‘American girls’ and ABBA? The BEST lines from Ryder Cup Day 2 interviews

Editor’s notice: The Ryder Cup, after final being performed two years in the past, is now simply three days away. But that’s additionally 72 hours. And 4,320 minutes. The level being, the biennial matches are as shut as a par-3 — however but really feel as distant as a brutally lengthy par-5. The second hand can appear caught till Friday. 

And then there are the press conferences. They, too, can largely drag. After all, there are solely so some ways to slice a golf ball, double-pun meant.

But there are tasty morsels. 

So, beginning Monday, as a method to get us to the second when balls are within the air, we’ll supply a spotlight or two. They could be technical. They could be insightful. They could be emotional. They could be technically insightful, emotionally mentioned. 

They would possibly embody quotes about American ladies, ABBA and grumpiness, like Tuesday’s. 

(And if you happen to’re serious about a spotlight from day one, please click on right here.)

Day two at Marco Simone was getting-settled-in day. Practice rounds have been performed. Potential pairings have been previewed. Press conferences have been held. There have been 12 in all — the 2 captains, 4 Americans, six Europeans — throughout a whopping 3 hours, 17 minutes and 22 seconds. Whew. But we learn each phrase. Including when: 

Justin Thomas mentioned: “If Jill teed it up in the Ryder Cup for the other team, I’m going to try to beat her pretty bad”

Over the course of his session, Thomas was requested a number of questions on his ardour for the occasion. A reporter then questioned how you wouldn’t let issues get private afterward. 

“I might say I might simply form of channel, truthfully, the issues that I really feel as a result of I don’t — Rory [McIlroy] is a good instance. I like Rory. We get alongside extraordinarily nicely. He’s been a task mannequin of mine. He was tremendous good to me after I was first beginning up. He nonetheless is. We see one another a bunch. Yeah, we performed one another within the Ryder Cup and, yeah, we hated one another for 18 holes. Again, it’s nothing private. It’s not a dislike as an individual. 

“It’s simply my spouse is aware of, if Jill teed it up within the Ryder Cup for the opposite staff, I’m going to attempt to beat her fairly dangerous.

“It’s nothing personal.”

Indeed.

European captain Luke Donald talked about ‘American girls’

That got here after a query about Sepp Straka. To notice right here, Straka is Austrian, however has lived within the U.S. for the previous 16 years and has a considerably Southern accent.  

So Donald was requested how he was mixing in. Was he getting ribbed?

“No, no ribbing. We are considered one of 12 — everyone seems to be considered one of 12 this week. There isn’t any hierarchy, actually, and Sepp is having fun with the staff environment. We noticed how nicely he loved it and actually blended in very nicely with the fellows even in January on the Hero Cup. Again, that confirmed loads of dedication flying all the way in which from Maui to Abu Dhabi.

“He might have an American accent and lives in Georgia, but there’s a few of us that live in America and a few of us that are married to American girls. It’s just the way it is. We are all Team Europe this week.”

Cue the Tom Petty song. 

U.S. captain Zach Johnson was requested concerning the ‘media’

Yes, it is a member of the media, writing a couple of query from the media, concerning the media. How Inception-like. Here is the trade, began by the reporter:  

“Can you explain to me why most of the media, they say about the U.S. team are favorite, and these team captain, they say 50/50, say something different, we are favorite and why.”

“What? I’m sorry.”

“Most of the media say the U.S. team are the favorite.”

“The media is saying we are the favorites? Well, the media knows everything so that makes sense.”

“Why do you think they say this?”

“I have no idea.”

“Can you say something different so you don’t say …”

“I’m not going to speak on behalf of anybody else, let alone the media. I appreciate them and know they are doing their job. I don’t know what media you are referring to because I really try to ignore the noise, no offense. I appreciate it all. The way I see it when it comes to favorites or this, that or the other, we are not the favorites when we step onto the first tee because of the crowd. We are not the favorites because of what’s happened and transpired over the last so-many-odd years, and they have got a really, really good team playing well. So hey, I love that. Our backs are against the wall, and that’s the way we are going to approach it.”

Here, writer and Golf Digest contributor Shane Ryan then instantly requested the next. 

“Zach, are you guys the favorites?”

“I’m still trying to figure out your question from yesterday.”

A day earlier, he notably had requested Donald and Johnson to match their groups to the Roman Empire.   

Ludvig Aberg talked about how he’s nowhere close to ABBA 

Aberg, from Sweden, was requested about others from Sweden. 

“We all love your nation, Sweden, however there aren’t too many well-known Swedes. ABBA, Henrik Stenson, [Zlatan] Ibrahimovic, Björn Borg. How does it really feel so that you can be as well-known as them in such a short while, and might you go on to really eclipse these guys and grow to be Sweden’s most well-known individual?

“I would not put myself in the same sentence as ABBA,” Aberg mentioned. “All I try to do is play golf and I try to hit as few shots as I can every tournament I play in.”

Let’s break this up then with some Dancing Queen.

Jon Rahm mentioned he would pay to play within the Ryder Cup — and joked about Aberg 

Rahm, as fervent as anybody over the Ryder Cup, was requested if he would pay to play within the occasion. 

“Pay for what and how much?”

“I think it’s negotiable,” a reporter mentioned. 

“I mean, if there was an entry fee to be a part of a team?”

Yes. 

