Published>Tue, Sep 28 10 10:33 PM
The enchanting Usk Valley, just across the River Severn, is steeped in Welsh mystery and legend and as mist rolled off the hills on Tuesday it looked ripe for a new chapter in its rich folklore.
Roman legionnaires once patrolled the area and King Arthur is said to have held court in the nearby village of Caerleon but at the Celtic Manor resort the world's best golfers took centre stage as the 38th edition of the Ryder Cup loomed.
The biennial match between the top dozen players in Europe and the United States begins on Friday and as the players set off for their first practice rounds on Tuesday there was already a palpable sense of expectation in the air.
World number one Tiger Woods, immaculate in his red team pullover, prowled the fourth fairway as drizzle made way for bright sunshine and fans poured in to catch a glimpse of the American who, despite recent personal problems, is still revered wherever he pitches up.
Woods, enjoying a knockabout fourball with team mates Hunter Mahan, Zach Johnson and Steve Stricker, appeared relaxed as he pinged putts and chips from a deep swale to the side of the fourth green, occasionally taking in the scene around him.
Europe's players, kitted out in diamond-patterned grey jumpers, began their practice rounds at the 11th hole and received huge applause from the crowds enjoying superb vantage points on a Twenty Ten course tailor-made for the Ryder Cup.
Young Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy could not stop smiling as he and playing partner Graeme McDowell went through their paces with Italian brothers Edoardo and Francesco Molinari.
Ian Poulter and three-times major winner Padraig Harrington were both in Europe's final practice fourball of the morning, attracting hordes of autograph hunters beside the 18th green.
So leisurely was their fourball that at one stage a caddie's mobile phone rang and after a quick chat he looked across to an inquiring Luke Donald and joked "that was the skipper on the phone, he's wondering what we're up to. Better get a move on".
One blonde American woman said she was quite taken by Poulter, one of the sport's most colourful characters.
"I think he's really cool," Katie Gilliam from Kentucky told Reuters as she soaked up the atmosphere with husband Conner alongside the pristine fourth fairway.
"Of course I want the Americans to win but most of all we are just so glad to be here and so glad Tiger is playing because we bought tickets for Valhalla to see him (in 2008) and he blew out his knee and wasn't there."
Some European fans from London were more partisan, although they said the American players would not be subjected to any over the top heckling.
"I think we're pretty fair over here," said Shane Cooley, attending his first Ryder Cup.
"But I'll tell you what, I think we'll have this sewn up by Saturday afternoon. We've got a great side."
Hundreds of blue-jacketed marshalls welcomed the crowds, many of them veterans of past Ryder Cup clashes.
They may not be getting paid but according to 67-year-old David Branson, all the way from Washington DC, he would not want to be anywhere else.
"This is the greatest golf event in the world," he said. "The banter and the atmosphere will be like nothing else in golf, it's gonna be like a soccer game."
Back behind the first tee an enormous tented village has sprung up where fans can eat in Uncle Sam's Burger Bar or taste some local delicacies at the Welsh Pantry.
The bars were already doing brisk business while the merchandising stores stocked a vast array of Ryder Cup-branded gear, memorabilia and golfing gizmos.
Sales of rainwear will be booming over the next few days as bad weather heads in from the Atlantic but rain or shine, Celtic Manor looks set to witness a spectacular feast of golf.
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