Europe Captain Padraig Harrington has made a statement saying, “The decision on whether to hold the Ryder Cup without fans at the course is in the hands of the organizers, but the players do not want the competition to take place with empty galleries.”
The Golf Calendar has been affected by the outbreak of Covid-19 but the Ryder Cup is recede to start according to the schedule in Whistling Straits, Wisconsin. It will start from 25 September to 27 September.
Seth Waugh, PGA of America chief has said, “the Ryder Cup may have to be played without fans, but raucous galleries are one of the things that make the clash between the United States and Europe stand out from regular tour events.”
On the other hand, Three time champion, Harrington has said, “Nobody wants it to happen without spectators. You get the partisan crowd supporting us or against them. It’s like being in a football match.”
“We all grew up with those feelings of wanting to be a hero, and it’s our one chance where we get it. It’s the spectators that drive that. The team atmosphere, the adrenaline, the buzz you get from the crowd. For us, that’s our payback,” he added.
By sharing his opinion with the organisers he said, “I’ve been very much involved,” the Irishman said. “They ask me for my opinion which I’m sure they take to the meetings. But ultimately it is slightly above the pay grade of a captain.”
Earlier, Ryder Cup was been postponed in 2001, when there was 11 attacks in New York, Washington. Team Europe is hoping that they would be in top 4 in European Tour list.
“We’ve had half a dozen (mathematical) models depending on when they restart. The biggest thing is that they’re fair,” said Harrington.
During lockdown, Harrington is filming golf lessons for his twitter followers and spending time with his family.
According to Harrington, “Everybody is going to have worries, whether it’s for themselves, their friends, their families, or financially. It does drag down on us and the key is to find somebody to have a conversation with.”
He further concluded, “The biggest thing is to talk. Get it out there. I know that’s how I used to deal with the stress and pressure of competing.”
