For all the noise about the noise, Luke Donald believes the American golfers will be at risk of a major backlash from their own supporters when the Ryder Cup[1] commences on Friday.
The dominant theme of this clash at Bethpage Black has been the weight of home advantage and particularly the boisterous, loud nature of a New York crowd.
Donald’s apprehension on behalf of his European team has been well documented but less so is the theory he has been formulating in his mind – what if the US galleries turn on their own?
The European captain floated that possibility in a small gathering of British reporters, and in doing so has drawn a provocative link to both the unprecedented scenario of US golfers being paid £400,000 a man to play and the extortionate cost of tickets for punters to attend.
Asked if there was potential for the US fans to mutiny, Donald said: ‘That could happen. We all know how high the ticket prices (almost £600) are and it’s going to be an expensive trip out for a family of four.
‘If the US players are getting paid a stipend, or whatever it is, and they aren’t performing, the New Yorkers could make them know about it.’
Luke Donald appears to have stoked the fire ahead of this year’s Ryder Cup, claiming the home fans could even turn on their own players
Donald’s men are looking to become the first team to win an away Ryder Cup since the ‘Miracle at Medinah’ in 2012
The European team are braced for a hostile reception in New York
With the Cup being won by a landslide in favour of the home side in each of the past five editions, European fans might hope Donald’s words prove prophetic. It is also clear that the defending champions will make a great play on their US rivals breaking with tradition after demanding money to appear.
Donald has stirred that pot further by highlighting the different outlook among his side, saying: ‘I wanted to get ahead of this when I first heard about it last year and looked like it was likely going to happen. I reached out to all the 12 guys from Rome (in 2023) to see how they felt.
‘Everyone was like, “We haven’t even considered playing for money for that event”.
‘It speaks to what the Ryder Cup means to these guys. A couple hundred thousand dollars to these guys isn’t a lot of money in the grand scheme of things. Those weeks of the Ryder Cup, they are the best weeks. There’s so much more to them. Again, we certainly don’t need any motivation or monetary rewards to get us up.’
Donald is seeking to become only the second European captain after Tony Jacklin to record home and away wins, though his challenge at Bethpage Black is enormous.
Ditto the preparations to pull it off, which have included three site visits by Donald in the past year to monitor the course, and, more unconventionally, the distribution of virtual reality headsets to his players to simulate crowd abuse.
Donald revealed he also took soundings from former England rugby captain Owen Farrell during a pro-am this month at Wentworth. He said: ‘I talked to him a little bit about the rituals they do with the shirts. He’s aware of his number, 750, his number for the Lions and things like that are interesting to me, understanding your place in history. We’ll do that again.
Bethpage Black will play host to the Ryder Cup for the first time
Donald is seeking to become only the second European captain after Tony Jacklin to record home and away wins
‘In those team environments, they really try to celebrate sort of their opportunity that they have and the opportunity that they know they have got to pass down to the next people. It’s very similar in how we feel to how we get to Ryder Cup. Those things are very important.
‘Talking to Owen, he likes the noise. When it’s quiet, it’s tough. I think golf is a little bit different to other sports – we’re not used to being thrown abusive remarks. With everything I’ve tried to do over the last 18 months, hopefully the guys will be ready for that.’
The expectation is that Donald will choose to leave the role after the forthcoming match, win or lose, but he was non-committal when asked if there was a possibility of going a third time. He said: ‘I’m just trying to get through this one. Hopefully we can create something special and create some history.
‘I haven’t given any thought to doing it again and I’m sure there’s other people that are just as deserving to be a captain after me.’