A spectacular flyover by the Italian air force's Frecce Tricolori aerobatic team drowned out the start of U.S. captain Zach Johnson's speech at the opening ceremony of the 44th Ryder Cup on Thursday. It could be a portent of things to come.
Johnson's 12-man team will be defending the trophy the U.S regained with a crushing victory at Whistling Straits in 2021, but will have to block out raucous home support at the Marco Simone Country Club, east of Rome.
Around 150,000 fans will descend on the spectacular course over the next three days — the majority of them roaring on Europe in what their captain Luke Donald hopes will be "the loudest Ryder Cup" ever.