With grateful thanks to the devious soul who decided they should start their campaign at Carnoustie, the six weary Team Europe souls who entered after being at Hazeltine trudged back to the day job at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
They heard far friendlier banter from behind the ropes – when there were any people behind the ropes – and most as banner names in the field had the pleasure of friends and relations as their pro-am partners. But unsurprisingly, some found it more than a grind than others.
Thomas Pieters shanked an approach at his first hole – the 10th – and admitted to fatigue, but by the end he was loose enough to induce gasps of admiration by driving the green at the 407-yard seventh hole on his way to a two-under 70.
“Bit more support than last week,” he said, deadpanning. “I’m still very tired mentally, I shanked my 4-iron on the 10th but got up-and-down from a hundred yards. It was a weird way to open.
“Being this tired, I’m pretty happy with two-under. Eight-under (Alex Noren’s lead) is unbelievable.”
Pieters knows that he’ll have to make up ground on the next two days, however.
“These are going to be a little easier, I think,” he continued. “You can get away with some shots on the next two courses and you have to go lower otherwise you’re not going to make the cut.”
Darren Clarke’s other remarkable rookie Rafa Cabrera Bello, playing with Celtic major shareholder and Dunhill perennial Dermot Desmond, also shot 70 while playing with Martin Kaymer, who double-bogeyed 18 but still managed a 71.
“After last week, obviously you don’t really know what you’re going to get the first day because you don’t play a practice round,” said Kaymer. “You’re just very tired.
“But obviously the reason why I’m here is I like the tournament a lot and I can play with my Dad (Horst). So I’m glad that I shot a decent score today.”
Kaymer is a former champion of the Dunhill Links and works a rota with his Dad and brother.
“When one is playing, the other is caddying,” he said. “It’s just one of those tournaments that felt really nice back to win in 2010 you always want to give it another go.
“The good thing for us is we don’t need much practice right now. We are really, really in it. It’s just a matter of getting used to the speed of the greens and the rest will take care of itself.”
Tiredness manifested itself more in the other three European team members. Lee Westwood opened with a double-bogey six at the tenth and finished three-over, Danny Willett had a six at the Spectacles, while Matt Fitzpatrick went out of the premises at the sixth for a triple-bogey eight.
