WORLD number one golfer Scottie Scheffler expects President Donald Trump’s planned appearance at the Ryder Cup to provide a significant boost for the United States team.
The American squad will face holders Europe at the Bethpage Black course in the biennial golf showdown just days after a memorial service for young Republican leader Charlie Kirk.
“It has been a tough few weeks for our country with some of the stuff that has been going on, and to have our president here and for us to represent the United States of America, albeit being in a golf tournament, is extremely important for us,“ Scheffler said.
He added that the team is excited to be on home soil with the home crowd and ready to get the tournament started.
Trump, a well-known golf fan, is scheduled to appear during the first day of competition on Friday, although his exact timing remains uncertain.
US captain Keegan Bradley avoided directly answering whether Trump might give a motivational speech to the team.
“I think President Trump is a pretty busy guy. I’m just thrilled he’s going to be here,“ Bradley said.
He expressed his anticipation for seeing the president on the sidelines at the opening tee shot.
“This first tee at Bethpage is going to be a sporting event to remember across any sport, and then you add on the President of the United States standing there, I really think it’s going to be something that everyone will remember forever.”
Scheffler noted that Trump has previously called to congratulate him after past triumphs.
“I don’t think he has any plans to address us as a team, but I’m sure if things go well, we’ll hear from him this week,“ Scheffler said.
The PGA Tour’s top-ranked player confirmed he has no personal plans to meet with Trump during the event.
Scheffler praised Trump’s ability to instill confidence based on their past interactions.
“He’s one of those guys when you’re around him, he does such a good job of feeding confidence into everybody around him,“ Scheffler said.
He added that Trump treats everybody the same and with the utmost respect, whether that person is a caddie, club president, or even the person serving lunch.
US golfer Patrick Cantlay said Trump’s impact on the typically raucous golf course atmosphere should be great.
Two-time major winner Xander Schauffele looks forward to the European fans’ songs and the American chants at the first tee on Friday.
“The fans are what make this event special,“ he said.
Schauffele added that he loves all of it, whether it is everyone singing their pub drinking songs in Europe or the heavy U-S-A chants received at home.
Bradley insisted that Trump’s attention would not serve as a distraction for his squad, which features 12 players ranked in the world’s top 23.
“I’m deeply honored,“ Bradley said.
He described having the President there to support you as something that is just absolutely incredible.
Europe captain Luke Donald of England agreed with the sentiment.
“Any time a sitting president wants to come to an event, it just shows how big the Ryder Cup is,“ Donald said.
He viewed it as a mark of respect that a sitting president wants to support an event despite having a very busy schedule.
Two-time major winner Justin Thomas acknowledged that New York fans are a tough crowd regardless of presidential attendance.
“They expect us to play well and if we don’t, they’re going to be upset with us,“ Thomas said.
He expressed his happiness at having the fans on his side.
Organizers moved the scheduled opening ceremony to Wednesday due to poor weather forecasts for Thursday.
Donald and Bradley will still reveal their pairings for Friday’s morning foursomes matches on Thursday as originally planned. – AFP