Europe’s quest to win a first away Ryder Cup since 2012 has resulted in the players using virtual reality headsets to replicate the abuse they are expecting from a home crowd in New York.
Sports fans in New York are renowned for being among the most vociferous and unforgiving in the United States so Europe skipper Luke Donald has sanctioned a new approach to dealing with the noise.
“It is to simulate the sights and sounds,” said Rory McIlroy, who was competing at Wentworth on Sunday at the DP World Tour’s flagship BMW PGA Championship.
“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.”
While McIlroy would not reveal what messages had been played, saying “you don’t want to know”, he did say he told them “go as far as you want” when he was asked how much abuse he wanted to hear.
“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.”
It is the latest ploy by Donald, who is looking to emulate Tony Jacklin, Bernard Gallacher, Bernhard Langer and Jose Maria Olazabal as a victorious away captain, to ready his players for what he is expecting to be a “bear pit” at Bethpage.
“We are doing everything we can to best prepare ourselves for what it is going to feel like,” said Masters champion McIlroy, who has called winning an away Ryder Cup one of the hardest things to achieve in the sport.
“But nothing can really prepare you until you’re actually in that. You can wear all the VR headsets you want and do all the different things we’ve been trying to do to get ourselves ready but once the first tee comes on Friday it’s real and we just have to deal with whatever’s given.”
And while much has been written about the expected exuberance of the American fans, McIlroy did point out: “We might get there and be like, this actually isn’t as bad as we thought it would be.
“No matter if you’re an American team going to Europe or you’re a European team going to America, it’s the same. You know you’re going to be up against not just a great team but the crowd as well. That brings its challenges.
“New York is definitely more of a cosmopolitan city, more of a melting pot and more backgrounds and people identify as part European. We should get a little more support but at the same time, you’re going to America with an American crowd.”
Europe’s players are flying out to New York on Sunday evening and will have two days of practice on Monday and Tuesday at Bethpage Black, which is on Long Island in New York state, about an hour outside of the city of New York.
The 45th staging of the biennial contest against the US takes place from 26-28 September.
Europe are the defending champions, having won 16½-11½ in Rome in 2023 but there have only been two away wins this century – by Europe in 2004 and 2012.
