Chaska, Minnesota …
Darren Clarke and his European Ryder Cup team were in damage-control mode after the attention-seeking brother to Masters Champion Danny Willett labelled USA fans ‘brainless bastards’.
Peter Willett, and the eldest son of their Sheffield preacher, has sought to throw himself more into the limelight since Danny was fitted with the famed green jacket.
But Peter Willett’s comments, appearing in a UK-based golf magazine. could not have come at a more inopportune time for Clarke and his team.
In the article, Willett described Stars and Stripes supporters as: “Like one of those brainless bastards from your childhood, the one that pulled down your shorts during the school’s Christmas assembly (f**k you, Paul Jennings), they only have the courage to keg you if they’re backed up by a giggling group of reprobates. Team Europe needs to shut those groupies up.
European Captain Darren Clarke speaking with Danny Willett earlier today.
“They need to silence the pudgy, basement-dwelling, irritants, stuffed on cookie dough and pissy beer, pausing between mouthfuls of hotdog so they can scream ‘Baba booey’ until their jelly faces turn red.”
And Willett didn’t stop there adding: “They need to stun the angry, unwashed, Make America Great Again swarm, desperately gripping their concealed-carry compensators and belting out a mini-erection inducing ‘mashed potato,’ hoping to impress their cousin.
“They need to smash the obnoxious dads, with their shiny teeth, Lego man hair, medicated ex-wives, and resentful children. Squeezed into their cargo shorts and boating shoes, they’ll bellow ‘get in the hole’ whilst high-fiving all the other members of the Dentists’ Big Game Hunt Society.”
Clarke was clearly upset by the comments when he addressed the Hazeltine media just after noon local time yesterday, and especially after the high of the night before when Irish rugby legend, Paul O’Connell delivered an inspiring address to a European Team gathering that included players, caddies, wives and officials.
In fact, Clarke had first been handed a copy of the offensive article and fronted Danny Willett with it as he was out practicing on the Hazeltine course.
“I just was made aware of the article about an hour ago, and as soon as I did, I went to find Danny, who was playing in the last group out there this morning,” said Clarke.
“Danny’s bitterly disappointed in his brother’s article. It is not what Danny thinks. It is not what I think. It is not what Team Europe stands for.
“So Danny was unaware of it, and he fully intends to speak to his brother, to express his displeasure to his brother.
“I am very disappointed in it, as well, because that’s an outside person expressing their opinion which is not representative of what our thought are.”
Clarke then sought to appease the American public ahead of tomorrow (FRD) morning’s start to the 41st Ryder Cup.
“The fans could not have been nicer and better to us this week, and hopefully that continues but as I say, the article is beyond our control, and Danny is bitterly disappointed himself.
“It’s up to Danny to speak to his brother whenever he arrives here and express that. I will leave him to deal with it between siblings.”
On a more positive note, Clarke indicated O’Connell hit all the right notes on Tuesday night (US time) while 33-year old magician Dynamo, ala England-born Steve Frayne, gave those present all the clues for pulling a Ryder Cup out of the victory hat.
“Paul said quite a few things last night, and I don’t know, we’re talking about two different sports in rugby and golf; whereas rugby is obviously a team game all the time, and golf, we get together for this once every two years,” said Clarke.
“He made a lot of very pertinent points about you’re playing for the jersey and different ways about that. There was a lot of common ground found there.
“And when you have the likes of Henrik and Sergio and Rafa and those guys, Thomas Pieters, those guys are not quite as familiar with the game of rugby as I would be, to have those guys listening to every word he said, obviously everything he did say resonated with them.”
With the morning practice sessions (US time today) and the afternoon Opening Ceremony left ahead of tomorrow’s (FRD) start to the Ryder Cup Clarke, and also rival Davis Love 111, were naturally staying tight-lipped who will play the opening session.
Both will announce their pairings later today (THUR US time) and will Clarke also not about to confirm if all 12 team members will be on course Friday.
“I’ve spoken to a lot of previous captains on this and they have all came in with plans, but each and every one of them have told me that those plans need to be fluid,” said Clarke.
“So if that’s the case, I have an idea in my head of what it will be Friday morning, Friday afternoon, Saturday morning, Saturday afternoon.
“But that has to be fluid in terms of how the match is going. So I will, along with the help and guidance of my vice captains, try and put out the strongest eight players in those Friday morning, Friday afternoon, Saturday morning, Saturday afternoon, as I see fit for the position the team is in.”
