MONTREAL – It needs to be said bluntly, because it’s the truth: the predominantly Canadian crowd at Royal Montreal for the Presidents Cup was embarrassingly flat on Day 1. Like praying in silence in church. Alone in Death Valley, quiet.

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

Canadians are known for being polite, but this seemed more like a strange indifference, as a fair portion of this country enjoys golf and should be proud to receive such international attention.

Maybe they thought they were going to a golf tournament instead of a team huddle that embraced reasonable rawness. Compared to the Ryder Cup, Thursday was like playing golf in a leafy mausoleum.

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

The best example of the frustration came when Match 1 was played on the back nine. Jason Day and Ben An never led in their final loss to Xander Schauffele and Tony Finau, 1 ahead, and they trailed by two holes as they made their way to the par-4 14th fairway. In a cart at the edge of the fairway, and in front of fans in a catering tent and on the ropes, women Ellie Day and Jamie An tried to start a chant for their boys. “INT! INT!” they shouted, pumping their fists. This while international captain Mike Weir and his wife rode nearby.

Response: A few half-hearted responses. Cheerleaders at a high school football game do much better. And even worse, a fan shouted in the silence “USA!” aggressively back at them.

“What the f—?” was the disgusting response to the apathy of someone from the international entourage.

Two holes later there was plenty to cheer about as the match was all level after the Internationals won the 15th with a birdie and saw the Americans miss short par putts on 16. But then Schauffele tucked his tee shot close to the par-3 17th to make a birdie for the US to regain the lead.

Once again, as the teams headed for their crucial 18th tee shots, the International WAGs tried to get the crowd going. Once again the response was a murmur. “This is lame,” said one woman, seemingly resigned to the atmosphere of the library. Another member of the player family was more animated. “Weak crowd! I need more!” he exclaimed towards the stands.

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