With the 12 US Ryder Cup stars practising away inside, the entrance to the course was a nest of suits and ear pieces. When you get a lift with a friend in a fruit and veg van and they signal you ahead on the presumption you're delivering to the hotel, the untouchable nature of this team quickly disappears.

Then there was the goings on inside.

The press who were waiting in the Arnold Palmer Room were given a brief tour in one of a fleet of BMW's. When asked did the K Club purchase these, the guide announced that they were part of a sponsorship deal, but it was all okay because on tour the previous month he'd personally driven a similar model. And by the time a man plucked straight off a Miami beach came handing around baseball caps from "Captain Tom", it was clear the Yanks were here as much for a PR exercise as they were to look at the course.

But that's the Ryder Cup. Proudly, each person there was given four pages of stats for the upcoming event. Catering staff number 2,500, 200 scoreboard staff, 50 dumpmasters (we don't know either), 9,600 toilet rolls, 120,000 plastic bags, 500,000 litres of water per day, 18 kilometres of rope. But if the Americans were looking for the big numbers they so love and look to as proof of a major sporting event, they'd be as well looking at the finishes some members of their squad have been compiling of late. In Vaughn Taylor's last seven events, he's missed two cuts and finished outside the top 40 on three other occasions. In Zach Johnson's last nine events, he's missed three cuts and only got inside the top 20 once. Brett Wetterich has missed seven out of 11 cuts. JJ Henry, who's been the rookie on form, has missed just three of the last eight cuts and had a 28th and 53rd in there too.

It gets worse though. The real fear for the Americans is the pressure each will face during their debuts. The only golf comparable to the heat of a Ryder Cup is at the majors but none of the rookies stand up there either. At the PGA Championship, British Open and US Open only two cuts were made, Taylor tying for 66th at Royal Liverpool, Henry tying for 41st at Medinah. America are in serious trouble and Tom Lehman knows it. Admitting it though? Monday wasn't meant to be about hard questions.

Are you worried about some of the performances of your rookies?

"I don't worry about that at all."

And back he went to fielding queries about Guinness, games of poker and team bonding. Vice-captain Corey Pavin was little different in his response to a question actually relating to the upcoming event.

Does it worry you that the three best Ryder Cup records in this US side are held by the captain and two vice captains (Pavin, Lehman and Loren Roberts)?

"And your point is what?"

For Corey's benefit, the point is very simple. This US team is set to struggle.

All talk of their being here to gain an advantage is rubbish. They were here to try and narrow the disadvantage they have because they are American golfers.

They are individuals who have found it impossible to gel like the opposition in recent years. They realise that, combined with a squad Rick Reilly described as having an intimidation factor similar to the Liechtenstein navy in Sports Illustrated, they have every reason to be worried. Very worried. So much so that Pavin, on the back of one single victory (the US Bank Championship, the rest of his finishes are no better than the rookies) seemed a little irked about not being picked.

"When I won I moved up quite a bit in the points and my goal after that was to make the team on points. I didn't do that and Tom didn't pick me, obviously, and I'm glad I could be here as just a vicecaptain and be part of this team and we'll just see what happens in a few weeks. . .

But playing in the Ryder Cup has always been so enjoyable. It's just you against me. I enjoyed being in that situation."

Lehman, too, entertained notions of playing right up to the dying weeks despite a raft of finishes in the 20s and 30s. He should know better. He's been around a while and will never have seen a team as weak as this one.

Playing? He'll have enough cringing to do just watching them.