The Belfry: The Ryder Cup got its first shock Monday even before the contest had started when a strong earthquake rocked the Birmingham area.

The tremor, measuring 4.8 on the Richter scale, provoked panic in central England, where residents are unaccustomed to such incidents.

European Team captain Sam Torrance said the effects had been felt at his team base at The Belfry, the venue for the Cup just outside Birmingham.

“I was in bed. I’m quite a heavy sleeper and I was asleep. But there was something going on,” he said.

“But Jesper Parnevik got a fright. He ran out on the balcony. There wasn’t a cameraman there. We didn’t know what it was, whether it was something explosive.”

Torrance is in for more shock at the weekend with the Tiger Woods-led US being strong favourites to retain the Cup.