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Despite the fact that not a single shot has been hit yet, much has been made about what the American crowd might do or could say at this weekend’s Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black. The hypothetical scenarios have gotten so imaginative that European players are being asked if they are comfortable with their families following the action in person.
One thing we do know—the American fans are going to get their chirps off, ideally in the most respectful way possible, and their No. 1 target will be European stalwart Rory McIlroy, who took a shot at U.S. star Bryson DeChambeau in a recent interview with The Guardian.
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“I think the only way he gets attention is by mentioning other people,” McIlroy said when asked about DeChambeau saying he’ll be chirping in his ear this week. “That is basically what I think of that. To get attention he will mention me or Scottie [Scheffler] or others.”
McIlroy will no doubt hear from the crowd about those comments, among other things. This is the one event every two years where golf fans get to engage in an us vs. them mentality, and the European team knows exactly what’s coming, even preparing for it with the help of virtual reality.
On Thursday, though, McIlroy made a brilliant, last-ditch chess move to get the U.S. fans on his side. The reigning Masters winner was asked what his first impressions were of America when he first came here as a wee lad from Northern Ireland, and how he feels about the country now that he’s lived in it for so long.
McIlroy practically fawned over the red, white and blue.
“Everyone wanted to make it in America,” McIlroy said. “It’s the land of opportunity, and I still believe it’s the greatest country in the world and if you come here and you work hard and dedicate yourself, you can be or do whatever you want.
“I am unbelievably grateful and lucky that I got to come to America early on and I think success is celebrated here. There’s a wonderful sense of work ethic. I live here, my wife is American, my daughter is American, I have a lot of affinity toward this country, and I think everyone that lives here should have that same affinity. Because it is a wonderful place.”
That sound you hear is the Star-Spangled Banner playing in the distance.
Kidding aside, this was a seriously strategic move ahead of the Friday morning foursome matches, which McIlroy will almost surely be playing in as the best player on Luke Donald’s squad. Perhaps the American fans might go a little easier on him now. The more-likely scenario is that they forget these comments long before 7:10 a.m. ET on Friday, because there’s nothing more American than the 24-hour news cycle.
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Main Image: Carl Recine
