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He’s known for his attention to detail as Ryder Cup captain, but Luke Donald is taking that meticulous approach to the extreme as he prepares for a merciless Bethpage crowd.
Last weekend’s Team Cup in Abu Dhabi, which acted as a Ryder Cup audition for European hopefuls, was Donald’s first opportunity to replicate the much anticipated mayhem in New York.
Granted, it is impossible to simulate the experience the Europeans will have walking into the Bethpage bearpit in September, but Donald’s leadership team are at least finding ways of getting players used to the hostile environment.
A smattering of fans gathered on the first tee in the Middle East were tasked with putting off players, who were also bombarded with “U-S-A, U-S-A” chants through the PA system in their practice rounds.
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And it has emerged that Donald even brought an American comedian all the way to Abu Dhabi Golf Club to hurl abuse at players, including the explosive Tyrrell Hatton.
“They changed a few things with distraction tactics because we’re going to New York,” Jordan Smith, a member of the Great Britain and Ireland side, told bunkered.co.uk here at the Dubai Desert Classic.
“They had these big microphones and speakers on the first tee, baby noises, things going off, people shouting and coughing. Then when we got onto the 7th, which was a tough par three with water around it, they had an American guy there shouting all sorts at us. He was an American comedian.
“He said to Tyrrell Hatton that he looks like a reborn Amish farmer because of his beard. He was trying to put everyone off, saying you’re going to put it in the water, you’re going to hit a s*** shot.”
Englishman Smith, who won 2.5 points from four in a dominant GB&I victory over the Continental Europeans to stake his own claim, certainly seemed impressed by the unconventional approach.
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“It was distraction tactics to help us try and deal with it because in New York it’s going to be a million times worse,” he said. “You’re going to have hundreds of people shouting all sorts at you so it was getting used to that.
“They’re just trying to pressure test us and see how we deal with it and we’ll obviously learn from what happened last week.”
Donald’s opposite number Keegan Bradley has already warned that the security presence will be high on Long Island as the Europeans seek only their third away victory this century.
“It’s really important to us that it’s a fair place to play for both teams,” Bradley said. “Nobody on either team wants this to get uncomfortable or weird out there.
“But listen, you come into Yankee Stadium, you come into Madison Square Garden, you come into these places, it’s a tough place to play. Luke and the boys know that.”
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