FARMINGDALE (AFP) — The final countdown to the Ryder Cup got under way on Monday with US golfers sharing a quiet moment on Bethpage Black’s first tee as Europe’s players donned salmon-colored outfits in a nostalgic nod to their first win on American soil.
The build-up to the biennial team showdown, which tees off on Friday, took an emotional turn under the watchful gaze of US captain Keegan Bradley and Europe counterpart Luke Donald.
Bradley gathered his players on the first tee before quiet, empty stands for a rendition of the US national anthem, a contemplative moment compared to the raucous songs and chants and screams set for Friday’s opening matches.
“It’s really powerful to be on that first tee without the crowds,” Bradley said.
“Every second the guys are together and can have a powerful moment, it brings them closer together.”
Bradley wants to see golfers who typically focus on calming their emotions to let them out this week.
“What I love about the Ryder Cup is I feel like every hole is the last hole of a tournament, so you can kind of let that emotion out,” Bradley said.
“A lot of players that play with a lot of emotion play well at Ryder Cups because they don’t have to hold it in.”
Donald’s team, meanwhile, displayed salmon polos in homage to the 1987 Europe team that delivered the first US home loss as a way of reminding his own team what can be done this week.
“This is going to be a difficult challenge. We haven’t come close to winning three out of the last four away Ryder Cups. That’s my job to bridge that gap,” Donald said.
“But we have won quite a few times. We’ve won four times away since 1987 and come close a few other times as well. I think that’s motivating to the guys that it can be done, it has been done and we’re here to try and do it again.”
This week’s Europe practice attire will evoke other wins on US soil, including 1995 at Oak Hill, 2004 at Oakland Hills and 2012 at Medinah.
Donald said he enjoys looking at “all the little details about how you can try and find little edges and get the guys prepared.”