The start of the Ryder Cup is less than 24 hours away as Team Europe prepare to take on Team USA in the greatest battle that golf has to offer. There are still a few formalities to get out of the way before they clash on the Albatross Course at Le Golf National though as Thursday's opening ceremony will feature the announcement of each team's fourballs pairings for Friday morning.
The build-up to the 42nd Ryder Cup has been dominated by the Americans as they won both the Junior and Celebrities Ryder Cup events earlier this week, and it is the USA who are 10/11 favourites in the latest Ryder Cup odds for this weekend.
What Is The Ryder Cup?
The Ryder Cup is a biennial event that sees a team of twelve European golfers take on twelve Americans in a team match play format. The USA are reigning champions after they romped to a 17-11 win at Hazeltine in 2016.
Where Is It?
The Ryder Cup is being held at Le Golf National, near Paris, which is a venue that also hosts the European Tour's Open de France each year. It will be the first time that the Ryder Cup has been held in France and only the second time that a country from continental Europe has hosted (after Valderrama in 1997).
When Is It?
The Ryder Cup gets underway on Friday 28 September and concludes on Sunday 30 September. Before that there is the opening ceremony to look forward to and that will take place on Thursday 27 September.
What Time Is It?
The opening ceremony kicks off at 5pm local time, which is 4pm British Standard Time, and will be hosted by former French footballer David Ginola.
How Can I Watch?
The opening ceremony is live on Sky Sports as they have their own Ryder Cup channel on the go.
What Happens During The Opening Ceremony?
You're in for a treat! There will be a crowd of 40,000 people and the Kaiser Chiefs, of 'I Predict A Riot' (and I'm sure they've done other songs) fame, will be performing live. French artist Jain will also be performing. Rock and roll.
The European and American teams will be introduced before the respective captains, Thomas Bjorn and Jim Furyk, announce their fourballs pairings for the opening session of play on Friday morning.
Bring. It. On.
