The sound of silence has been Justin Rose’s inspiration in Ryder Cups gone by.
Twice he has played in the event and twice it has been on American soil.
As hard as a vastly outumbered away support may try with their ‘ole ole’ chants, in the land of the free and home of the brave, for a European golfer, quiet time is as good as it gets.
So feeding off home crowd roars sweeping through the glen will be a new experience for the former US Open champion.
“I’m delighted to be playing in a home Ryder Cup,” he said.
“That was definitely the goal that I set out a couple of years ago.
“I was at Valhalla in 2008 and then missed out on Celtic Manor (in 2010). And here we are after Medinah two years ago.
“The crowds have come out already but it’s been low key. The real atmosphere is going to start tomorrow, so I can’t wait.
“Things will ramp up when we go through that tunnel with all the iconic images to the first tee. No doubt there will be the customary signing on the first tee. I can only imagine what that will be like.
“There’s the anticipation of what I’m yet to experience knowing that in the palm of your hand you have the ability to light up a crowd with your putter. That will be exhilarating and I can’t wait to feel it.
“My goal is to create those opportunities, to put my ball in a position to make that happen.
“Par putts for halves probably get you a clap but you want to be making birdies out there. I have to focus more on my game than the environment but I can’t wait to sense it after playing well.”
When you play with Ian Poulter as a partner, you don’t need to concern yourself with a lack of gallery-player interaction.
The impressive bit about Poulter in a Ryder Cup, according to the golfer who knows him best, is the way in which he can whip himself up into a frenzy but retain his concentration, which is easier said than done.
“His reaction to making a putt is that he looks around and brings everybody in,” Rose observed.
“But he’s got the amazing ability to shut everything out. When you watch his eyes when he’s in the zone you’ll see that they’re not really taking everything in.
“They are very focused on the putt. All you see are his eyes running up and down the line. He gets channelled into the job at hand and that is the only way to play under pressure.
“He’s got a great ability to be able to switch in, switch out, switch in, switch out. I think that’s obviously what makes him a charismatic player, but obviously a very efficient player under pressure.
“It’s not the Ryder Cup to be honest. Whenever Ian is in contention, he normally does a very good job of finishing things off.”
There have been concerns about Poulter’s form coming into the competition, but Rose has words of reassurance.
“Ian’s playing well,” he pointed out. “He really is.
“I know people say he hasn’t had a great season but he’s on the verge of playing very, very well. He just needs a spark and that spark could be the Ryder Cup this week.
“When his back is against the wall he normally produces, which is great.”