MONTREAL – It needs to be said bluntly because it is the truth: The predominantly Canadian crowd at the Royal Montreal for the Presidents Cup was embarrassingly weak on the first day. It was like praying quietly in church. Quiet alone in Death Valley.

Aside from a few thousand people in the stands on the first tee, cheering dutifully but not passionately to an MC’s hype, the gallery didn’t seem much larger than a mid-level PGA Tour event, and the energy couldn’t match that of places like the Hilton Head or TPC Deere Run.

Canadians are known for their politeness, but this seemed rather strange indifference given that a significant portion of this country loves golf and should be proud to receive such international attention.

Maybe they thought they were participating in a golf tournament rather than a team huddle where sensible loudness was the priority. Compared to the Ryder Cup, Thursday was like playing and watching golf in a green mausoleum.

And don’t take our word for it. A few wives of international players would agree. In fact, we’d bet it would be a conversation over dinner and maybe even in the team room.

The best example of the frustration was when the first game was played on the back nine. Jason Day and Ben An never led by one each in their eventual loss to Xander Schauffele and Tony Finau and were two holes behind heading into the par-4 fairway 14th. In a cart on the edge of the fairway and in front of fans in a hospitality tent and on the ropes, wives Ellie Day and Jamie An tried to chant for their boys. “INT! INT!” they shouted while clenching their fists. This as International captain Mike Weir and his wife drove past nearby.

Reaction: A few half-hearted answers. Cheerleaders perform far better at a high school football game. And worse, a fan aggressively shouted “USA!” back at them in the silence.

“What the hell?” was the disgusted reaction of someone in the international entourage to the apathy.

Two holes later there was much to celebrate as the game ended in a draw after the Internationals won the 15th hole with a birdie and the Americans missed short par putts on the 16th hole. But then Schauffele stuffed his tee shot just short of the par-3 17th. Hole closed Make a birdie for the USA to retake the lead.

As the teams made their way to their crucial 18th tee shots, the International WAGs once again tried to get the crowd going. Here too the reaction was just murmurs. “This is lame,” said a woman who had apparently now resigned herself to the library atmosphere. Another member of the gaming family was more animated. “Weak audience! I need more!” he shouted towards the stands.

Surprising stuff. Can the Internationals blame the gallery for already being targeted by the US? Probably not. But should we be disappointed if the Canadians treat this like a club curling match? Absolutely.