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European team captain Pádraig Harrington said the United States will face the “pressure and stress” of being the big favorites to reclaim the Ryder Cup in front of a partisan crowd.
Travel restrictions mean European supporters are virtually absent from the Whistling Strait this week, except for those based in the United States. The lack of a familiar gallery division only added to the widespread feeling that hosts should prevail. The competition starts tomorrow at 8:00 a.m. local time (2:00 p.m. UK time).
Harrington, however, has suggested that spectator support may have a different impact on Steve Stricker’s squad which includes six Ryder Cup rookies. “It’s an interesting question, there’s no question about it,” Harrington said. “The bulk of our attention to come is the fact that it will be 90/10, 80/20 [supporter split]. As I have always said, Europe prefers to play in front of 40,000 Americans rather than zero fans. But maybe when we got here it changed a bit. You can see that there are expectations and pressure from the fans going the other way. They have a new strategy.
“So there is no doubt, the local captain has to deal with pressure and stress. But it’s not like we don’t have to take care of it too. There is a little addition, there is no doubt about it. I guess we just have to wait and see.
The victory of Europe would have a physical cost for Harrington. The Irishman admitted that he guaranteed his 12 players that he would get a tattoo of such success. Thomas Bjørn did the same before Europe beat the United States in Paris three years ago and duly kept his promise.
“I’m glad that’s all they ask for, I would have given up a lot more,” Harrington said with a smile. “So yeah, I’m going to get a tattoo. If my team produces a winning week, I’ll get a tattoo to mark the occasion, and I’m very comfortable that they only asked me a lot because I would have given more.
“I think it’s an unwritten rule, so it came into the conversation. Maybe they [the players] did not ask. Maybe I offered and they felt that was enough. But definitely, it’s a given now in Europe. The captain needs to get a tattoo. I don’t have any other tattoos so it would be a new experience for me. Where on the body? I do not know.”
The European team donned distinctive “cheese head” hats donated by the NFL’s Green Bay Packers ahead of Wednesday’s practice. “Obviously, business starts on Friday, but right now the players are enjoying it and having a good time,” Harrington said.
He played down the feeling that the cold and windy Wisconsin conditions could work more in his European hands. Although the forecast is constantly changing, a strong breeze is currently forecast for each of the competition days.
“My players don’t need that, they’re pretty good,” said Harrington. “They are great ball forwards. We are not looking for extreme windy conditions, difficult conditions, delicate conditions. We don’t mind a good solid test.
“We are all happy that the temperature is rising on Friday. We have no problem with that. We rely on ourselves, not on outside agencies and conditions. Maybe there is a little advantage for us if it goes that way but, like I’ve always said, we really probably have our best attacking team. We’re not going to hide players or anything like that. We don’t rely on conditions to give us the edge.
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