There's been no shortage of sightings of the great man Muhammad Ali in the last few days. On Wednesday night there was a little function in his honour at the downcentre centre that bears his name in the city of his birth and earlier today he was driven around on a golf kart to see various members of the American Ryder Cup team. The Americans spoke of what an honour it was to meet him. Sure it was. Nobody, bar Paul Azinger, dared to mention the other stuff. The deeply uncomfortable side of the Ali experience.

They brought him in through the crowd by the 10th tee and slowly a round of applause rose up from the galleries as they realised who was it in their midst. Polite applause. Awed applause. And in many ways the applause of people in shock. Ali is a haunted looking figure these days, his face an unmoving mask, rendered expressionless by the ravages of Parkinson's syndrome. He is a tragic, tragic sight. Sitting there in the kart, unable to smile or wave, it was impossible to avoid thinking about the man he was, the Louisville Lip of his youth, the baddest man, the Greatest, the Champ, the man who was so good he made medicine sick, the man who was so fast he said he'd switch off his bedroom light and he'd be asleep before it got dark.

Ali has made some courageous stands in his life, his refusal to go to war in Vietnam being the most celebrated one, the most principled stance any sportsman has ever made and is ever likely to make. Ali lost his best boxing years because of it. He was, as he said at the time, "free to be who I want to be". The bitter irony now, of course, is that he is not free. He's entombed in this shell that people look at in pity. It's hard not to feel sorry for him. His condition is enough to make you cry. But if we feel sadness we should feel masses of respect, too. He is not hiding away, he is not afraid to show the world what has happened to him, his ego is not so big that he wants to protect the memory of the champ he was rather than the sad figure he now is.

That's courage, right? For getting himself out in public and doing good for charities all around the country, as he does, that's greatness. True greatness.

PART TWO

The word you heard most often around here? If it's not passion then it's pressure. Pressure on everybody. Pressure on Nick Faldo to not make a mess of it (is it too late already?), pressure on Paul Azinger to arrest the decline of the Americans, pressure on the rookies (all 10 of them), pressure, pressure, pressure. Phil Mickelson comes into this category more than most. Phil whose Ryder Cup record is lamentable , Phil whose major championship winning form has vanished the last three years, Phil whose career is at something of a crossroads right now. With Tiger Woods out injured for the last two majors this was supposed to be Phil time. Nothing has been heard from him. Nothing. Where are you, Lefty? Time to salvage your season big guy.

He can do it here. Starting in the morning he can wrap up his year with something really positive to show for it. You wouldn't hold your breath though. Phil's not been the life and soul this week, not been psyched up as far as we can tell. He's been keeping a low profile, been understated in his press conferences. We might be wrong but all of this looks like a bit of a drag to him.

Then again, there's bad memories for him in this competition. Remember 2002 when he got done 3&2 by Phillip Price in the Sunday singles? Remember 2004 at Oakland Hills?

Phil and Tiger beaten by Monty and Harrington
Phil and Tiger beaten by Clarke and Westwood
Rested for the third session
Mercy be, Phil and Toms beat Jimenez and Levet
And then...
Phil smashed by Sergio in the singles, 3&2

One point. One lousy point. You know what they call the 2004 Ryder Cup in the Mickelson household? The halcyon year. After all, compared to 2006 it was a triumph. Remember the K Club?

Phil and DiMarco beaten by Clarke and Westwood
Phil and DiMarco halved with Monty and Westwood
Phil and DiMarco beaten by Clarke and Westwood (again)
Phil and Toms beaten by Sergio and Donald
And then...
Phil beaten by Jose Maria Olazabal in the singles, 2&1

Half a lousy point. I remember having a chat with Phil's wife, Amy, coming up side of the 17th hole that day. Bad luck, I said. "Yeah, well, you know, thanks," said Amy. "It never quite worked out for Phil this week," I said, diplomatically. "Well, I guess I'm lucky to be married to a man whose golf career isn't the be-all and end-all of his life."

I wanted to ask whose golf career was the be-all and end-all of his life but I didn't. I have my theory though. Same theory as you, I think.

So Phil needs a big week, more than Tiger ever did at the Ryder Cup. Tiger always had the majors to soothe his Ryder Cup wounds. That was his response. It's all about the majors. Phil doesn't have that anymore. He needs this Ryder Cup badly to add some new purpose to his golf life, to energise it a little.

Pressure. So much of it is resting on Phil's shoulders right now.