Americans refuse to wait as Europeans take their time

Congestion on the roads around The Belfry was only to be expected with the North Birmingham Relief Road being built outside the front gate, but the problem was congestion on the course on the first day of practice for the 34th Ryder Cup. As the 24 players ventured on to the Brabazon course for the first, some wanted to spend longer familiarising themselves with the surroundings than others.

Ironically, it was the Europeans, who play an annual tour event here, who were the ones dallying, rather than the visitors. When the quartet of Tiger Woods, Mark Calcavecchia, Paul Azinger and Stewart Cink, bumped into Sergio Garcia, Bernhard Langer, Paul McGinley and Jesper Parnevik on the third fairway, they decided to skip ahead to the eighth hole. They later went back to play the holes they had missed.

The Americans were highly critical of the Europeans' pace of play at Brookline in 1999 and pace of play regulations will be enforced for the first time this weekend. The new rules were suggested after a fourball at the Seve Trophy took five hours and 55 minutes.

But no regulations exist for the practice rounds. Crazily, all six fourballs teed off at 10-minute intervals. Sam Torrance, Europe's captain, apologised to the Americans and geed up his team. "It was the first day and they were going to take their time," said Torrance. "The mistake was putting the two teams out directly behind each other."

"We don't have to hurry. We have all day," said Sergio Garcia, who was late for his media conference. "Enjoy the weather."

Torrance had the final say on the course set-up and the fairways are tight around the 300-yard mark while there is little rough around the greens so there will be little need of the "flop" shot, one that Americans are more accustomed to playing.

The American captain, Curtis Strange, registered his disappointment that Torrance had decided to play the dramatic par-four 10th from the back tee all week. The carry over the water is almost 260 yards and though Woods and Garcia both found the green with three-woods, the world No 1 said he would lay up during the event to avoid the trees which have grown up since the early days of the Ryder Cup at The Belfry.