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STRAIT TALKIN’

BY MIKE KEEGAN AT WHISTLING STRAITS

THE scramble for places around the first tee when gates opened at 6am had to be seen to be believed. Desperate for a space in the 3,000-capacity stand, hundreds — who had queued for hours — diverted from the course path and headed up a grass bank in an attempted shortcut to beat those in front of them. In a frantic scene similar to the Cooper’s Hill cheese-rolling contest, dozens went sprawling on the slippery downslope. One man, in a pair of sky-blue trousers, ended up covered in mud and without a shoe. The outcome was worse for a woman who went to ground, suffering a suspected broken ankle. She was on the turf for 15 minutes receiving medical attention.

SKY have taken around half of their normal crew to Wisconsin because of Covid restrictions and difficulty getting here. The broadcaster has been helped by the presence of hosts NBC, who are also owned by Comcast.

RECYCLING appears to be a dirty word here with frightening amounts of plastic on display. There are no recycling bins to be seen and in the giant megastore any purchase — regardless of size — comes wrapped in a giant plastic bag. Elsewhere, the press are ferried from their hotel by bus to a car park about 100 metres from the media centre. They are forbidden from walking the short distance and instead placed on to another shuttle bus for a journey lasting one minute.

THE hoodie is going nowhere, with the likes of Brooks Koepka sporting the much-talked-about garment on a chilly first morning. Gilets and collared jerseys were also on display with the Americans looking smarter in their navy and white uniforms than the light blue and yellow worn by the Europeans.

A CHILLY 9 C greeted the players on the first tee, yet by the time the later groups went out the mercury had risen to 23. The forecast rain and wind did not materialise. Today promises to be colder but again dry, with highs of 18, while Sunday looks a belter, with sunny highs of 23 predicted.

RYDER CUP

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2021-09-25T07:00:00.0000000Z

2021-09-25T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://mailonline.pressreader.com/article/283124252037356

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