The players were out before daylight at Gleneagles, on the range in the dark. Outside, spectators scrambled when the doors were opened, perhaps heading for a seat in the grandstand on the first tee, which, with a capacity of around 1,900, is one of the biggest golf grandstands in the world. So I'm told. Who will be teeing it up there this morning? Let's have a look...

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Rob Hodgetts
BBC Sport at Gleneagles

First tee, grandstand full. Red sheen to the sky above the distant Ochil Hills. Standing ovation for starter Ivor Robson. Snatches of songs as the crowd warm up their singing voices. "There's only one Ivor Robson", "Europe! Europe!" Flags draped over the stands, snappers and media in full force. Cheers accompany the arrival of anyone official looking. Quite soon, this quiet corner of Perthshire will erupt.

Yep, the 40th instalment of the Ryder Cup - the postman of sporting events - begins here and now at Gleneagles.

The pomp and ceremony is complete, the phoney war done, the scrutinising of every captain's word over and the pairs picked.

Spectators have sprinted to their seats and, in not too long from now, the European pair of Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson and the United States duo of Bubba Watson and Webb Simpson will walk into a wall of noise at the first tee to get us under way.

At the end of it all, the gold trophy with the figure of Abe Mitchell on the top with be held aloft.

Image source, Getty Images

The Ryder Cup will be won once more.

...three days of Nicklaus conceding. Olazabal dancing. Of "U-S-A" and "Euuu-rrrroooppe". Of crowd roars and painful groans.

Of McGinley in the lake and Woosnam necking Guinness. Of Battles of Brookline and Miracles at Medinah. Of pristine groups of wives and captains on radios. Of Poulter screaming and Bubba begging for noise. Of Seve.

...every two years they met, formerly as Great Britain v United States, now as Europe v United States.

Three days, fourballs, foursomes and singles. Three days of 28 points, 14½ the magic number...

In the crowd for the second match was a seed seller named Samuel Ryder, who was so enthralled by the occasion that he wanted to set up a regular, official contest.

Ryder - who employed Mitchell as his personal golf coach - donated money to send a British team to the US the following year, along with a gold cup which had the figure of a golfer on top.

And then...

Abe Mitchell was one of the better golfers of his day. Born in Sussex in 1887, Mitchell was runner-up in the 1912 Amateur Championship and finished in the top 10 of the Open on seven occasions.

Mitchell was good enough to be selected for two unofficial matches that pitted the best players of Great Britain against those from the United States, the second of which took place at Wentworth in 1926.