43rd Ryder Cup: On home advantage and other quotable quotes

Steve Stricker (captain, Team USA): I expect good, rowdy fans. It’s going to be rowdy. It’s going to be loud, especially on the first tee, and pro-USA, obviously. So we’re looking forward to that. We need that. We need that backing. It is our home turf.

Dustin Johnson (Team USA senior member): It’s a little strange for me just that I’ve never been the oldest. I always felt like I was one of the younger guys on the team. Still feel that way, but obviously I’m, I guess, the veteran on the team really. It’s a role that I enjoy, but obviously with the guys on the team, all of them are very good players, so don’t really have to do much.

Justin Thomas (Team USA): It’s a huge advantage to play in front of your home crowd, and it’s also what makes this event so special. I think they did the right thing in pushing it back a year to make sure that not only us players, but everybody could experience this for what it’s worth.

Bryson DeChambeau (Team USA): Every team event I’ve played in, it’s been outside the States. It’s going to be fun to see what we can do to rile up the crowd in the right way and get them behind our backs and moving us in the direction we all want to be in, which is taking home that Cup.

Xander Sahcuffele (Team USA and Olympic golf champion): It (Tokyo Games winner’s medal) is too individual. it’s about the team this week, so it wasn’t going to make an appearance. I don’t even know where it is. I think my mom might have it back home, unless my dad secretly has it on him out here.

Patrick Cantlay (Team USA): I could go 0-4 this week, and if the U.S. Team wins it’s a raving success and I’ll be elated. I could go 4-0 this week, and if the team loses it will be a bad week. That’s just so different than a regular golf week, and that’s what makes it so special, is that you’re playing for something bigger than just yourself.

Padraig Harrington (captain, Team Europe): Most of the focus coming in is the fact that it is going to be 90/10, 80/20 (for the home side). As I’ve said all along, Europe would rather play in front of 40,000 Americans than zero fans. But maybe when we got here it has changed a little bit. You can see that there’s expectation and pressure from the fans going the other way.

Ian Poulter (Team Europe): Even if we have a thousand, two, three, four thousand, yes, we are going to be outnumbered. But it’s about using that energy. They are going to be loud. They are going to be wanting to help the U.S. Team get over the line. So it’s how we go about using that energy to fuel us at the right time. Use that for momentum, and hopefully we’ll be bringing this back home.

Rory McIlroy (Team Europe): I think winning any Ryder Cup is huge, and it’s a monumental achievement for all that are involved, but I think over the years winning a Ryder Cup on the road has just become more meaningful for some reason. We experienced it in 2012, which from a European perspective is probably one of the best days in the Ryder Cup that we’ve ever had in history. I’d certainly love to have that feeling again.

Shane Lowry (Team Europe): I’m pretty happy with the golf course and that cold wind. It feels very much like a summer’s day in Ireland when you’re out there. It’s quite difficult to play in these conditions because you need to get your head around hitting a 6-iron 150 yards as opposed to normally most guys hit their 6-iron over 200 yards.

Tommy Fleetwood (Team Europe): I think players that have played in a Ryder Cup can all say the same thing about the first tee is an incredible place to be in golf. It’s something that we don’t experience ever except for once every two years, but at the same time we all strive and dream to be there and experience whatever that is, whether it is you can’t put the ball on the tee, whether it is you feel like you’re going to miss the ball, whatever it is. You’ve dreamt of this your whole life, so thrive on it and enjoy it.

(Source rydercup.com)

Also read: 43rd Ryder Cup: Ready reckoner for a potential nail-biter