American Ryder Cup fan behavior proves Willett's point
CHASKA, Minn. — Danny Willett’s brother was right.
The 2016 Masters champion got to come off the bench for the four-ball session after sitting in the morning session of the Ryder Cup, for reasons that European captain Darren Clarke swears had absolutely nothing to do with P.J. Willett’s pre-matches column in part lambasting American fans over the stereotypical boorish behavior of a minority.
And then when Willett got out on the course, that minority acted almost exactly in that fashion.
“They need to silence the pudgy, basement-dwelling, irritants, stuffed on cookie dough and pissy beer, pausing between mouthfuls of hot dog so they can scream ‘Baba booey’ until their jelly faces turn red,” P.J. Willett wrote in a column earlier this week that drew much criticism for its crass characterization.
Then on Friday, fans chugging Bud Lights and Silver Bullets shouted “Baba booey” on most every hole Willett played. Multiple times in some cases. The courage juice certainly helped some spectators come up with other gems like, “Where’s your brother, Danny Boy?” and “Hot dogs!” and “Your brother could’ve hit that shot!”
It was the same five things on every hole. It wasn’t funny the first time or the 30th.
Willett’s last name was changed by the fans to Boy as goon after goon spoke to him that way. Mercifully, we were spared, as Willett wrote, “mini-erection inducing ‘mashed potato’ ” shouts.
(There was a shout of “Brexit” in the morning session.)
However, P.J. Willett didn’t get the fashion choice of these fans right. He thought they would be “squeezed into their cargo shorts and boating shoes,” but the most obnoxious fans were cosplaying as bald eagles, Uncle Sam and other American icons that are most notable for saying a lot without saying anything.
Danny Willett knew this was coming.
“I think it was exactly what we thought it was going to be,” he said after his match. “There was a few little shouts in there, and bits and bobs, but hopefully they are all following me around so the rest of the lads can do their business.”
In fairness, the overwhelming number of fans were polite and cordial, cheering on the good shots hit by Brooks Koepka and Brandt Snedeker, who pasted Willett and Martin Kaymer by a 5-and-4 count. Some fans spoke up to shut down the less civilized fans around them, although the lecturing wasn’t done at nearly the same volume as the heckling.
And, look, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with good-natured harassment at a sporting event like this. It happens to every road team in every major team sport. Athletes expect it and, in many cases, get calloused by it over time. However, P.J. Willett basically laid a trap with his column, and boatloads of American fans fell into it on Friday afternoon, misunderstanding biting satire as an invitation for a sophomoric display.
Those antics are what drove Rory McIlroy to make a match-ending eagle against Dustin Johnson and Matt Kuchar, then turning toward the partisan crowd twice to bow and, in his words, say, “You’re welcome for the show.”
“It’s a hostile environment out there, and I just want everyone that’s watching out there to know how much this means to us, how much it means to me personally and obviously us as a team,” McIlroy said after the match.
Willett most certainly concurs.
Willett and Kaymer were the only European duo not to win on Friday afternoon, bringing the Day 1 total to a 5-3 U.S. advantage. However, Willett’s score was put forth by the duo on all but three of the 14 holes they played. He shot 2-under par while under siege from unsavory elements of the gallery. Willett will get another crack on Saturday, likely with a new partner in the afternoon session, and that could provide the change-up the Englishman needs to get a win under his belt.
It probably would have been better if a number of American fans hadn’t hit below the belt.
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Ryan Ballengee is a Yahoo Sports contributor. Find him on Facebook and Twitter.
