FARMINGDALE, N.Y. — With the opening tee shot still two days away, the gamesmanship at the Ryder Cup began Wednesday when European captain Luke Donald took a few subtle jabs on pay-for-play during his speech at the opening ceremony.
“We’re fueled by something money cannot buy,” Donald said.
Europe, 1 up.
Then U.S. captain Keegan Bradley made the first bogey of these matches when he spoke of being around the 17th green at Brookline in 1999 for one of the biggest moments in Ryder Cup history, only to mistakenly say Justin Rose — not Justin Leonard — made the 45-foot putt.
Europe, 2 up.
The actual golf doesn’t start until Friday morning at rowdy Bethpage Black. More than 5,000 fans who attended the opening ceremony made their presence felt with constant chants of “U-S-A” and a smattering of boos for the Europeans.
Donald is the first European to be captain in consecutive Ryder Cup matches since Bernard Gallacher (1991-95). Donald was polished in Rome, using perfect Italian in a short message to the fans, and he was equally distinguished in sending a clear message about what this week is all about.
Europe has practically owned the Ryder Cup in the modern era that dates to 1979, and it has built a legacy that has equipped its team with supreme confidence.
“The American team is rightly proud of their heritage, but so are we,” Donald said. “Our European legacy is rooted in resilience, in togetherness and in proving people wrong. Time and again, we’ve shown that when we come together as one with a shared purpose, we can achieve remarkable things.”
Donald wasted little time in bringing money into the conversation, saying the Ryder Cup “is not about prize money or world ranking points. It’s about pride.”
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The Americans have received $200,000 to donate to charity since 1999. This year, the charity amount is $300,000, along with a $200,000 stipend. The American players have said from the start they would be donating the entire $500,000 to charities in their communities.
Still, that was ample ammunition for Europeans to say they didn’t need compensation to compete for a 17-inch-tall gold trophy, suggesting it was an example of why the Ryder Cup meant more to them than the Americans.
Europe has won 10 of the past 14 contests against American teams that typically look stronger on paper in terms of world ranking and major championships. It now tries to win for the fifth time on U.S. soil. The Americans have not won in Europe in 32 years.
“We didn’t come here just to be a part of the show. We came here to earn our place in Ryder Cup folklore,” Donald said. “We’re not just playing to win. We’re playing for each other and for every young golfer back home who dreams about one day representing Team Europe.
“We know it won’t be easy. Winning away never is. The toughest roads lead to the greatest rewards.”
Bradley, who had to wait for the chants to die, spoke mainly about his own history as the New England son of a PGA professional — his aunt, Pat Bradley, is an LPGA Tour great in the World Golf Hall of Fame — who played at St. John’s and competed at Bethpage Black when his teammates were restricted to Nos. 3 through 14 on the other side of Round Swamp Road.
He even dropped a local reference while introducing his team, announcing world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler from New Jersey. That’s where Scheffler was born and lived until his family moved to Dallas when he was 6.
Bradley said the Ryder Cup became personal at those 1999 matches when he was 13, sitting on his father’s shoulder “watching Justin Rose’s miracle putt drop on 17” and how his father let him join the celebration when the match ended on the 18th.
“That was the moment golf stopped being a game and started being a calling,” Bradley said. “That day changed my life.”
Bradley had contemplated being the first playing captain since Arnold Palmer in 1963. Bradley finished at No. 10 in the standings and even now has a better world ranking than four of the players on his team.
Ultimately, he decided he was chosen to be the captain, viewed as a selfless move that showed his only concern was leaving Bethpage Black with the Ryder Cup.
Bradley and the rest of the Americans are counting on plenty of crowd support. Bethpage Black has hosted two U.S. Opens, a PGA Championship and two FedEx Cup playoff events on the PGA Tour. The one theme is a gallery that holds nothing back in telling the golfers on “their” course what they think. Sergio Garcia was so annoyed, he pointed his finger — yes, the middle one — at a heckler during the 2002 U.S. Open at Bethpage Black.
“Bethpage Black is known as the People’s Country Club. It’s been called New York’s home course,” Bradley said. “But this week, with your passion and your energy, you’re going to make it America’s home course.”
The opening ceremony typically is Thursday afternoon, which concludes with captains announcing the lineups for the opening foursomes session. It was moved up a day because of a forecast of rain, giving players one more day — how much golf they can play depends on the weather — before Donald and Bradley deliver the lineups.
It’s been a long two years since Europe trounced the Americans in Rome. It’s been a long few days waiting for Friday.
