Farmingdale, New York (CNN) — Don’t sweat the small stuff, they say, but in the Ryder Cup it’s the smallest things that could make the biggest difference.

The biennial golf competition between Europe and the United States has grown into one of the most high-pressured events in all of sport, and successful team captains have learned that to be competitive, everything counts.

From the clothing to the team room decor, the strategy and the speeches, no detail is overlooked.

In 2010, Europe’s captain Colin Montgomerie decided that the five-foot beds in the Celtic Manor hotel weren’t big enough, so he ordered replacements that were 12 inches wider. In 2014, Paul McGinley decked out the players’ team room in European colors, right down to the baize on the pool table and the blue-and-gold fish

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