The Ryder Cup party was just a warmup.
Sure, there was plenty of star power, ranging from Donald Trump to US Olympic swimming champion Michael Phelps. Sure, there were some catchy Motown tunes, belted out by Alison Krause and Chaka Khan.
Then it was time to get serious.
US captain Hal Sutton strolled to the microphone to make an announcement far too long in coming: Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson -- America's two best players -- were pairing up for the first time in today's opening match of the Ryder Cup.
"I felt like history needed it. I felt like the fans needed it," Sutton said Thursday at the glitzy opening ceremony. "And most of all, I felt like Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods needed it."
Sutton wanted to set a stirring tone right away for the three most intense days in golf. So did Europe, which sensed a Woods-Mickelson pairing for the first of four better-ball matches and sent out Colin Montgomerie and Padraig Harrington to stop them.
Harrington is Europe's best player. Montgomerie has the best Ryder Cup record.
"We can beat them," Monty declared. "If we do win that game, it will have a dramatic effect on the day. It would be huge for the European team -- and everybody here -- to see that we can cope with their top two."
Woods and Mickelson have some impressive credentials. They have combined to win 63 times on the PGA Tour. They were the top two qualifiers on the US team.
But this was the first time in seven team events -- four Ryder Cups, three Presidents Cups -- that an American captain put them together.
Sutton, for one, has no idea why it took so long. As soon as he was appointed to the post two years ago, he already was looking forward to a Woods-Mickelson pairing.
"This might be one of the greatest teams ever paired in US history," Sutton said.
In other better-ball matches Friday morning, it was Darren Clarke and Miguel Angel Jimenez of Europe vs. Davis Love III and Chad Campbell of the US; Paul McGinley and Luke Donald vs. Chris Riley and Stewart Cink; and Sergio Garcia and Lee Westwood (3-1 as partners at The Belfry two years ago) vs. David Toms and Jim Furyk.
Sutton hinted that he might keep Woods and Mickelson together for the alternate-shot matches in the afternoon. Lefty warmed up for that possibility by practicing with Woods' brand of balls.
The Europeans weren't about to back down, having captured the Ryder Cup six of the last nine times. And Sutton's decision to go for one point with his two best players could backfire.
Five years ago at Brookline, Europe got a huge lift when Clarke and Westwood beat Woods and David Duval, the top two Americans at that time.
"There's a risk every day in life," Sutton said, losing patience with anyone who doesn't see his side. "You cross the street and it's a risk. Someone may run over you."
Clearly, this pairing wasn't about camaraderie.
Woods and Mickelson have never been the best of friends, and their rivalry intensified early last year when Lefty joked in a magazine interview about Woods' ``inferior equipment.''
Woods played in the World Cup three straight years until the rules were changed in 2002 requiring the highest-ranked players to represent the US team. With Mickelson next on the list, Woods chose not to play that year.
Even so, they looked downright chummy at the opening ceremony -- sitting side-by-side on the stage, smiling when their names were introduced, sealing their partnership with a warm handshake.
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