Two apologies before the first golf ball is even struck

FOOT-IN-MOUTH DISEASE: First, Europe’s Danny Willett apologized for his brother’s excoriation of loudmouth American golf fans in advance of the Ryder Cup.

Then U.S. stalwart Phil Mickelson apologized for using Hal Sutton’s 2004 captaincy as an example of bad decision making. That’s one mea culpa each. “The matches are all square,” quipped Golfweek’s Jim McCabe.

The reigning Masters champion, Willett was embarrassed by his brother Pete’s published rant in which he called American golf fans “a baying mob of imbeciles” among other, more colourful descriptives.

Predictably, the comments received wide play on social media.

“I was disappointed in what he wrote and obviously, you know, it put a bit of a downer on my first Ryder Cup for the last couple of days,” Willett said Thursday.

“Luckily, you know, it’s not been too bad with the fans.

“The fans have still been great … obviously, it’s my first Ryder Cup, but we won’t let it tarnish the 41st Ryder Cup.” PHIL BEING PHIL: Mickelson probably had the most to be sorry for. He wasn’t wrong to say Sutton’s decision to pair him with Tiger Woods, twice, on the first day of the 2004 matches was a stroke of … well, the opposite of genius, given each player’s disdain for the other.

But considering Mickelson had just changed his driver and golf ball from Titleist to Callaway two weeks before the 2004 matches — and finished 57th in the RBC Canadian Open the previous week — his plaint about having to learn how to hit Woods’s Nike ball on two days’ notice rang just a little hollow.

“He wasn’t even prepared with the ball that he brought to the tournament, much less Tiger’s,” Sutton said.

“So, I think he needs to search his own soul a little bit.”