the far distance, we could hear this noise that we hadn’t heard before.
“And it was the three grandstands starting the U-S-A, U-S-A. And they were building up their noise levels as we were getting closer.
“That was then amplified. And we stood at the top of the hill thinking, ‘Oh my goodness, what have we walked into here?’ It was like a cauldron. Amazing.
“And we promptly lost a couple of holes at that point. Not through our bad golf but through the Americans’ good golf. So that was pretty intimidating.
“But we came through it and we got the point. And I guess, metaphorically speaking, we shut them up a couple of hours later.
“But you just have to find a way to block it out. I have always been a person to kill them with kindness. That’s always been my way. And it’s probably not a bad motto to have.”
That year, Bernhard Langer’s men became masters in crowd control on their way to an emphatic victory on foreign soil, winning 18-and-a-half to 9-and-a-half.
And Howell reveals they had a trick up their sleeve to win over the Americans.
He said: “We went on a charm offensive in 2004. The American team had decided they were going to have a no-autograph policy. So that was heaven for us. We’ll sign every autograph.
“I think we misjudged the fact that those 40,000 people-a-day had gone home and it was a different crowd come Friday.”
Playing alongside Casey, Howell overcame the atmosphere to secure a European point in his first four-ball match on debut at Oakland Hills.
Langer knew that Europe could make themselves popular among the partisan crowd by doing what the Americans couldn’t be bothered to doGettyHowever, the Englishman admits he was overwhelmed by the occasion in the days leading up to it.
“You’re realising that you’re going to be in the limelight all week,” Howell said. “And as a golfer, anxiety and stress builds until you get there.
“I got myself in quite a state with my game. I’d played some really nice golf in the year, building up to it to make my way into that team. But you wouldn’t have known it come Tuesday and Wednesday morning when I got to Oakland Hills.
“I was awful in practice. And that’s difficult to cope with.No doubt about that. Your fears are at the forefront of your mind. You don’t want to let down these 12 players or 11 players and the millions watching on TV because that is how you feel. You feel their hopes and dreams are on your shoulders.
“So it’s incredibly intimidating, but it’s the same for everyone. And you’ve got to rationalise it and get on with things, which I managed to do quite well.”
He continued: “I shudder to think what the first morning nerves must be like. Kudos to anyone that gets to tee off in that first match, let alone that first morning.
Howell was a key part of a dominant European side in the noughtiesGetty But he admits the nerves got the better of him in the build-up to his debutGetty“But listen, they’re pro golfers and the nice thing about golf is everybody that plays golf, who cares about golf, whether it be the monthly medal, a county match, the club championship, whatever, we all feel the same things, just with more faces watching.
“We’re more used to it. We do it more often. But I think that’s the great thing about it. Everybody in the grandstands around that first tee can understand if they play golf what those players are feeling to some degree. The feelings aren’t any different. They’re just magnified.”
Howell would go on to win another Ryder Cup in 2006, achieving a lifelong dream to prove that sometimes, scary things are worth doing.
Over to you, Rory McIlroy and co.
Watch every moment of the Ryder Cup exclusively live on Sky Sports and NOW from Friday 26 September. There’s no golf like it.
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