In an event which has never been short on hyperbole, the most triumphalist outpouring came from US captain Ben Hogan, who introduced the 1967 US Ryder Cup team in Houston as "the finest golfers in the world." Yesterday at Brookline, another Texan reworked the phrase in a calculated warning to the European holders of what has become a highly-coveted trophy.

"I think all 12 of us think we're the best players in the world," said Jeff Maggert, the reigning Andersen Consulting Matchplay champion. "Ask the European players and they'll probably have a different opinion, but for the next seven days, that's the way I want to think."

Maggert's assertion could also be interpreted as a desperate attempt by the Americans at projecting themselves as a totally united team. Either way, the Europeans had no need of such ploys. "The stakes are so high that it's no longer necessary to get the lads geed up," said assistant captain Ken Brown. "The spirit is fantastic."

They certainly looked very much as ease, when setting forth on their first official practice round over the charming terrain of The Country Club. And from these initial pairings, it seems a good bet that Darren Clarke will partner Lee Westwood, while Padraig Harrington's role has yet to be defined.

On a pleasant, autumnal day beneath overcast skies, the Europeans were first into action, playing nine holes of fourballs, followed by nine holes of foursomes. The matches were: Colin Montgomerie and Paul Lawrie v Clarke and Westwood; Harrington and Jarmo Sandelin v Jose-Maria Olazabal and MiguelAngel Jimenez; Jesper Parnevik and Sergio Garcia v Andrew Coltart and Jean Van de Velde.

At first glance, it appears as if Coltart and Van de Velde are very much reserve material at this stage. And Harrington's acknowledged adaptability is evident in a partnership with the volatile Swede, Sandelin.

The Americans were all present and apparently correct, though there remained a doubt about the fitness of Davis Love, who is recovering from a trapped nerve in his back. "My game is not 100 per cent but I've had a good break which I needed," said the 35-year-old who hasn't played since finishing 10th in the NEC last month. But he added: "I'd have to break my arm before I would think of withdrawing."

Prior to going into action, Clarke said: "I'm a lot more relaxed that I was at Valderrama two years ago. My game's in good shape and the only things I'm working on this week are posture and rhythm." He went on: "It looks as if I could be paired with Lee, which would be nice. But I'm taking nothing for granted."

He then referred to the outstanding, current form of his compatriot. "Padraig's performance in the BC Open should give him a lot of confidence," said Clarke. "He has certainly showed himself to be a really tough competitor over the past month."

Close by, Montgomerie walked up to a neatly stacked pyramid on the practice tee, knocked three balls off the top and smashed them arrow straight with his driver. "That's enough of that," he said emphatically. Then, in a clear reference to a bleak experience with the blade during the Lancome tournament last weekend, he added: "My problem is not here, it's on the putting green." To where he promptly repaired.

Picking up on Montgomerie's remarks, Olazabal acknowledged that he would have to exhaust several dozen balls in an ongoing battle against erratic driving. But help was on hand in the person of his long-time tutor, John Jacobs. "I felt a bit guilty at not having seen Jose since the (British) Open, so I was happy to set about helping him immediately we got here," he said.

Jacobs, who was captain of the first European team in 1979 and again in 1981, claimed that Olazabal's well-being held the key to success this weekend. "Given his status as the reigning Masters champion, it's vital that he play well," he said. "He has now matured into a senior member of the European side and the rest of the players, particularly the rookies, will look up to him."

Olazabal's problem with the driver is the familiar one of taking the club back too much on the inside, which is causing both a hook and a push. "I've had him hitting drivers off the ground to try and achieve the desired feel and I think we're getting there," said the veteran coach. It certainly looked that way, as the Spaniard smashed balls down the driving range, though his efforts remained rather modest beside those of teenage compatriot, Sergio Garcia.

Out on the course, two stunning examples of Clarke's ball-striking brought himself and Westwood level to the turn at the end of their fourball against Montgomerie and Lawrie. The first was a 30-foot putt for a winning birdie at the par-four eighth. Then came a superb, fivewood second shot of 240 yards to within a few feet of the flag at the 513-yard ninth, for an eagle three.

Clarke and Westwood then went on to perform even more impressively as a foursome. Team captain Mark James was clearly impressed with their four birdies at the last five holes.

Meanwhile, not all Bostonians are happy about the arrival of golf's so-called biggest cash cow to their city. Feelings in certain quarters are that corporate spending at the event has got a little out of control.

The view is reflected in a letter to yesterday's Boston Globe, in which a certain John Linnell, who might have been an apologist for Mark O'Meara, Tiger Woods et al, described the Ryder Cup as "a corporate mega-orgasm, and any player who thinks this is for flag and country is living in the not-too-far-distant past."

Major companies take the view, however, that they cannot afford not to be here. "You can be conspicuous by your absence," said David D'Alessandro, president of John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance Co, which sponsors the Olympics and the Boston Marathon.

"You don't necessarily have to be at the Super Bowl or the World Series," he added. "You don't have to be an Olympic sponsor.

"But you cannot afford to have your competitors entertaining clients at the Ryder Cup, if you're not. You could imagine if someone like Prudential came in and brought in all of their corporate clients, and Hancock wasn't there. It would reach beyond a breach of etiquette and run into the category of business stupidity."

Fortunately, European skipper Mark James need concern himself only with such mundane matters as fielding the right pairings and deploying his troops to maximum advantage. But that can be a lot more difficult than it looks.

As Jacobs put it: "I did a lot of logical things and captained two losing teams. Since then, captains have done illogical things and won." But the suits wouldn't understand such matters.