Even now, almost a year out from the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black on New York’s Long Island, the idea of what this event might look, feel and sound like looms like a gathering storm.
This won’t have the pastoral elegance of Gleneagles in Scotland or the American heartland vibes of Medinah and Whistling Straits.
Taking the Ryder Cup to Bethpage Black is taking it to the streets. It’s Madison Square Garden when the Knicks are on a roll, Yankee Stadium when the pinstripes are in the playoffs and Springsteen ripping through “Badlands” in the Meadowlands.
The game’s most passionate event set among a red, white and blue New York fan base that can be as rough and rowdy as a roadhouse Saturday night is both enthralling and discomforting.
“This is a big event. We’re all grown-ups and we know how tough it is to play at an away Ryder Cup. I have total faith in the fans of New York to cheer on their team loudly and proudly,” said U.S. captain Keegan Bradley, who will play to the galleries’ emotional support.
“I don’t want them to do anything to cross the line of fair play, but it’s going to be a tough atmosphere. When you play Bethpage in a major championship, you’re prepared that this will be an atmosphere you’re not used to.”
Luke Donald, who will try to join Tony Jacklin as the only European captains to win the Ryder Cup at home and away, has a sense of what his team will face next fall.
“The Ryder Cup is special because it is spirted,” Donald said at a ‘one year out’ media session Tuesday in New York City.
“If there is anything inappropriate, they will deal with it. It’s going to be fun. It’s going to be feisty. It’s going to be spirited.”
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