PATRIOTIC American sports fans? Shouts of USA! USA! USA!, coupled with personal jeers and frat boy behaviour? It seems to me that the European Ryder Cup team was expecting something completely different from their hosts last weekend at Hazeltine.
The European team’s almost obsession with what was going on or being said in the grandstands, without question drew their attention away from what they were there to do, play golf.
Yes, loud noises can be distracting on a golf course and there is no place for shouts on the backswing of a shot, but reacting to comments from the crowd is something, for me, that shows the team were not mentally prepared.
There were visible chinks in the European armour early on. Danny Willet’s lack of composure following his brother’s comments did not help.Nor did captain Clarke’s admission that the times he needed to have submitted his pairings were often before everyone was in off of the course. It is easy to be the Monday morning quarter back (hurler on the ditch) on this one but at least the future of the event has been secured with a USA win. Roll on Paris 2018.
