Roy Keane: Ryder Cup is ‘a lot of crap’

His fellow countryman Paul McGinley might have led Europe to glory in last month’s Ryder Cup at Gleneagles but it’s unlikely that former Republic of Ireland football captain Roy Keane would have been tuning in to the action.

Promoting his new book, former Manchester United midfielder Keane savaged the biennial golf match between Europe and the USA, calling it ‘over the top’ and ‘a lot of crap’.

The 43-year-old, currently the assistant manager of Aston Villa and Republic of Ireland, vented his feelings on the match when he was asked to recount a tale from ‘The Second Half’ his second autobiography in which he and former teammate Wayne Rooney had a falling out over a remote control for a television.

• WATCH – Ryder Cup rookie Tony Finau dances shirtless

• OPINION – Why the Ryder Cup needs a “Matt Wallace Rule”

“People talk about an incident with Wayne and the remote control but that’s what happens when a team’s together – you fall out about what you’re watching,” Keane told the Irish Independent.

“I went down on the bus with Aston Villa to Chelsea and the f***ing Ryder Cup was on and I’m, ‘Lads…’ but it stayed on. A lot of crap.

“But then I’m not a golfer. Other lads wanted to watch the Rugby League. Some, probably X Factor.

Paul McGinley led Europe to a third consecutive Ryder Cup victory last month at Gleneagles.

Sir Alex Ferguson, Roy Keane’s former Manchester United manager, with Rory McIlroy at Gleneagles.

“What would I have watched? Anything but the Ryder Cup. Over the top. The usual nonsense. Players hugging. WAGs. Singing. A lot of people didn’t even know what the Ryder Cup was two years ago.”

Roy Keane, who won the English Premier League seven times with Manchester United before going on to have a brief spell at Celtic, might be in the minority with his feelings on the match.

• 2018 Ryder Cup: How to watch the action on TV

• Do rookies really win you the Ryder Cup?

According to recent estimations, the Ryder Cup is the third biggest sporting event in the world in terms of a total global audience. Over 600 million people in 183 countries around the world are reckoned to have watched this year’s match via a network of 43 different broadcasters, whilst around a quarter of a million people are thought to have attended Gleneagles in person over the course of the week.

• WATCH – Rory & Co. prank Ryder Cup captain Bjorn

One of those was Sir Alex Ferguson, Roy Keane’s former Manchester United manager. A huge rift between the two men prompted the Irishman departure from the Old Trafford club in 2005. Ferguson was invited by McGinley to speak to the European team ahead of this year’s match in Perthshire and was on the first tee on Sunday morning to watch the first few singles matches tee off.

Roy Keane: Is he right about the Ryder Cup?

Do you agree with former footballer Roy Keane that the Ryder Cup is ‘over the top’ or is the ex Manchester United man wide of the mark with his criticism of the event? Leave your thoughts in our ‘Comments’ section below.

Michael McEwan is the Deputy Editor of bunkered and has been part of the team since 2004. In that time, he has interviewed almost every major figure within the sport, from Jack Nicklaus, to Rory McIlroy, to Donald Trump. The host of the multi award-winning bunkered Podcast and a member of Balfron Golfing Society, Michael is the author of three books and is the 2023 PPA Scotland 'Writer of the Year' and 'Columnist of the Year'. Dislikes white belts, yellow balls and iron headcovers. Likes being drawn out of the media ballot to play Augusta National.

Deputy Editor