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The Ryder Cup is slated to return to American soil later this year, and Team Europe knows it’s not going to get a warm reception when they arrive at Bethpage Black. Captain Luke Donald is doing what he can to prepare his golfers for that hostile environment with the help of practice rounds filled with distractions—including a comedian who got flown to the Middle East to insult them.
The team with home-course advantage has walked away with a victory in the last five iterations of the Ryder Cup, and the United States is obviously hoping to keep that streak alive and avenge their loss at Marco Simone in 2023 when the event unfolds on the hallowed grounds of Bethpage Black in September.
The Europeans, on the other hand, will be looking to extend a solid run that’s seen them win the Ryder Cup on eight of the last 11 occasions under the guidance of Luke Donald, who will be serving as the team’s captain for the third consecutive time.
Last year, American skipper Keegan Bradley warned fans to be on their best behavior due to a concerted push by Ryder Cup officials to crack down on the unruly spectators who’ve routinely ruffled feathers in the past, but there’s only so much officials will be able to do to keep every member of the famously rowdy galleries in mind.
Donald is very aware of that reality based on the approach he opted to harness when a number of guys who will likely end up on his roster headed to Abu Dhabi Golf Club last week for the Team Cup that served as a de facto tryout.
According to Bunkered, those players were treated to a slew of distractions while roaming the links in the practice rounds ahead of the event, which included multiple speakers pumping out “USA!” chants, spectators tasked with yelling and coughing in their backswing, and an unidentified American comedian who was posted up on the 7th hole who Donald hired to heckle the golfers.
Jordan Smith said the comedian compared Tyrell Hatton to “a reborn Amish farmer” (which is an objectively fantastic zing) while trying to psych out other guys taking aim at the green on the par-3 by saying “You’re going to put it in the water, you’re going to hit a s—t shot.”
We’ll get the chance to see if the preparation paid off when the Ryder Cup officially kicks off on September 26th.