How Europe can silence obnoxious U-S-A chants to snatch unlikely Ryder Cup win

David Howell and Paul Casey strolled up the hill on the 11th on the South Course at Oakland Hills in 2004, the Europeans one up over their American counterparts, Jim Furyk and Chad Campbell. But then they started to hear a humming in the distance.

Luke Donald’s troops will experience something similar at Bethpage Black this week, when they attempt to win on US soil for the first time since ‘The Miracle of Medinah’ in 2012. That innocuous noise should not be underestimated; it builds, whirring and the blue and yellow will walk straight into the cauldron. A boisterous group of New Yorkers, with up to 50,000 spectators per day, are ready to leave a deafening noise, likely to that familiar and obnoxious tune of U-S-A, U-S-A, ringing in their ears.

“You hear that chant, U-S-A, U-S-A,” Howell, now a pundit for Sky Sports, remembers from a match that Team Europe would storm to victory by 18.5 to 9.5. “You don’t know what it is at first, it builds in the distance, it’s like a whisper to start with, then a cacophony of noise when you get down there. It’s amazing, hairs on the back of your necks, it’s a big momentum shift. But we turned it around, they weren’t singing that at the end.”

The unsettling presence of inebriated American fans, whipped up into hysteria by the likes of a divisive Bryson DeChambeau, eager to rattle the cage of Rory McIlroy once again, or perhaps captain Keegan Bradley’s true wildcard: President Donald J Trump, ready to light the fuse on Friday morning.

But such is the meticulous approach from Donald (Luke, not Trump), that Europe’s players appear coiled and ready to counter-punch, reacting to the noise and, perhaps, distasteful barbs sent their way. One pairing, Tyrrell Hatton and Jon Rahm, should reunite on Friday, with New York ready to test the emotional state of ‘Team Angry’. Such is Europe’s preparation, though, that they have likely heard it all before.

“We all know it's going to be very, very difficult, you're not just playing 12 American golfers,” McIlroy emphasised. “You're also trying to get past the crowd, and that's the same thing that they feel when we come here and play in Europe. Just it definitely gives you a bit of an in-built advantage to start the week, and that's something definitely that we're going to have to overcome.

“It [the VR headsets] is to simulate the sights and sounds. That's the stuff that we are going to have to deal with. It's better to try to desensitise yourself as much as possible before you get in there.

“You can get them to say whatever you want them to say. You can go as close to the bone as you like. We are doing everything we can to best prepare ourselves for what it is going to feel like, but nothing can really prepare you until you're actually in that.”

Former European captain Paul McGinley has hinted that the 13th person, and how Europe’s dozen handle that, could decide the fate of this year’s Ryder Cup.

“They are the most passionate fans in the world in New York. We see that at the US Open tennis,” the Irishman remarks. “We see it in their sporting events, and we want to see it in the Ryder Cup.

“You can have all the vibe, you can have all of the nutrition, you can have all the gym work, the preparation, you can go wherever you want, with all the detail. The bottom line is, can the players perform in a hostile environment? That's the question.

“It's not easy. It's not the same dynamic where you're playing in a PGA Tour event and it's friendly fire and you miss a putt and it's polite applause. But when there's going to be a lot of shouting, a lot of roaring, maybe some personal insults thrown at you. Walking from green to tee, can you reset yourself? Can you drown out that noise and reset yourself and deliver and perform in that hostile environment?”

While McIlroy, having completed the career grand slam this year, Tommy Fleetwood, fresh from triumphing in the FedEx Cup, and Jon Rahm, already proven to be able to stare down the best player in the world, Scottie Scheffler, and walk away with half a point in singles, remain stalwarts, an unlikely protagonist could yet emerge.

Andrew Coltart was thrown into the fire against Tiger Woods in 1999, rusty, having sat out Friday and Saturday, something Donald is highly unlikely to do to any of his team this year. Be it in foursomes, fourballs or in direct combat in Sunday singles, each player will need to be ready to face any one of Bradley’s 12.

“The atmosphere is intimidating,” Coltart recalls after holding his own against Woods before eventually slipping to a 3 and 2 defeat. “It’s almost like you’re not playing that player, you’re playing the crowd, the 13th person is very important, but that is something this team will prepare to go up against.

“We were all square through five, the sixth was drivable for him, but not me, I still had the honour and went down the fairway to lay up, he took driver that missed the green but carried the back of the green.

“I pitched up to 20 feet, he chipped to eight feet, I holed it, and went nuts. I do remember the captain [Mark James] told me try not to go nuts, but I did and was still shaking by the next tee and ended up fatting my tee shot. It’s all part of keeping your emotions in check.”

Such is the recent run for Europe, with eight wins in 11, that good memories will embolden both Donald and this year’s group, even on US soil.

“In a way, you've got a little bit less pressure [on away soil],” Donald maintains. “The home team is meant to win. So I don't mind that. As long as you're prepared for getting a little bit of stick from the fans, I think that's okay.

“For me it was quite motivating and fueled me to play well. These are things we've already talked to some of the players and will continue to talk to them. But it's important that we have a good amount of experience in that team room with people that have dealt with it before.”

Donald and his team could not do any more in the build-up. Come Friday, with balls in the air, Bradley and co. will hope the home crowd proves seismic. But if Europe can suppress the noise, the cup might just be theirs once more.

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