European stars should expect ‘horrible abuse’ from Ryder Cup crowd, says Dame Laura Davies

Europe have won only four Ryder Cups on away soil (Picture: Getty)

Dame Laura Davies says Team Europe will have to be prepared to deal with ‘horrible abuse’ from the home Ryder Cup crowd at Bethpage this week.

Luke Donald’s side are hoping to follow up their victory in Rome two years ago by becoming only the fifth European side to win the Ryder Cup on away soil this week in New York.

But pulling off such a task will prove a difficult feat, especially given that Europe lost by a record 19-9 margin the last time the matchplay competition was held in the United States in 2021.

A strong US team, led by Keegan Bradley, will make lives tough for Europe once again, but they will also have to contend with a hostile home crowd that is expected to provide a frenzied atmosphere over the three days.

That atmosphere overawed a poorly-matched European side four years ago at Whistling Straits, but golf pundit and former Solheim Cup star Davies insisted Europe should only expect the same – and perhaps even worse – this time around.

‘At Whistling Straits, it certainly went over the top,’ Davies told Metro via BetMGM. ‘There was a lot of abuse to some of the friends and family of the players, which was not good, because they were their only support system, given there were no European fans at Whistling Straits due to Covid.

‘I heard a lot of horrible abuse that was said to players, and that was in the middle of nowhere, Whistling Straits. Now we’re in New York, with the New York crowd. I hope it doesn’t go over the top, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s that bad again, maybe even worse.’

Europe were overpowered by Team USA when they last met in the United States in 2021 (Picture: Getty)

Captain Donald has left no stone unturned in his attempts to prepare his players for the crowds, even providing them with virtual reality headsets equipped with programmed abuse to simulate the hostile atmosphere expected.

But Davies said the European focus should not be on trying to dull the partisan crowd, but instead ensuring that the atmosphere is not the deciding factor in any close matchups.

‘If the Europeans can get on top, they might quiet the crowds brief, but I’m not saying that’s necessarily going to happen. Maybe it’ll just make them even more vociferous,’ Davies noted.

Dame Laura Davies fears Team Europe will be in for a tough ride from the home crowd (Picture: Getty)

‘If you lose your match, lose it because they played great or you didn’t play well, not because you get upset, and all of a sudden you’ve seen one member of your family not enjoying their time out there.

‘Hopefully they can stay focused and that won’t happen. But unfortunately, I think it probably will.’

‘Sam Burns one to watch from Team USA’

Sam Burns is making his second Ryder Cup appearance (Picture: Getty)

While the crowd will play their part, the hosts are also blessed with a hugely talented team that will be favoured to regain the title this week.

World No1 Scottie Scheffler will lead the way for US captain Bradley, but Davies thinks that five-time PGA Tour winner Sam Burns could come to the fore for Team USA this week.

‘People like Sam Burns that putt so well and in front of the American galleries, if he gets on a roll with that, I wouldn’t want to necessarily play him, she added.

‘Obviously, Bryson (DeChambeau), he could be the man, especially in front of those crowds, the way he plays golf, that’s intimidating.

‘At Whistling Straits when he drove the first against Sergio Garcia and hold a 25 footer for an eagle, you know, Sergio was done after one hole. So they’ve got some really dynamic players. 

‘Then they’ve got steady eddies like (Patrick) Catlay and (Russell) Henley. So they’ve got a really good mix. But the one player that I think might have a good Ryder Cup, Sam Burns.’

Despite that talent, though, Davies is still confident that Europe can return home with the trophy – even if they don’t win outright after three long days of competition.

‘I think the match is going to be really close and I think it’s going to be a draw,’ she said. ‘So I’m saying we retain the cup. And I know, having drawn a couple of Solheim Cups in Spain, that the Americans just couldn’t accept it.

‘I think that would be even better if we don’t even win it, but we retain the cup and we get the prize given and back to Ireland and we’ll go and win it again [in 2027].’

Laura Davies was speaking on behalf of BetMGM. You could win over £30million today with BetMGM’s MGM Millions. BeGambleAware 18+ 

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