Given that USA teams have lost seven of the last nine Ryder Cups, one must assume that a variety of golfing skelpings down the years have left their collective rear ends as red as a setting sun.

"It's important for the Americans to win because they've been getting their butts kicked for too long," suggested Butch Harmon, the veteran coach and analyst. "If you look back years ago to when the Americans won them all, then all of a sudden some of the competitiveness, when you look at the fans and even some of the players, kind of goes away."

Harmon was the coach who oversaw the rise of a certain Tiger Woods. Under his tutelage, the former world No 1 captured eight majors and 31 PGA Tour titles during a profitable alliance that lasted from 1997 to 2004. A creaking Woods is absent this week, laid low by the back problems that have niggled and gnawed at his crumbling frame. The fact he is missing is not a bad thing . . . unless you're a television executive in the US peering at the ratings.

"I don't think they lose anything by not having him, because at this point in time he's not the Tiger Woods that we remember," said Harmon.

There is a fresh wave of, well, fresh faces in American golf and the likes of Rickie Fowler, Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed will provide plenty of youthful exuberance in the US camp. "I think it's good for the US side," added Harmon. "It brings a lot of energy to our team.

"All these guys that haven't played in a lot of Ryder Cups, quite frankly, aren't used to getting their brains beat out by the European team, like a lot of our veterans."

Meanwhile, Bradley Neil and his European team-mates will be hoping that an impressive home support can help them overcome a three-point deficit on the final day of the Junior Ryder Cup in Perthshire today.

Some 3,000 spectators flocked to Blairgowrie yesterday but Europe could not prevent the USA from surging to a 7½-4½ lead after the foursomes and fourballs.