FARMINGDALE, N.Y. (AP) 鈥 The opening tee shot still two days away, the gamesmanship at the Ryder Cup began Wednesday when European captain Luke Donald took a few subtle jabs on pay-for-play during his speech at the opening ceremony.
鈥淲e’re fueled by something money cannot buy,鈥 Donald said.
Europe, 1 up.
And then U.S. captain Keegan Bradley made the first bogey of these matches when he spoke of being around the 17th green at Brookline in 1999 for one of the , only to mistakenly say 鈥 not Justin Leonard 鈥 made the 45-foot putt.
Europe, 2 up.
The actual golf doesn’t start until Friday morning at . More than 5,000 fans who attended the ceremony made their presence felt with constant chants of 鈥淯-S-A!鈥 and a smattering of boos for the Europeans. The strongest booing was when both captains thanked New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, who attended the ceremony.
President Donald Trump was due to attend the opening session Friday.
Donald is the first European to be captain in consecutive Ryder Cup matches since Bernard Gallacher (1991-95). He was polished in Rome, using perfect Italian in a short message to the fans, and he was equally distinguished in sending a clear message what this week is all about.
Europe has practically owned the Ryder Cup in the modern era that dates to 1979, and it has built a legacy that has equipped its team with supreme confidence.
鈥淭he American team is rightly proud of their heritage, but so are we,鈥 Donald said. 鈥淥ur European legacy is rooted in resilience, in togetherness and in proving people wrong. Time and again, we鈥檝e shown that when we come together as one with a shared purpose, we can achieve remarkable things.鈥
Donald wasted little time in bringing money into the conversation, saying the Ryder Cup 鈥渋s not about prize money or world ranking points. It’s about pride.鈥
The Americans have received $200,000 to donate to charity since 1999. This year the charity amount is $300,000, along with a $200,000 stipend. The American players have said from the start they would be donating the entire $500,000 to charities in their communities.
Still, that was ample ammunition for Europeans to say they didn’t need compensation to compete for a 17-inch gold trophy, suggesting it was an example of why the Ryder Cup meant more to them than the Americans.
Europe has won 10 of the last 14 times against American teams that typically look stronger on paper in terms of world ranking and major championships. It now on U.S. soil. The Americans have not won in Europe in 32 years.
鈥淲e didn鈥檛 come here just to be a part of the show. We came here to earn our place in Ryder Cup folklore,鈥 Donald said. “We鈥檙e not just playing to win, we鈥檙e playing for each other and for every young golfer back home who dreams about one day representing Team Europe.
鈥淲e know it won鈥檛 be easy. Winning away never is,鈥 Donald said. 鈥淭he toughest roads lead to the greatest rewards.鈥
Bradley, who had to wait for the chants to die, spoke mainly about his own history as the New England son of a PGA professional 鈥 his aunt, Pat Bradley, is an LPGA Tour great in the World Golf Hall of Fame 鈥 who played at St. John’s and played at Bethpage Black when his teammates were restricted to Nos. 3 through 14 on the other side of Round Swamp Road.
He even dropped a local reference while introducing his team, announcing from New Jersey. That’s where Scheffler was born and lived until his family moved to Dallas when he was 6.
Bradley said the Ryder Cup became personal at those 1999 matches when he was 13, sitting on his father’s shoulder 鈥渨atching Justin Rose’s miracle putt drop on 17” and how his father let him join the celebration when the match ended on the 18th.
鈥淭hat was the moment golf stopped being a game and started being a calling,鈥 Bradley said. 鈥淭hat day changed my life.鈥
Bradley had contemplated being the first playing captain since Arnold Palmer in 1963. He finished at No. 10 in the standings and even now has a better world ranking than four of the players on his team.
Ultimately he decided he was that showed his only concern was leaving Bethpage Black with the Ryder Cup.
Bradley and the rest of the Americans are counting on plenty of crowd support. Bethpage Black has hosted two U.S. Opens, a PGA Championship and two FedEx Cup playoff events on the PGA Tour. The one theme is a gallery that holds nothing back in telling the golfers on 鈥渢heir鈥 course what they think. Sergio Garcia was so annoyed he pointed his finger 鈥 yes, the middle one.
But now there are flags involved in a match that was packed with emotion from the start.
鈥淏ethpage Black is known as the People鈥檚 Country Club. It鈥檚 been called New York鈥檚 home course,鈥 Bradley said. 鈥淏ut this week, with your passion and your energy, you鈥檙e going to make it America鈥檚 home course.鈥
The opening ceremony typically is Thursday afternoon, which concludes with captains announcing the lineups for the opening foursomes session. It was moved up a day because of a forecast of rain, giving players one more day 鈥 how much golf they can play depends on the weather 鈥 before Donald and Bradley deliver the lineups.
It’s been a long two years since Europe trounced the Americans in Rome. It’s been a long three days waiting for Friday.
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