Poker-faced Ryder Cup captains unwilling to tip hands

The Ryder Cup does not begin until Friday but the gamesmanship was well underway at Whistling Straits on Monday as European captain Padraig Harrington and his U.S. opposite number Steve Stricker put their poker faces on, refusing to tip their hands.

Players will spend the next three days getting a feel for the rugged layout that hugs the Lake Michigan shore with practices providing an endless source of speculation over possible pairings until all is revealed by the two captains ahead of Friday's opening session.

"That's your job in the media is to make a story out of it," said Harrington. "I'm not going to say what it means or what it doesn't mean (players practicing together).

"I do have ideas about what should be happening in practice, but it's for you to figure it out, not me to tell you."

Knowing much will be read into everything from players sharing a practice to sharing a laugh, Harrington and Stricker offered little in the way of hints but both admitted to well-developed strategies.