Rory McIlroy drew groans from the Ryder Cup crowd
Tyrrell Hatton and Jon Rahm thrilled young supporters at the Ryder Cup by dedicating considerable time to signing autographs on Wednesday – moment after Rory McIlroy ignored their pleas.
After Team Europe’s morning practice session, both golfers made their way to the autograph area on the putting green behind the 18th hole and traversed the full length of the barrier, signing caps, flags, and various memorabilia. Whilst other players, including Sepp Straka, Matt Fitzpatrick, Bob MacIntyre and Shane Lowry, made brief appearances, the two LIV Golf stars demonstrated remarkable patience to sign as many spectator items as they could manage.
McIlroy and Viktor Hovland strolled past the supporters, opting not to sign autographs on this specific occasion, prompting audible disappointment. However, those fans were eventually rewarded for their patience when this year’s Masters champion made his return to play his part – as he frequently does at tournaments.
Tommy Fleetwood also emerged later to contribute his efforts and satisfy all the autograph-seeking youngsters who had been waiting patiently.
Hatton and Rahm, nevertheless, demonstrated considerable commitment to their charm offensive with supporters. Yet, this goodwill didn’t endure long in the memory as McIlroy and his colleagues were ruthlessly jeered as they embarked on their afternoon practice session.
Until that moment, the atmosphere at Bethpage Black had been “tame” according to Collin Morikawa. The American encouraged fans to create “chaos” come Friday and intensify the pressure on their rivals.
“I’ll be honest, I think it’s kind of tame so far, Tuesday and Wednesday,” he said. “I know tomorrow is going to be pretty bad, but I hope Friday is just absolute chaos.
“I’m all for it. I think it feeds into who we are and the American players and the American Team. We want it. Like we want to use that to our advantage.
“I think every sport uses their home crowd to their advantage, and just because we don’t play in a setting like this doesn’t mean the craziness of New York and the rest of the country that people are traveling in from, it doesn’t mean that we can’t use that to our advantage. I think we really have to tap into that. I hope they come strong.
“Watching all these kids, I know they want autographs, but come Friday, I hope they go crazy.”
McIlroy might well have anticipated the jeers following Luke Donald’s decision to have his squad practise with VR headsets replicating the hostile atmosphere many are predicting.
“It is to simulate the sights and sounds,” he explained whilst recently competing at Wentworth.
“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,” he added. “You can go as close to the bone as you like.”
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