WILLETT CAUGHT IN MIDDLE OF ATTACK ON U.S. FANS
For Pete’s sake: Both teams might agree that a golf event would be a finer place without the attentioncraving bozos who yell “Baba Booey!” and “Mashed potatoes!” and “Get in the hole!” from the gallery.
But the timing could have been better for the brother of Masters champion Danny Willett to write a column that called U.S. golf fans “a baying mob of imbeciles” — and that was just for starters — practically on the eve of the Ryder Cup, in which Danny is appearing for the first time.
Pete Willett’s column in a British publication called National Club Golfer was the bomb no one expected to be dropped into the calm waters just ahead of the biennial golf matches.
The English school teacher wrote that the only way the American team can win is if the players are inspired by their galleries, whom he called “pudgy, basement-dwelling, irritants” and an “angry, unwashed, Make America Great Again swarm.” He added that the European team needs “to smash the obnoxious dads, with their shiny teeth, LEGO man hair, medicated exwives, and resentful children.”
Later, The Associated Press reported that Danny Willett apologized for the message that came across from his sibling. Willett praised the American fans who “took me under their wing fantastically” at Augusta National Golf Club in April. Lateral hazard: Europe captain Darren Clarke said the remarks were from “an outside person” and weren’t representative of his team’s feelings.
“I just was made aware of the article about an hour ago,” he said.
“I went out to find Danny, who was playing in the last group out this morning. I showed it to Danny, and he’s bitterly disappointed. It is not what Danny thinks. It is not what I think. It is not what Team Europe stands for.
“So Danny was unaware of it and he fully intends to speak to his brother whenever he comes in and express his displeasure about it.”
Evidently, that means Pete Willett is expected to be here for the matches. He’ll be about as popular as that Baby Ruth chocolate bar floating in the swimming pool in Caddyshack. Phil on Arnie: “The passing of Arnold is a hole in the game that is not going to be replaced,” Phil Mickelson said, on what the death of Arnold Palmer on Sunday will mean to the Ryder Cup this weekend.
“He made people feel good about themselves through his interpersonal skills and his personal touch, the way he could sense when somebody is uncomfortable and make them feel comfortable, the way he treated with respect by simply looking people in the eyes, acknowledging them, showing signs of appreciation, thanking them for their acts of kindness and their hard work. All the little subtleties and nuances of greatness were in him off the golf course, as well as on. He was just really something special. Just one of the best men.” No bling: Justin Rose said Clarke hadn’t asked him to bring his gold medal from the Rio Olympics to display in the Europe team room.
“No. Danny doesn’t have the green jacket in the team room, Rory doesn’t have the FedEx Cup in the team room,” Rose said.
“Yeah, it’s nice to have belief in your teammates that they can stand up to pressure and deliver on the big stage and that’s what the gold medal and the green jacket and the FedEx Cup and Henrik’s Claret Jug represent. But this is about the Ryder Cup, and the little gold trophy, and that’s enough for us this week.” The 12th man: Ryan Moore’s runner-up finish to Rory McIlroy in Sunday’s Tour Championship was the basis for his being Davis Love’s final captain’s pick for the U.S. team.
Under a provision that has been dubbed the Billy Horschel Rule, the final pick was awarded to the hottest American player as of the week prior to the Ryder Cup.
Moore holed a plethora of clutch putts in pushing McIlroy to a four-hole playoff.
But he almost missed the call from Love.
When he saw the text message belatedly, he said, “I was in the parking lot kind of loading everything up. I was like, ‘Whoops. I meant to be paying closer attention.
“I think I knew pretty well what I needed to do last week, and I kind of did it,” he laughed. “I did it, but I didn’t do it. At least getting into a playoff and showing the form of where my game is at right now and showing that I can make some putts when it matters. And you know, just showing that I would be an asset.” Under the radar: Moore, who described himself laughingly as “anti-social,” said he had been fitted for clothes for every team event for the last 10 years, but never made any of those U.S. teams.
This was the first year he hadn’t been fitted for clothes.
Someone asked if he’d been invited, along with all the other Ryder Cup sure things and longshots, to Jack Nicklaus’s house party earlier in the year.
“This is the first I’ve heard about it, so apparently no,” he said.