Farmingdale (United States) (AFP) – Europe’s golfers are ready for world number two Rory McIlroy to become a heckling magnet for raucous United States supporters when the Ryder Cup begins on Friday at Bethpage Black. McIlroy, who won the Masters in April to complete a career Grand Slam, leads holders Europe into his eighth Cup showdown, the most of any player in this week’s matches. The five-time major winner from Northern Ireland was greeted with a chorus of boos from spectators at the first tee on Wednesday during a practice round, responding with a wave.
He has aimed some choice remarks at US star Bryson DeChambeau and is known for emotional moves such as cupping his hand to his ear after sinking long putts to silence US crowds in past Cups on American soil. “Rory is very comfortable with himself. I think he has thick skin. I think that he can handle the blowback of if he says something that he believes and it is not taken in the right way,” England’s Justin Rose said. “He’s happy to see it how he sees it and call it how he sees it. And I think he has the freedom on the golf course to just roll with that. What he says I don’t think layers into his golf game, and that’s an amazing talent. He always plays incredibly freely, and I think that’s probably the line where Rory can tiptoe better than most.”
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Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg knows fans in New York will be doing their best to unsettle his team. “There’s always going to be a little bit of chirping going on,” he said. “You’re going to be hearing a lot of things, which is a part of it.” Being partnered with McIlroy, however, is not something European players will shy away from because of heckling, England’s Tommy Fleetwood said. “Whoever gets to play with Rory this week, what a privilege. What an amazing thing to be able to do,” he said. “If I’m one of them that gets a chance to play with him, I would love that opportunity.”
Having families face such issues, however, is another matter. “That energy, that passion and that home team environment is something that plays such a big part in the Ryder Cup, and you have to embrace that,” Fleetwood said. “We’ve all discussed as a team who feels comfortable, how the family would feel comfortable, what they want to do. It’s just do they want to be out there and support.” Sometimes family members avoid watching their own relatives. “The families aren’t just here for you. We’re all part of Team Europe, and whatever that involves and whoever that involves supporting out there, that could be very different,” Fleetwood said. “It’s something we’ve all discussed, and it’s one of those things. It’ll be very fluid throughout the week. I’m sure it’s all going to be great.”
– Don’t bash loved ones – American Justin Thomas, a two-time major winner, has said family insults is where hecklers must draw the line. “You definitely hear some stuff. It’s tough,” Thomas said. “A Ryder Cup, you kind of know what you’re going to get. (Where) I think all the players are in the same boat is once it ever gets to a point of being a little bit more personal of families, family members. If we’re not playing well and you’re talking trash about us, we probably deserve it, but if you start getting into the loved ones, that’s I think when everybody starts really getting a little bit chippy. There’s obviously never in any sport a time to get personal or disrespectful, but at the same time it’s the Ryder Cup, and it’s a home game for a reason. There has been plenty of good, plenty of bad on both ends, and you hope to give them reason to cheer for the good.”
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