“Probably, yes,” Rahm mentioned. “This week is a lot of fun, so yeah, I think as long as it’s manageable for everybody on the team, because we have one that was in college like two days ago.”

Aberg, notably, was taking part in school golf as late as May.  

Patrick Cantlay talked about grumpiness 

Cantlay, over two Presidents Cups and the final Ryder Cup, has shaped a robust pairing with Xander Schauffele, and he was requested about part of his persona that was completely different from Schauffele’s. 

“He’s very positive,” Cantlay mentioned, laughing. 

That’s a distinction?

“Yes.”

Cantlay then expanded on it. Later, there was this trade, began by a reporter:

“Going back to your first answer about Xander being the yang to your yin and him being super positive, that makes me feel you’re a grumpy kind of guy. Is that fair enough?”

“Did you just get that notion right now?”

“I’m a mind reader.”

“Most people would be grumpy around Xander. He is like Tony Robbins out there. He is impressively positive. I think the nice way to say it is I’m a realist.”

Xander Schauffele talked about Cantlay — the joke teller 

Schauffele adopted Cantlay, and he was requested the same query: What would he get from his companion? 

“Positivity,” he mentioned, smiling. 

Then got here this trade, began by a reporter:

“A very quick, simple question. Has Patrick Cantlay ever told you a joke?”

“He actually was just telling a ton of jokes at lunch. None that I can repeat in this room, obviously.”

“Rude jokes?”

“Depends on what rude means to you.”

Tommy Fleetwood talked about how issues will not be as they appear

Scottie Scheffler has lately enlisted the providers of famous placing guru Phil Kenyon, and Fleetwood was requested this about his fellow Englishman: 

How troublesome a balancing act is it for somebody like Phil Kenyon this week with a foot in each camps?

Fleetwood was prepared for the query.  

“Well, that’s what the Americans think,” he mentioned, smiling. 

He then talked critically on the topic.  

Maybe. 

Jordan Spieth talked about being yelled at 

Spieth was requested whether or not he could be motivated by detrimental followers. As a part of the trade, it was famous that Brian Harman mentioned he was in July, when he received the Open Championship. 

“I can’t say I’ve had experiences like that. I can’t say that it could be one thing that may encourage me or not. In truth, I attempt and simply throw it out of my head and simply follow what I’m doing as a result of I believe blocking out the noise is the healthiest factor to do, and that’s as a result of I’m a man that — I performed loads of matches with Patrick Reed, [and] when he felt insulted, he turned the notch up. When I really feel insulted, I don’t flip it up or down. I’m similar to, OK, they’re drunk, transfer on. [He laughed.] 

“I’ve also shouted plenty of things at sporting events at people that I have no reason to do, so I also try to say, pot and kettle, and recognize that it’s all just sport and move on.”

Shane Lowry revealed one thing he perhaps shouldn’t have 

Two years in the past, in his Ryder Cup debut, Lowry mentioned he cried — and that he hadn’t executed so when he received the Open Championship in 2019, nor when a daughter was born weeks earlier. On Tuesday, he was requested if that confirmed how a lot the occasion meant to him. 

“Yeah, look, it’s an emotional week, and even some of the stuff that’s happened already this week would get you quite emotional.”

Wait. 

What stuff?

“As I was saying that, I was like, probably shouldn’t be saying this …”

Too late.

“No, look, loads of stuff goes into this week, and there’s movies which are performed within the staff rooms within the evenings, motivational movies, and simply form of hits house a little bit bit. I’m not going to elaborate a lot additional than that, however Luke and his staff have executed an incredible job already this week on Monday and Tuesday. Yeah, I’m excited for what’s to come back the remainder of the week.

Has Lowry cried already?”

“Yes.”

Does he simply cry loads now?

“No.”

Didn’t he as soon as say he didn’t cry when his daughter was born — and now he’s crying right here?

“Emotional stuff.”

Sepp Straka talked about his arms

Straka, a Ryder Cup rookie, was requested if he’s questioned veterans McIlroy and Justin Rose concerning the expertise. He mentioned he has. 

(*2*)

What do you do when you may’t really feel your arms?

“Hope, I guess. Yeah, maybe just stick to the routine and hope you make a good swing.”

Viktor Hovland talked about hate 

Hovland was requested concerning the altering of the rivalry. Here was the whole trade, began by a reporter:

“Talking to guys like Paul McGinley, he speaks a lot about the rivalry that used to be more clear in the way that Europeans played in Europe, Americans played in America. Nowadays, you guys pretty much all play together. You’ve grown up with Collin Morikawa. How does it affect the rivalry of the Ryder Cup, in your opinion?”

“I can’t speak for the guys that played in the past,” Hovland mentioned, “however evidently we in all probability hate one another lower than guys used to up to now.

“But certain, hate is an enormous motivator to do nicely. That’s only a truth. But I believe the place we at the moment are, we’re extra motivated perhaps to win for our nation and continent. We need to win for Europe. It’s not a lot to — clearly we need to beat the Americans. We take pleasure in that.

“But it’s not because we hate the other team. It’s because we love Europe and we want to do well for the people that support us.”

Three extra days to go. 

Editor’s notice: To watch Johnson’s Tuesday press convention, please click here. To watch Donald’s Tuesday press convention, please click here. To watch the press conferences of the 4 Americans, please click here. To watch the press conferences of the six Europeans, please click here.