After the Miracle of Medinah two years ago, the 2014 Ryder Cup has a lot to live up to in the excitement stakes.
But with the first signs of good-natured trash talking and irritating subplots for one of the captains, it's high time to tee off on our Off The Ball Ryder Cup preview.
To help Joe and co build up to the tournament at Gleneagles, The Independent's golf writer Kevin Garside and 1999 Ryder Cup participant Andrew Coltart pitched in with their views.
One of the most interesting aspects of the Ryder Cup is the real value of the captaincy and Coltart believes it is far more than symbolic.
"I think the great thing is the captain allows the guys to be themselves. He's also got to understand who's feeling the heat and who's struggling with their game. In 1999, as far as I'm concerned we had a great captain (Mark James)," said Coltart, who gave an insight into what it was like to take on Tiger Woods in 1999.
Garside spoke about the growing "pantomime" around the tournament from the non-sporting side and also highlighted how the US team won all the team elements in Medinah, while Europe took the individual contests.
Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!
Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.
