The ongoing crisis in the eurozone may appear to confirm the direst prognostications of the sceptical fringe; but pro-Europeans need look no further than the Ryder Cup for evidence of where Britain's interests really lie.

For most of its history, the biennial golf tournament pitched a US team against a British one. By the late 1970s, however, the Brits were floundering. Repeated, humiliatingly predictable drubbings at the hands of apparently unbeatable American rivals threatened to render the prestigious contest no contest at all. The solution? Extra sporting firepower courtesy of our continental cousins. Team Europe was born, and with it the all-too-rare sight of Brits cheering for the EU.

It can only be hoped, then, that Ukip's Nigel Farage will be watching when the action gets under way in Illinois today – and waving his European flag in support, of course.